 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill, pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Young girls, have you ever been tested or challenged because of your stand for Christ? Do you think you could stand up under real persecution fire? Of course, that's a question that can only be answered by each individual. It's a question that Ted Sloan had to answer. Could he take all the ribbing and ridicule that was handed to him because he made a solid stand for the Lord? Or would he collapse under it and ruin his witness? Listen to the story, if the Lord is for us, who can be against us? Right now, Ted's at Ranger headquarters visiting Henry. Ted is home on furlough from the army. He and Henry are talking over old times together. Let's drop over and find out what the two young fellows are chatting about. Boy, oh boy, you sure look sharp in your uniform, Ted. Well, Henry, I can't wear sloppy joe sweaters anymore like I used to. Well, how does it feel to be home? It is wonderful. Nice to walk around all the old places again and think of the good old days. Hey, Bill, you're just in time. Look who's here. Well, as I live and breathe, Ted Sloan. How are you, Ted? Just fine, Bill. How's yourself? Oh, great. How's army life? Oh, it's so-and-so. Some of it's good and some knots are good. That's the way I found it, too, Ted. Oh, didn't know you were in the service, Bill. Yeah, almost four years. That's funny. I took it for granted that you were always a Ranger, I guess. Well, Bill was a Navy medic, Ted. He spent a lot of time on detached duty with the Marines. Well, how about that? A fellow learns something new every day. That's right, Ted. Say, I've got an unsettled storm and bet him down for the night. I'll be back to chin with you, fellas, in about 15 minutes. Hey, Bill, what do you say I call Mom and find out if she's got an extra plate for supper tonight? Good idea, Henry. You get the car out while I take care of the storm, will you? And we'll spend the evening around the fire and swap stories. Boy, I'm for that 100 percent. You're just like old times. Now, for my favorite chair by the fire, put on my slippers and relax. Yeah, me, too. Grab an easy chair, Ted. I've got it all picked out already, Henry. Why don't you have a rough day on the trail, Bill? Oh, it wasn't too bad. The snow's not deep enough yet. Storm threw a shoe and I had to stop at the line and fix it. The old storm can wear the head off of a horseshoe nail quicker than any horse I've ever snored. Really, a pound's of more, right, pal? Well, the whole wide world to talk about, here we sit. I got something to talk about, fellas. Oh, yeah? What? Me. You? Yes. Bill, when I find out you were in the service, I think it was an answer to prayer. Oh, is that right, Ted? In what way? Because I need some spiritual counseling with Ted. What's happened? Yeah, you were always pretty solid spiritually, Ted. I guess I was, Henry, until I went in the army. Oh? Don't blame the service for decreasing your spiritual power, Ted. That's up to you. I don't know, as I agree with you, Bill. Why not? Well, the persecution and the ribbing I get is pretty hard to take, especially after it goes on for some time. Well, I went through a lot of the same persecution and ribbing myself, Ted. You did? Sure. How can any Christian expect to escape? The Lord was persecuted and made the butt of many jokes, even when He died on the cross. So were the disciples and apostles and the great leaders of the church. Well, I understand all that, but I guess I'm not as strong as they were. Ah, but you have the Lord's strength to draw from, Ted. Not your own. You know, as Paul wrote to young Timothy, Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. I don't think the Lord would test you beyond what you're able to stand, Ted. That's right. What you need is a Christian buddy in the army to have fellowship with. Christians strengthen each other in times of testing. It's all very well for you fellows to quote Scripture and give counsel, but you're not going through the same thing I am. Ah, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blown up like that. That's all right, Ted. Let's get down to specifics, huh? Well... What exactly is your trouble? It's this way. If only my sergeant would lay off just once in a while. That's all I ask. Ah, I've got a tough side, Joe. Tough. That's not the word for it. I had somewhat the same experience. You did? Mm-hmm. What did you do? Want to hear about it? Sure. Tell me about it, Bill. It might help me. All right. Let me begin at the beginning. We were in the shooting war, hot and heavy, as I finished college. To some deliberation as to which branch of the service I wanted to enter, I picked the Navy. They decided I'd better talk it over with my father. When I got home, I went into the library to have a chat with Dad. He was expecting it. Among other things, had this advice for me. Well, son, in the service, you're going to be tested and tried because of your stand for Christ. But no matter how tough the ridicule gets, don't be another Peter. Don't deny your Lord. Remember, son, the persecution that you might go through