Can I Live Again? by Tyrone Vincent Banks (android pdf ebook reader txt) đź“•
Excerpt from the book:
A retired and recently widowed USMC Sniper agrees to one last mission in the same area where his wife was killed in action. He must come to terms with his loss, accomplish his mission and then find a way to go on with his life.
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about where I last saw Manuela!”
“Precisely! What if she made it through that tunnel?”
“But the DNA evidence?”
“Look at the photo – do you notice anything strange?”
“Not really!”
“The finger is not burned and it’s a clean cut I estimate from the tip of the ring finger. She always had problems taking that ring off and my theory is that it was deliberately cut off!”
“By who?”
“By Manuela! You know how she was, she was selfless, and she’d sacrifice her own finger to save her wedding band from falling into the wrong hands.”
“This is kind of a long stretch? Isn’t this almost impossible? What you’re talking about is beyond all reason!”
“Ronald, give your impossibilities to Jesus! It’s not over until God says that it’s over! I need a week to get back into shape and then I’ll be ready to go!”
“Alright Major Thomas, welcome back!”
Leonard stood and walked towards the front of the restaurant. Ronald noticed the cane still propped up against the side of the table. He picked it up and ran towards Leonard.
“Leonard, don’t forget this!”
He handed the cane to Leonard and he took it, looked at it and broke it across his damaged knee. He looked Ronald in the eyes and stated:
“Isaiah 53 and 5 says; He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Ronald my friend, I am healed! Let’s go! I have to make up for lost time!”
Leonard spoke to Uncle Velazio briefly and his wife came out of the kitchen holding Mikal’s hand. Mikal walked over to Leonard and offered words of encouragement to him.
“Daddy, remember Psalms 18 verse 29 to 50!”
“What does it say?”
“Read it and you’ll see! I’ll be okay; Auntie Gladys is going to show me how to make a pizza! I’ll make one for you and Mommy when you get back! Isn’t that cool?”
Leonard looked at his son’s confident face and struggled for some words to tell him should he not return safely. His instructions were simple.
“Mikal, listen to your grandparents and your aunt and uncle, pray for us often and read your bible.”
Mikal replied; “I understand Daddy. I love you and I’ll see you soon. Now, go get Mommy!”
The two hugged for several moments and Leonard left the restaurant and got into Cowen’s car. Moments later they arrived at a heavily guarded gate, entered and preceded to a large building tucked away in the corner of the complex. Minutes later Cowen and Leonard exited the building carrying large duffle bags and wearing their battle dress.
“Tell me Cowen, how many good snipers do you have on hand?”
“About twenty…”
“Any that I would know?”
“Yes, there are three that you may recall.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, you worked with them a few years ago and they’re perfect for this next mission.”
“What are their names?”
“Bustamonte, Brown and Kelley!”
“I trained those guys! What have they been up to?”
“They train snipers! They learned from the best!”
“And they have twenty trained men?”
“Yes, they had twenty-five men but five of them went down when their chopper was shot down recently. It was rough for them because those 5 men were the best of the best.”
“How many of us are going in this time?”
“Ten!”
“Ten? This is going to be fun!”
The men boarded a jeep and sped off across the complex and reached a gated restricted area. They were granted access and they walked down a long overgrown path.
“So, where are they?”
“You tell me! I believe that they’ve planned a little welcome back party for you!”
Leonard stood still and surveyed the area. To the naked eye they were merely surrounded by nature, rocks, bushes, trees and other naturally occurring elements. Leonard quickly spotted the men and called them out.
“The marine in the tree at eleven o’clock, in the bush at three o’clock, behind the rock at nine o’clock, two at five o’clock, one behind the dumpster and one on top of the squad bay at twelve o’clock, come on out!”
Seven men in their various pieces of camouflage exited the woods and stood at attention.
“Major Thomas, you’ve located seven of eight, you’ve got one more to go!”
“Do you want me to point out those within the gate, beyond the gate or both?”
“Both!”
“Okay, in that case, Bustamonte, in the tree at six o’clock, come on down!”
A marine in full gear rappelled down the tree, unclamped and ran over to the men and stood at attention.
“At ease! You guys are good! But can someone tell me who wrote the book on sniping?”
The men shouted in unison; “Major Leonard Mikal Thomas Sir!”
“Very good, now, let’s get to work!”
