Prayer Works

I was six years old at the time. I still can recall going down to the TV station to watch the news reports of my dad in Vietnam . I did not yet know the power of prayer. Nor did I realize that God's call to prayer could be a matter of life and death. Prayer works. God's joy comes in the morning.

--Steve

I'll step out of the way as my mom recalls for me…

From my side of the world....

The initial call to prayer: Friends all over the country had been informed via Christmas Greetings that dad would be with the 101st Airborne Division at a DESK JOB during his second tour in Vietnam . Their perception was corrected when dad, as Senior Advisor to the South Vietnamese 5th Ranger Group, appeared on CBS twice during the two weeks after the start of North Vietnam 's Easter Offensive. The first news report showed that dad was now in Dong Ha, an area in the northern-most part of South Vietnam and in the area of conflict. It was not frightening. The correspondent was chatting with dad about his friendship and dedication to his Vietnamese counterparts.

The second airing was a little more disconcerting. Unknowingly, dad and the reporter kept flinching as the camera recorded bursts of arms fire and low-flying planes. Not frightening, but not comforting either.

On April 20, 1972 , Walter Cronkite informed the nation of the latest development in North Vietnam 's Easter Offensive in that exact area...Dong Ha--Quang Tri--. He concluded his alarming and negative report with the news that the U.S. Military was air evacuating American advisors trapped with South Vietnamese troops in Quang Tri. BUT some of the Americans were refusing to desert their Vietnamese troops and would fight to the death.

More call to prayer...

The next morning a Christian Ladies Tea was held for women from churches all over Tulsa . Gramma and I heard "How's Kenny?" many times during the affair. And this time the answer was not the usual "Just fine" or "OK." Instead in shaky voices, we replied "He's in trouble. Please pray." The word went out.

A Christian friend in Biloxi , Mississippi was awakened by God at midnight with the call to pray and fast for three days for Kenny. On the west coast, at 10 pm , a friend was directed by God to pray and fast for three days for Kenny. An unknown friend in Tulsa was awakened at midnight and called by God to pray and fast for three days for that nice-looking young man she had seen on television.

On Monday night at Kids for Christ, prayer time brought 17 or 18 requests for "Major Teel," "Kathy's dad," " Mrs. Teel's husband," "Steve's daddy," and on and on. To the best of my knowledge, I had never heard more than two requests for one purpose in this forum.

At a Tuesday evening Men's Bible Study, the leader interrupted the lesson to state that "something is terribly wrong; pray with me." As the men began interceding, the teacher announced that "It's Kenny Teel, a young officer in Vietnam . He's in trouble." And the prayers continued.

Later that night, Gramma, doing her own intercessory prayer, received the scripture, Psalm 30, particularly verse 5--"Joy shall come in the morning."

The call came about 2:15 am Wednesday morning; dad was safe in Danang.

From the "other" side of the world....

The North Vietnamese had struck at Easter. In numerous tanks and military vehicles above ground and through tunnels underground, with an overwhelming force, supplied with Russian arms, they attacked in three different parts of South Vietnam . Dad's South Vietnamese Ranger Group had been airlifted to reinforce the defenders at Quang Tri and Dong Ha. After two or three weeks the North Vietnamese struck with force again.

The outnumbered South Vietnamese units fought until they had to retreat south. During their attempt to break out of Quang Tri to the south, dad's Ranger unit rescued an American Air Force pilot who had been shot down while directing air strikes on the enemy positions. After nightfall, as the unit made its way through the jungle in the darkness, the soldiers encountered a machine gun nest. Though the gunners shot high and over their heads, the large group was divided and dispersed into many small groups.

Dad was in a group of six...4 Americans, including the downed pilot, and 2 Vietnamese -- his interpreter and a laborer. They employed an escape and evade maneuver in the midst of the enemy. Many hours were spent hiding in the cover of a riverbank with footsteps above them and the Vietnamese language spoken on all sides of them.

Crossing the river to the south was one way of escape but one member of the group was a poor swimmer, so the decision was made to head back north through the jungle from which they had come so recently.

The pilot was able to contact the Air Force and arrange a rescue mission. Two helicopters would be sent to a cleared area in the vicinity. Now as the small group made its way through the enemy infested area, there was hope of rescue and safety after daylight.

As the small group defended the landing area, the helicopters came in for a quick pickup. Three men ran to one "ship," and three to the other. After takeoff, one helicopter was hit by the first fire of the Russian-made heat-seeking missile and fell to earth, killing all aboard. The other helicopter was hit by machine gun fire and crippled. The pilot was able to glide out of the immediate enemy area and another rescue helicopter was called in. The wait for the second rescue was probably about 30 minutes but it was a time of anxiety because no one knew exactly where the North Vietnamese were in that area. This helicopter was a very small one with a seating capacity of four, which included the pilot and crew chief already on board. Somehow dad, his lieutenant, the downed pilot and the four downed crew from the first rescue mission--seven men---got on that small chopper. They had to jettison everything on board that could be discarded to lift off and the helicopter had "skids." Those skids were the support for men who were either half in or out of the chopper. How the chopper lifted off, no one knows. It did!

At a safe place for landing, a larger rescue plane picked up the group of tired and weary men and flew them to the safety of Danang Air Base, where dad was able to call home and bring to me the joy that came in the morning.

Barbara Teel
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