This illustrated story depicts the unforgettable experience that transformed a solider’s life.
When veteran Glenn Brymer was stationed in West Germany, he was nearly killed in an accident during a military drill. On the clock to save his life, Glenn describes how he reached out to God during the moment he needed him most. This illustrated story captures the unforgettable near-death experience that would transform Glenn’s life.
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Back from Beyond
Text from Glenn Brymer in Spring, Texas
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Glenn Brymer:
In 1971, I was stationed at a missile site in West Germany. My job as an army engineer was high-stress. I used alcohol to deal with it. One day, a fellow soldier brought me to church. It made me wonder if there was another way—though I wasn’t sure if I believed in God or divine intervention.
During a drill, I was hit by a military truck and pinned to a brick wall. My left arm was severed from my body. I was losing blood fast.
I heard people shouting for a medic.
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I noticed something. A shimmering cloud formed on the horizon to my left and started to move across me.
I felt confused, scared, cold. I realized that if the cloud consumed me, I was going to die.
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The world disappeared. I was outside myself, looking into my body. I could see my heart beating too fast and my lungs going into overdrive. I needed to calm them down.
Like a mechanic tuning a car, I adjusted them until they slowed. Then I returned to myself. The cloud retreated.
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I was in the ambulance. Medics couldn’t stop my bleeding. I drifted. I needed God’s help. I wasn’t used to praying. How would I reach him?
In my mind, I constructed a military radio, set it to broadband and composed a message: “God, if you’re out there, I’m dying.”
I hit the transmit button.
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I was transported to a place dotted with clouds. I was filled with the most incredible love. Like nothing I had ever felt before.
I heard a voice:
“You’re not going to die… …you will continue. This will help you understand why.”
I saw a bright light coming toward me. The center opened, and millions of images appeared. An acorn growing into a mighty oak, then dying and growing again. Mountains rising and falling.
People living and dying.
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The star closed, then shot away.
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I was back in the ambulance. No time had passed. The doctors were able to reattach my arm. I was given a medical discharge. I can’t explain the experience I had. I just know it changed my life forever.
