The First Time That I Met Jesus

It was about 0430 in the morning in the Tonkin Gulf in 1966 as our ship the USS Hancock was preparing to launch the first Air Strike into North Vietnam and as an Aviation Ordnanceman we had just finished loading out the "Sortie". As it was still dark we worked under 'Red Lights' like ghostly shadows with red goggles which produced a 'Fish Eye' type vision? The first aircraft to be launched was on the 'Starboard' steam catapult about 50 feet in front of myself & the 'Afterburner' began to evaporate the JP-5 fuel soaked into my Red Jersey & dungarees, creating a sort of fog around me. It was an F-8 Crusader (Fighter) which usually carry missiles.. But to my horror was loaded with two 500 pound bombs on the wing stations! So I made a dive to get behind the 'Island Structure' and almost made it, when the night exploded into a gigantic fire ball of razor sharp shards of metal which engulfed me! I was blinded by the Light and leapt toward where I thought the railing would be & spun off into Total Darkness & sailed away to a beautiful tropical island & into the presence of the Lord...