is only a little of what the Lord endured. Be strong in him. Trust the Lord to give you all the strength you need. Thanks, Dad. I'll try. Dad was killed in the forest fire six months later. But his words kept ringing in my ears as they do to this very day. Dad was right. In about a week, I was on my way to boot camp. What a terrific change in my life that was. But with the Lord's help, I was able to make some kind of mature adjustment to Navy life. Those first weeks were almost nightmarish. It wasn't one minute you could call your own. Come on, rise inside. Come on, Mac, roll out of this stack. You're not home now. Stone. Yeah. Tomkin. Yeah. Rokowski. Yeah. Yantis. Yeah. Simmerman. Yeah. All right. Let's go to breakfast. Tinge. Hey. Push up four at a time. The regulation haircut is half an inch. No longer. The first couple of days were so rough that I was sound as if I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. I was going to go to bed. The first two days were so rough that I was sound asleep before my head ever touched my mattress cover. After about a week, the pace slowed down a little, and I decided it was time to get back into my habitual routine of having devotions before going to bed. I'll never forget the first time the fellas noticed me sitting on the edge of my bun greeting my Bible. It's a reading, Bill. Here, let me see. Hey, Stone, hey, take it easy. It's my Bible. Watch it. You'll tear the pages. Bibles. Yeah. Ha. Anything funny about that? I read it every night at home, and I'm going to do it here. Oh, about that. A Bible, huh? And will you give me that Bible back, Stone? Or do I have to...? Ah, here it is. How about preaching a sermon for us, huh? Yeah, maybe I'll take the chaplain's place on Sunday morning. I could hear the racket for a mile. Who started it? I did, boats. You did, Jefferson. How come? Well, I decided to get back into my habit of reading my Bible before hitting the sack. The fellas are kind of kidding me. Yeah. All right, knock it off. If Jefferson wants to read his Bible, what business is that of yours? One more sound out of your lubbers and you'll walk post with a full sea bay. Is that understood? All right, lights out. There's temps. I was used to ridicule because I went through quite a bit of it in college. However, the Lord strengthened me because I knelt down to pray as taps were blowing and not one word was said. Not that it would have made any difference. Eventually I received my final orders as a Navy medic assigned to the Marine base at New River, North Carolina. New River was cut right out of the heart of the Carolina swamp. I'll never forget the moment I stepped off the bus in front of the main gate. I was with Bert Marshall. What in the world do you suppose this place is, Bill? Training ground for the Fleet Marine Force, Bert. Well, I guess we might as well walk in. Yeah, there's nothing else we can do right now. Let's ask the sergeant where we go. You mean that Bulldog Marine standing over there? No, he's probably not as tough as he looks. Bark is the worst that he's bite. Maybe so, Bill. Well, let's find out. Hey, serge! What do you want, Swab Jackies? Where can we find a company of medical battalion? Right where it always is. Use your feet like the Marines do. Well, we're new here, serge. This is a big place. We'd appreciate some direction. I've been walking since the first day in the Marine Corps and you can do the same. Listen, sergeant, we asked you a civil question. We expect a civil answer. You don't have to pull your rank on us. A scrappy, Swab, yeah? Well, follow your nose down this street to the first corner. Turn left. There's a big sign you can't miss it. Thanks, sergeant. Let's go, Bert. That fellow was my platoon sergeant. Only I didn't know it then. We reported in at A Company Medical Battalion headquarters. I was assigned to B Company and Bert was sent to C Company. Sergeant's name was Clarence Donovan. The fellow's called him Buck. The next morning, I ran into Buck. He came into the sick bay for treatment of a deep scratch he got from a shell case. Well, if it ain't the pill pusher I met on the road. Yeah, I'm the fellow. What can I do for you, serge? Uh, guest mom on a shell case. Have you got any bug killer? Sure, lots of it. Yeah, let's take a look. Okay, but take it easy. It can attend her. Yeah, I guess it would be all right. Hold still now. It'll only take a minute. Is that stuff gonna burn? It'll bite some. Won't kill you. Hold still now. Sting? Ah, it's gotta be worse than that to make me holler. That's okay. I'll tape this guy's pad on, he'll be all set. See, is that a Bible I see sitting over there on your bunk, Swabby? Huh? Well, yeah. Why? Don't tell me you're one of them religious birds. I'm not a religious bird. I'm a Christian. I suppose you think you get to heaven by reading your Bible. The only way I know of getting to heaven, serge, is through the saving power of Christ. Huh? Say, you should have been a preacher. How do you figure that? Because no Sunday school teacher ought to be in the Marines. This is a man's outfit. Well, if you think I'm not a man, I'll gladly put the gloves on with you