Bill Vigue
 
Over the years Bill's teaching ministry has strengthened and

inspired many to move forward with God.  Having a hunger to
search for answers to life's difficult questions; Bill knows by

experience the "great salvation" God makes available to
mankind. 

Knowing what God means when claiming He can and will
"Save to the uttermost"; Bill often tells how God's providence intervened to save his life.  On one particular occasion God caused him to see
his dad on TV, in old combat footage on Omaha Beech during the D-Day
invasion of Normandy, France.   To read this testimony in full or to see the
D-Day Photos, continue to the bottom of the page.

            Bill's Testimony of Gods Providence

My dad’s WW2 combat awards have been a special interest of mine well before the

50th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion.  But on On June 6th 1994, while

preparing to teach our High School history class about the Normandy invasion, remarkably I saw my dad in film footage on Omaha Beach (the bloodiest

beachhead that day was Omaha Beach).

A special documentary from ABC News titled; Turning Point used Army
footage to describe the battle on Omaha Beach that first day and explained how individual infantrymen carried the fight that day.

The program discussed how Omaha Beach looked like a lost battle ground that day.  The heavy weapons units were taken out of action from the start and most

of the commanders were also out of action.  (Including my dads senior officer,

Captain Frank Fitch) The commentator pointed out how General Bradley was

thinking of redirecting the other waves of infantry.  The report said; 

“Bradley didn’t know what to do, but on the Beach of Omaha were many men who knew…”

Suddenly the program showed film footage of infantry soldiers hunkered under

the bluffs on Omaha Beech and the commentary continued: “the individual soldiers started up the bluff and advanced inch by inch”.

Something in the footage got my attention. (It was supernatural manifestation of

the Holy Spirit.  (I describe it as something like the fairy in a Peter Pan Movie using

its magical wand). 

 
I had to rewind the video and as I looked most carefully, this time focusing on

where the sparkle was, I saw a soldier look up directly into the camera.  His right

eye sparkled a reflection from the haze of the sun.

Suddenly my looked directly into the eyes that stared into the eyes of the camera. 

It was my dad.  His familiar, but painful war stare was looking right at me. The hair

on the back of my neck stood up.

As I saw my dad’s face I thought about what must have been his thoughts at that moment. I recall him telling me his disgust as cameramen were taking pictures of

of the action and of dismembered men; bleeding, dying and many already dead.

In hindsight, as I looked at his pain that day I thought of him reflecting on his 

close friend whose body had been blown in two at the waist right next to him when their landing craft, (navy ship LCI 497) hit a mine.  He had told me that story

often, but always with tears flowing.  

Dad always asked why he was without a scratch that day but so many of his

buddies were killed that day.  He always remembered how he said to his dying buddy “so long” as he was told to jump over the side and leave the ship. 

The company was commanded to evacuate the ship and leave the wounded
to others. The riflemen then jump over the side of the disabled landing craft and
move inland.

Dad also told me about his struggle to keep from drowning.  He sank to the bottom

of the channel as he finally unhooked his gear to swim free.  Bullets whizzed all

around as he desperately waded as best he could to the beach.  (A new book titled “American Iliad”, written by Robert Baumer, records much of the history of his

infantry unit and Big Red One, 18th Infantry Regiment)

On that 50th anniversary of the invasion my life was facing a personal dilemma that

I described as having “my back is up against a wall.” Just then, I sensed God speak

comfortingly and saying:

“Bill, There is your dad at the most critical moment of his life. He has come and is now gone, but I preserved this moment of his life for you. There he is, like you, his back literally up against the wall. At that moment he was uncertain of his future. But I took him over that wall that day, and I will take you over your wall”.

That intimate moment motivated me than and continues to do so today.  But more than motivation, God used it to save my life. One day, listening to voices spewed

from hell, I seriously contemplated suicide. Overcome with grief because of failure

and shame, the providence of God intervened on my behalf, using this story and

fresh knowledge to give me hope and the reason for it.

Bill Vigue