I was adopted at the age of 5, into a Christian home. My adoptive parents were very strict Christians. Before being adopted, my real mother would take all of us kids (4 brothers and one sister), to Church in the little town of Esbon, Kansas. Through this church, we met other Christian couples, one of which adopted my sister and one of my older brothers. They became Child Evangelism Fellowship directors of Nebraska, and moved to Lincoln where my older siblings grew up in a Christian home also. My oldest brother did not grow up in a Christian home. Although some people tried to take him in, he stole them blind, so he had to go back to his real dad for awhile.

My adoptive dad also wanted to get into Christian work. While still living in Kansas, we went to a Grace Brethren Church in the small town of Portis, Kansas. I learned a lot about Jesus there. Later, we moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where we attended a Grace Brethren Church, and I was baptized in that church on January 5, 1958. I still have my baptismal certificate today. For the most part, I grew up in Arizona. I loved going to a CEF camp in Prescott, Arizona. I enjoyed this very much, and it taught me much about the Christian aspects in life. We moved to Dallas, Texas in 1963, while I was in High School. My parents were then in CEF ministry, and we attended an Independent Bible Church. My parents had a chapel on wheels and went to the Texas State Fair with it. They led a lot of children to Christ.

As I was going through high school, my goal was to be a missionary pilot when I graduated from high school. I believed this was my calling from God, to fly for foreign missions. I had my heart set to go to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and take their Missionary Aviation course. This was a four-year pilot training course. I guess Satan steps in sometimes, before we realize it, to change our plans. My dad and I had a falling-out, and I got angry and went downtown Dallas, in February 1966, and joined the Marines. Why the Marines? They were the only ones at that time, who had a 120- day delay program before you left for boot camp. I thought about going into the Army as a helicopter pilot, since they were taking boys right out of high school to train them as pilots, but I didn´t.

With hindsight I found that, if you do not go when God first calls you to His service, the second calling might not be as good as the first calling is. I was saved as a very young lad, and had my eyes set to go into his service after high school, but the war got in the way. I never did get the pilot training that I wanted. I got married while still in the military. So I set about finding a civilian job. I raised two sons, and tried to teach them the right way to live. I sent them to Christian schools, through most of their younger years. During high school, the oldest wanted to go to a public school, so we took him out of a Christian school.

We had a jail-ministry for three years, and enjoyed doing that. You do get a lot of guys from different walks of life in jail, some even attended church in earlier years. Today I go to church and join in the congregation to praise the Lord and His many riches and thank him for his blessings He had bestowed upon us.

I look back sometimes on my life, and thank God for richly blessing me. There were times while I was in Vietnam, if I had not moved from some location at the right time, I would not be here today. I believe God answered many prayers back home, and kept me safe from harms way. I lost many dear friends over there. I believe God put me in an outfit that had a God fearing Christian leader. He was our Battalion commander. I often wondered, why my outfit did not get into many firefights like other ones did over there. The 9th Marines were not so lucky. They lost a lot of men over there. We went into the same area they had just been through, and never received a sniper round. Later, I heard that the NVA and VC feared our outfit. Perhaps God had put that fear into their hearts, as He did with the enemies of Israel in the Old Testament.

 After 13 months in the rice paddies and mountains of the northern part of South Vietnam, with my life and two Purple Hearts, reminders of what I had been through, I left Vietnam. Vietnam had changed my outlook on life. I saw a different type of people and a different life style. Most of them were Buddhist and worshiped a graven idol. I was glad to be from a Christian Nation that believed and taught about a true and living God, Who loves every one of us, regardless of who we are or where we came from. It is hard to imagine how He can love the entire world.

Today, it saddens my heart, how our United States of America, the freest nation on earth, can be so defiled. Listening to minority groups brought us where we are; they want God completely out of our lives. They took prayers out of our schools, and installed other religions instead. They also condone the drug pushers, who poison our children. I love Jesus our Savior with all of my heart. And have trusted Him since childhood. I pray for our nation each night. I hope we never forsake the land of Israel, for we will lose what we have altogether. God is our refuge and strength, our fortress. He says in His word: "Without Me, you can do nothing!" America needs to wakeup and heed those words, or lose it.

At times I was afraid. My mom gave me this verse to get me through Vietnam and other dark places in my life. Psalm 56:3 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee”. As I grew up, my mother had me memorize scripture verses through a scripture-memorizing program. I received my first Scholfield Bible that way. I still have it today, marked with all of the verses that I had to learn.

I still praise God that he saved me when I was small, and allowed me to be adopted into a Christian home to learn the right way in life. I could have been adopted into a non-Christian home, and only God knows where I would be today. God Bless you and yours, Dan Brumbaugh.

Below is my commanding officers response after I sent him my testimony. He is really a fine Christian person. Has a Christian ministry in California.

Dear Dan,
I have printed out your testimony. PTL for parents who raise their adopted children by bringing them up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4). You have a great testimony. I, too, believe that the Lord leads us into unexpected experiences and even vocations. He has called many to full time ministry vocations, but I believe He needs and uses those in other vocations to be committed Christians and to be a Christian influence upon those who might never darken a church door or listen to a pastor preach.

I also agree that God blessed our battalion in Viet Nam. I know that my constant prayers were that we could effectively accomplish every mission assigned with a minimum of casualties. I praise the Lord for the fine Marines of 3/4 that I felt accomplished that goal during my time with them despite being in some of the fiercest fighting of the war (eg. the Tet offensive). I also believe that the NVA monitored many of the communications of all our Marine units and avoided tangling with our 3/4 Marines.

I salute you and love you as a brother in Jesus Christ. I join you in praying for our nation. May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless and use you for His glory! May He also bless you and your loved ones with health and happiness. Semper Fidelis has a special meaning to us as Marines and Christians.
With thanks for your service to Corps, Country and God,

Lee Bendell, Col. USMC, Ret.
CO 3/4, 1967-68