or meet you any other way you want. Hmm. Tough, eh? Well, it's my guess that in about a week you'll be asking for a transfer. Huh? Now, come. Because I don't want no religious lilies in my platoons. And who's a religious lily? Yo! And everybody like ya. Now, you'll find out about that. Oh, well. I don't like the way you work, Jefferson. Before I get through with you, you'll be so tired you won't be able to see straight to say nothing about reading the good book. This is a man's outfit, see? They were no idle threats. I trained right with the Marines, did everything they did, crawled in the mud, got my mouth full of sand more than once, fired the same weapons. But more than that, I got some personalized attention from Sergeant Donner. What's the matter with you, Jefferson? You couldn't hit the side of a barn with a cannon. Why, only missed a close eye twice. That ain't good enough. Not for a preacher. You stay here until you hit it every time. Hey, swabby! Come back here and climb this wall. I climbed it twice already. You did, eh? Sunday school boys have to climb it three times! Let me see your rifle, Jefferson. It's clean, isn't it? Yeah, but it ain't clean enough, see? Clean it again. Bill, the fellas have teased you a lot about your being a Christian, but deep down in our hearts we respect and admire you. Thanks, Cliff. I appreciate your kind remarks. That isn't all, Bill. You never complain when you have to get up in the middle of the night to take care of us when we're sick. Well, thanks to you too, money. Why all the flowers? I'm only doing my job. Well, that's just it. You're doing a good job. We're sick and tired of watching the serge push you around. Yeah, the way it takes after you is criminal. You ought to turn him into the old man. Well, I appreciate how you feel, fellas, but I don't think turning him into the major would help. And I wouldn't do it anyway. Well, it's up to you, but we think you should turn him in. If you don't, maybe somebody else will. The compliments the fellas paid me was the Lord's way of bolstering my strength. And Monty and Cliff weren't joking about turning Buck into the company commander. The next afternoon, Sergeant Donovan was dressed down severely by major parks. And I mean the major Red Buck, the riot act. Sergeant Donovan, I expect you to train these men, not bulldoze them. Yes, sir. I could take all your stripes off your shirt for what you've been doing. You know that. I was only acting in the best interests of the Marine Corps, sir. Is that what you learned in non-commissioned officers' school? Did they teach you to persecute those under your command? I'm not persecuting anybody major parks. You'd better not let me catch you doing it, or I'll break you to a private in the laundry platoon. Understand? Yes, sir. Now, I'll get back to your duties, and don't let this happen again. Yes, sir. Jamison, I want to talk to you. Certainly, Buck. What's on your mind? Plenty. Not only are you a religious lily, but you're a stool pigeon, too. I don't know what you're talking about. But whatever it is, say it so I'll understand. You don't have the courage to fight like a man. You went to the old man and told him I was picking on you, didn't you? You feeling all right, Buck? Anything I have to say to you, I'll say to your face, not behind your back. Don't lie to me, Jefferson. You went to the major and told him I was persecuting you. That's not true. You must have. I just got rid off by him. I fight my own battle, Sergeant Donovan. And don't call me a liar. Christians don't lie. You make pretty speeches, don't you? You should have been a preacher. Get this straight, you pill pusher. Nobody goes to the old man and squeals behind my back and gets away with it. I'll get you for this. And legally, too. There was one thing about the Sergeant. He always meant what he said. And he was out to get me. Buck had a natural talent for making life miserable for somebody else. He changed his tactics, of course, because he knew that the officers and men were watching him closely. He went underground with his persecution. But in a hundred small ways, I felt the pressure. Jefferson, your order for medical supplies got lost. Too bad. I got some mail here for you, preacher. It's a little late. Got mislaid somehow. You ordered some new clothes. That's funny. I never got your order. Sure, your rate an overnight pass, Jefferson. But you know something I don't have anymore. Fortunately, this didn't last more than a week. Orders came from the regimental command and orders would start the following day. Buck was too busy getting ready for them to think of new ways to make my existence a problem. It was five o'clock on a Tuesday morning. We moved out into the Carolina back country to hold simulated battle maneuvers. Buck took his platoon out on the left bank to outmaneuver the Make-Believe Army. Bert and I were ordered to stay at the command post where we'd be centrally located to take care of Make-Believe wounded on the right in our sector. At eight o'clock, the artillery batteries opened up in the rear and laid a creeping barrage and moved ahead of the line. With our first maneuver