The men walked into the squad bay for a quick round of bottled water. As Leonard was talking to his 3 men who had last served with him before his career ending injury another marine walked over carrying a large briefcase.
“Major Thomas, there’s one more old friend that you should get reacquainted with!”
Leonard opened the case and removed his last service weapon. An M40A1 – the rifle that he trained with and mastered over the last few decades.
“Gentlemen, what’s fourteen and a half pounds, 44 inches long and a Marine’s best friend?”
“The M40A1 sir!”
“Yes boys, this baby was hand made and hand rolled in Quantico like a fine Cuban cigar and it won’t give you cancer! Allow me to demonstrate!”
The men followed a rejuvenated, resurrected and renewed Major Leonard Thomas out onto the rifle range. Leonard loaded the magazine and snapped it into place. A target was loaded and sent several meters away until it disappeared into the distance.
“Sir, we have 1000 yards!”
“Good, send it out about 500 more!”
Bustamonte interjected; “Sir, the effective range is only 1000 yards!”
Leonard, with his eye glued to his sight while making a few adjustments, quipped; “Who told you that?”
Bustamonte answered, “Well, you did sir!”
Leonard squeezed off a single shot. The target was reeled in and the men gathered around to take a look at the large hole in the exact center of the target.
“I’m sorry Bustamonte, but, I lied!”
The men were amazed and full of questions as they busied themselves trying to duplicate that impossible shot at that impossible distance. Leonard spent the entire day running the field and totally free from the pain that he suffered for the last 2 years. His team received textbook training from books written by Leonard and now they were privy to training from the author which included the things that he was not allowed to write.
They spent hours assembling, firing and disassembling a vast array of weapons at record speed until they could do this blindfolded. They continued to train into the night and throughout the next morning, taking brief breaks to eat quickly and then return back to task.
Captain Cowen stood in the background watching Leonard Thomas in action and said out loud; “Give your impossibilities to Jesus!”
***
Five days from Leonard touching down in Quantico the team was off to Iraq. After they arrived on the airstrip they quickly loaded onto a smaller Black Hawk helicopter and flew towards the landing zone. The mood was always somber prior to a dangerous mission. Leonard pulled a small bible out of his pocket and turned to Psalms 18, verses 29-50.
He began to read aloud;
“Precisely! What if she made it through that tunnel?”
“But the DNA evidence?”
“Look at the photo – do you notice anything strange?”
“Not really!”
“The finger is not burned and it’s a clean cut I estimate from the tip of the ring finger. She always had problems taking that ring off and my theory is that it was deliberately cut off!”
“By who?”
“By Manuela! You know how she was, she was selfless, and she’d sacrifice her own finger to save her wedding band from falling into the wrong hands.”
“This is kind of a long stretch? Isn’t this almost impossible? What you’re talking about is beyond all reason!”
“Ronald, give your impossibilities to Jesus! It’s not over until God says that it’s over! I need a week to get back into shape and then I’ll be ready to go!”
“Alright Major Thomas, welcome back!”
Leonard stood and walked towards the front of the restaurant. Ronald noticed the cane still propped up against the side of the table. He picked it up and ran towards Leonard.
“Leonard, don’t forget this!”
He handed the cane to Leonard and he took it, looked at it and broke it across his damaged knee. He looked Ronald in the eyes and stated:
“Isaiah 53 and 5 says; He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Ronald my friend, I am healed! Let’s go! I have to make up for lost time!”
Leonard spoke to Uncle Velazio briefly and his wife came out of the kitchen holding Mikal’s hand. Mikal walked over to Leonard and offered words of encouragement to him.
“Daddy, remember Psalms 18 verse 29 to 50!”
“What does it say?”
“Read it and you’ll see! I’ll be okay; Auntie Gladys is going to show me how to make a pizza! I’ll make one for you and Mommy when you get back! Isn’t that cool?”
Leonard looked at his son’s confident face and struggled for some words to tell him should he not return safely. His instructions were simple.
“Mikal, listen to your grandparents and your aunt and uncle, pray for us often and read your bible.”
Mikal replied; “I understand Daddy. I love you and I’ll see you soon. Now, go get Mommy!”
The two hugged for several moments and Leonard left the restaurant and got into Cowen’s car. Moments later they arrived at a heavily guarded gate, entered and preceded to a large building tucked away in the corner of the complex. Minutes later Cowen and Leonard exited the building carrying large duffle bags and wearing their battle dress.
