A Sharper Sword

The Thrilling True-Life Story of Chuck Cofty

FOR EIGHT DAYS, AL, LEVI, MARK AND I HAD BEEN BEHIND ENEMY LINES. The opening volleys of the TET Offensive had begun, and we were in what would be- come the longest and bloodiest battle of Vietnam: The Battle for Hue City. It was February 1968. Along with six Nung guards, we had narrowly escaped an attack from hundreds of NVA troops who had converged upon the scene. We had to fight our way out, inflicting several casualties in the process. As we made our escape, the acrid smell of smoke and decaying flesh filled the air! To avoid the enemy we hustled through backyards, climbed over hedges, and took refuge inside a single-story dwelling near the Perfume River. We cleared the house, but sensed immediate danger! The dim orange glow of the streetlamps revealed enemy troops dropping their packs and lying on the ground just forty yards away. We were up to our necks in “Charlies.” Trapped! Four of them passed by the jalousie windows close enough to touch. Suddenly, one of them kicked open the back door, and Mark fired! I stepped to the door and dusted three more. My flak jacket protected me when an RPG exploded in the front of the house, sending shrapnel in all directions. My wounds were superficial, but some of the Nung guards were killed. We finished off the immediate threat in our area and were able to slip away, because the main NVA force didn’t seem to know where the shots were being fired. In the fog of war, we were separated from Al and Levi. Mark and I escaped alone!

We heard American fire in the distance and quickly made our way toward the sound! Suddenly, we were staring down the business end of an M16 rifle held by a United States Marine! “Put those hands up! I’m not telling you again!” We were wearing torn and bloody civilian clothes, so the Marine who issued the order thought we were Russian or Czech spies. “Hey! We’re American Marines!” I yelled. “Put down your weapons and put your hands on your head,” he ordered. We were taken, at gunpoint, to his command post set up in a large house along the river. The commanding officer looked us over and said, “Well, you guys were re- ported as missing in action. By all rights, you should be dead.” When we enquired about the two other Marines who had been with us, they said Levi had been led away with his hands on his head, and Al was MIA.

Had I died in that firefight in the humid Vietnam battle of Hue City, I would have died a hero, but I would have gone straight to Hell. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). I had yet to discover a greater battle was raging for my soul, and there was only one Person who could rescue me.

After we were de-briefed on our whereabouts and escape, we gave the coordinates for an artillery strike on the NVA position where the firefight had occurred. We were then evacuated to a medical facility to spend three days in recovery before returning to duty to finish our tour.

When I arrived home, I discovered my wife, Lenora, had been in another battle while I was gone. She had been captured by the love of Jesus when she had received Him as her Saviour. I noticed the subtle changes in her life but didn’t discuss it. After a short stint Stateside and another brief tour in Vietnam in 1970, I returned home again. This time, the change in Lenora was obvious. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).

I didn’t know if I’d stay in the marriage or not! I became very indifferent to her and to my children. She was an excellent wife and mother, but she could not continue living as she had. The change was real. I couldn’t deny it. When she spoke about God, I could feel a presence that I didn’t understand.

I became the commander of the 6th Counter-Intelligence Team stationed in California. When American POWs were released from North Vietnam in 1973, we were assigned to Operation Homecoming at the naval hospital in Oakland. As we debriefed the POWs, I learned of my buddies’ fate. Al had died of his wounds on the Ho-Chi-Min Trail, and Levi spent five years as a Prisoner of War. When Levi was debriefed, unaware of my whereabouts, he reported me as “Dead.” He said, “There is no way Cofty could have survived the battle we fought in Hue City!” This shook me to my core and sobered me to the reality of an eternity in Hell!

I was assigned to accompany the Marines upon their return, and to help them acclimate back into society. Numerous men, who had survived the horrors of POW camps like the Hanoi Hilton, came home to find their families in shambles, their spouses gone, and their hopes crashed! It nearly broke me. How had I been spared the same fate?

As a Marine, I had been trained to use superior weapons, from M16 rifles to razor sharp, hand-fitted knives and swords. Yet an ancient sword sharper than any other began piercing my soul. The greatest battle I had ever faced was about to commence. One morning, I refused the breakfast Lenora had prepared for me and told her I wasn’t going to work. I was overcome with emotion and as close to a nervous breakdown as I had ever been. My sweet wife tried to console me by listening to my questions, taking me on walks and praying to God on my behalf. For three days, the battle raged.

Finally, I stood to leave. “Where are you going?” Lenora asked. “I’m headed to the hospital. I need a head doctor!” I replied. She said, “You don’t need a doctor! You need the Lord! Come over here and sit next to me and ask God to forgive you for the rotten way you’ve lived!” Lenora then shared the greatest verse in all the Bible, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). She continued, “Tell God you repent of your sins and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Saviour. He gave His life so you could have a new life! Honey, don’t reject this great sacrifice! God loves you and wants you to become his child. He will save you, and the battle will be over!”

The sharp, two-edged sword of God’s Word cut to my heart and pointed me to the Captain of my Salvation: Jesus Christ! He had already won the battle for my soul at Calvary and prepared the way for me to be saved forever. I bowed my head, called upon the Lord, and He saved me! The peace that followed was beyond description! “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The battle was over. Peace had come. It was June 6, 1973.

The next Sunday, I attended church with my family. At the end of the message, I went forward, snapped to attention and made my decision public. The warmth given me from the preacher and the congregation revealed I had received a brand-new family.

I became sold-out for Jesus! He had given His all for me. How could I do anything less than give my all to Him? A short time later, I surrendered to serve Him with my entire life. In 1979, after serving for twenty-two years up through the ranks, I retired from the Marine Corps as a Mustang Major. Then I trained in Bible School and went to serve my new Captain, Je- sus Christ. I pastored in Decatur, Alabama, until 1986.

Then the Lord led me to be an evangelist, preaching the gospel around the world and battling for the souls of men with the sharper sword of God’s Word. I have no regrets for serving my country as a United States Marine or for serving my Lord as a preacher of the Gospel. My only regret is that I didn’t accept Jesus sooner.

Dear friend, it is no accident you are reading this! Though He knows everything about you, Jesus still loves you, and He always has. When He shed His blood and died on the cross, He tasted “death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). Then He proved His Word is true by rising from the dead. He won the battle for you! Now you must simply receive His gift of eternal life by faith. Call out to Him to save you today! “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

With a sincere heart and child-like faith, pray some- thing like this: “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned against you again and again, and I don’t deserve your love.

I need a Saviour, and because I cannot save myself, I want you to be my Saviour. Right now, I believe you died and rose again for me. Come into my heart and save me. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.”

If you just received Jesus as your Saviour, He received you as His child. You belong to Him, and He belongs to you! “He that hath the Son hath life” (1 John 5:12). I am so excited that you trusted Christ to save you! Welcome to the family! Please scan the QR code at the bottom right to discover next steps to take as a child of God!

– Evangelist Chuck Cofty

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Ordering Information

QTY	PRICE	ORDER
100	$35
500	$175
1,000	$350
1,500	$525
2,500	$875
5,000	$1750
10,000	$3500

Please Note:
You can have your church’s information included on the back panel for any order of 1,000+ of the same title. There is a one-time imprint fee of $20.00.

Make checks payable to:
Evangelist Dwight Smith
532 Forest Ridge Drive
Shelby, NC 28152