under live fire, Bert, what do you think of it? I think this. I'm glad I'm not the enemy. Listen to those comments and lies. Yeah. Buck and his boys are flanking right behind that stuff. I don't imagine they're feeling any too chipper. I hope none of those shells fall short. Right. I don't give anything to play with the boys. They don't like being this far away. Me, understand? Roger. All set, Buck. I'm right behind you. All of them. Yeah, keep your eyes open. You better give that log a kick before you step over it. I know what I'm doing. I can smell a red or a mile away. Okay, okay. It's your funeral, not mine. The serge needs help. Make it on a double. Don't move a talk, Buck. Just slide quietly till Bill gets here. I've got a tourniquet on. That'll keep the poison from crawling up your legs. Don't release that tourniquet till I tell you, Sandy. Okay, Bill. It's been on 15 minutes. I can stay another five, even 10 if necessary. We can't let the poison circulate through his body. Here's a leg swelling up fans. No wonder. Buck, I'm going to make some X-cuts in the puncture holes with my scalpel. Okay, good. Don't move a wiggle. Just grit your teeth. Here goes. That's one of them. It's number two. I'll pull all the poisonous blood out of his leg I can with this suction cup. Hey, Monty, let me know when five minutes are up and we'll release the tourniquet so gangrene won't set in. Tourniquet's been open for five minutes, Bill. Okay, snub it tight, Monty. Right. We're taking Buck back to the CP so we can get him to the hospital from there. It's too dark to travel, isn't it? We've got to do it. A buck may die by morning. It's got to have some anti-venom serum injected. But that trails dangerous at night. Yeah, you can't go now, Bill. No use talking, fellas. Buck's got to go back. A couple of you will put him across my shoulders. I won't let you do it, Bill. I'm in command now that Buck's out of the picture. I appreciate your warnings, Cliff, but a man is sick and needs medical attention. In this case, my word goes. All right, Bill. I'm going with you. Monty, you're in command while I'm gone. Put him across my shoulders, fellas. There he goes. All right, okay. Cliff, you break the trail and keep tabs on the time. We'll have to release this tourniquet every 20 minutes. Let me take Buck for a while, will you, Bill? I'm doing all right, Cliff. I'll have to stop and release the tourniquet in a few minutes. Watch your step along the edge of this mock, Bill. I see it, Cliff. Here, let me spell you off, Bill. You can't keep this up forever. Okay, Cliff. You've lessened it quite a mile ago. I'll make it. You're supposed to head, Bill. Good. We'll put the sergeant in the ambulance and double-time it at the hospital. Thomas has made Jefferson reporting, Major Pax. Bill Jefferson, I am this day making part of your record a citation for bravery above and beyond the call of duty and accommodation for excellent performance of duty. I'm also recommending to the senior medical officer that you be promoted. Bill, the doctors tell me that your brave actions saved Sergeant Donovan's life. I want to tell you before all these men that I'm proud to have you in my command. Well, I... Thank you, Major Pax. And Sergeant Donovan here has asked permission to say a few words to you. Bill, the majors give me permission to apologize to you before our company for the way I've acted toward you. And thank you for saving my life. How you ever carried me for a mile and a half is more than I'll ever know. You're a far better man than I am. I'm a crude guy, Bill, but as a Marine I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Oh, thanks, Buck. I never held anything against you, and I don't know. But I'd like you to understand one thing. Yeah? What's that? Remember how you made me work out two or three times more than the other fellas? I'm ashamed to admit it, but I remember. Well, if it hadn't been for all those extra workouts, I'd never have been in shape to carry you the way I did. Boy, that was wonderful the way things worked out, wasn't it, Bill? I'll say it was, Ted. All the time, Buck thought he was hurting you, but what actually really happened was that Buck unknowingly carried out the Lord's plan for him. Well, you hit the nail right on the head, as usual, pal. Well, Ted, does my experience help you in your problem? Bill, you don't know how much. The Lord knew I needed help, but I can't hear this experience of yours. You mean you're not discouraged anymore, Ted? I'll say I'm not. If Bill could go through all that and come out on top, then I know I can see my problem through. Perhaps you won't always be able to come home and be encouraged, Ted. Well, you do then, but that doesn't worry me now. How come? I know the Lord will always be with me, just like he was with you. I really know now what my whole trouble's been. What's that, Ted? I tried to go along with my own power, but from now on I'm trusting the Lord. Yes, boys and girls, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on to your own understanding. Maybe that's God's answer to your problem, too. Hope so. See you next week for more adventure with... Ray!