“Tell me Cowen, how many good snipers do you have on hand?”
“About twenty…”
“Any that I would know?”
“Yes, there are three that you may recall.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, you worked with them a few years ago and they’re perfect for this next mission.”
“What are their names?”
“Bustamonte, Brown and Kelley!”
“I trained those guys! What have they been up to?”
“They train snipers! They learned from the best!”
“And they have twenty trained men?”
“Yes, they had twenty-five men but five of them went down when their chopper was shot down recently. It was rough for them because those 5 men were the best of the best.”
“How many of us are going in this time?”
“Ten!”
“Ten? This is going to be fun!”
The men boarded a jeep and sped off across the complex and reached a gated restricted area. They were granted access and they walked down a long overgrown path.
“So, where are they?”
“You tell me! I believe that they’ve planned a little welcome back party for you!”
Leonard stood still and surveyed the area. To the naked eye they were merely surrounded by nature, rocks, bushes, trees and other naturally occurring elements. Leonard quickly spotted the men and called them out.
“The marine in the tree at eleven o’clock, in the bush at three o’clock, behind the rock at nine o’clock, two at five o’clock, one behind the dumpster and one on top of the squad bay at twelve o’clock, come on out!”
Seven men in their various pieces of camouflage exited the woods and stood at attention.
“Major Thomas, you’ve located seven of eight, you’ve got one more to go!”
“Do you want me to point out those within the gate, beyond the gate or both?”
“Both!”
“Okay, in that case, Bustamonte, in the tree at six o’clock, come on down!”
A marine in full gear rappelled down the tree, unclamped and ran over to the men and stood at attention.
“At ease! You guys are good! But can someone tell me who wrote the book on sniping?”
The men shouted in unison; “Major Leonard Mikal Thomas Sir!”
“Very good, now, let’s get to work!”
The men walked into the squad bay for a quick round of bottled water. As Leonard was talking to his 3 men who had last served with him before his career ending injury another marine walked over carrying a large briefcase.
“Major Thomas, there’s one more old friend that you should get reacquainted with!”
Leonard opened the case and removed his last service weapon. An M40A1 – the rifle that he trained with and mastered over the last few decades.
“Gentlemen, what’s fourteen and a half pounds, 44 inches long and a Marine’s best friend?”
“The M40A1 sir!”
“Yes boys, this baby was hand made and hand rolled in Quantico like a fine Cuban cigar and it won’t give you cancer! Allow me to demonstrate!”
The men followed a rejuvenated, resurrected and renewed Major Leonard Thomas out onto the rifle range. Leonard loaded the magazine and snapped it into place. A target was loaded and sent several meters away until it disappeared into the distance.
“Sir, we have 1000 yards!”
“Good, send it out about 500 more!”
Bustamonte interjected; “Sir, the effective range is only 1000 yards!”
Leonard, with his eye glued to his sight while making a few adjustments, quipped; “Who told you that?”
Bustamonte answered, “Well, you did sir!”
Leonard squeezed off a single shot. The target was reeled in and the men gathered around to take a look at the large hole in the exact center of the target.
“I’m sorry Bustamonte, but, I lied!”
The men were amazed and full of questions as they busied themselves trying to duplicate that impossible shot at that impossible distance. Leonard spent the entire day running the field and totally free from the pain that he suffered for the last 2 years. His team received textbook training from books written by Leonard and now they were privy to training from the author which included the things that he was not allowed to write.
They spent hours assembling, firing and disassembling a vast array of weapons at record speed until they could do this blindfolded. They continued to train into the night and throughout the next morning, taking brief breaks to eat quickly and then return back to task.
Captain Cowen stood in the background watching Leonard Thomas in action and said out loud; “Give your impossibilities to Jesus!”
***
Five days from Leonard touching down in Quantico the team was off to Iraq. After they arrived on the airstrip they quickly loaded onto a smaller Black Hawk helicopter and flew towards the landing zone. The mood was always somber prior to a dangerous mission. Leonard pulled a small bible out of his pocket and turned to Psalms 18, verses 29-50.
He began to read aloud;
“For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
and sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.
I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
They cried out, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the nations;
A people I have not known shall serve me.
As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners submit to me.
The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.
The LORD lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God
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