Keir's Testimony

“Light” For A Heavily Wounded
As published in the book "God's Miracles versus Marxist Terrorists" - Lane Flint

Keir Tayler was a member of one of the most formidable and feared soldiers’ corps that the world has ever known.  He was a Sergeant-Major in the “Selous Scouts”, Special for the then Rhodesian Army.  Only about 150 of white soldiers were chosen to join this Rhodesian Army.  Keir was only one of them but, he was different.  In this “Testimony” he tells of a day, deep into the Mocambique area where they were sent to wipe out a whole terrorist army.

Keir was heavily wounded.  Then he saw a “blinding light” which was to change his whole life.  He says “We were deep into hostile Mocambique area. The afternoon and most of the night we spent travelling, through gullies, rivers, ditches and bushes – where death was hiding.  Near the end of our journey we moved faster.  It was after sunrise and in daylight we were making straight for the terrorist camp.  The plan was to attack precisely at 08h00 when the enemy would be on parade.

We were counting on the fact that they would not expect us there , that they would be unprepared until the last moment.

Rhodesians this far into Moambique? Impossible!  It all started for me the previous morning when my wife and I returned from a party.  I found a note on my door stating that I was to report to my unit immediately – funny – I was uneasy from the beginning.  In spite of my thorough training my uneasiness turned to fear that morning when we were nearing the enemy camp.  I could not explain my fear , anyway, there was no time to think about it, we were near the camp already.  One hundred metres – seventy – fifty, enemy soldiers unsuspectedly were gathering on the parade ground, they were in groups of not more than fifty but, it was fifty by fifty.  Instead of the one thousand that we were expecting there were about five thousand.

Suddenly the peaceful silence was shattered as our heavy machine guns rained bullets onto the terrorists.  Nearly every bullet hit a human target  I looked down from our vehicle.  We were amongst them.  Mass hysteria broke loose.  Eyes and mouths were wide with terror.  In the depth of this terror I recognised my own and thought “ This is how people look who die without God”.  I realised with shock while the smell of blood and cordite hung in the air around us.  Just then a bullet pulled me down.  I was wounded.  The little gospel I knew dated years back.  To me God was never a reality.  But there in Mocambique, with machine guns firing around me, I knew that my time had come.  Just like those soldiers, my soul was not saved.  Rough and godless as I was, I suddenly longed desperately to be at peace with God.  I did not really know how to pray but I stuttered “ God if you want my life you may have it.”  Immediately a blinding light fell on me.  It was so bright that the leaves of the trees nearby seemed transparent.  I shut my eyes as the light was so bright.

My fear suddenly disappeared and the intense bleeding nearly stopped.  Around me the attack was still going on.  Later I was attended to by a trained medic,  then we had to travel further by vehicle.  More than thirty-four hours later we arrived at a hospital.  For two days I was in uncoscious due to extreme exposure and pneumonia but three days later I was once again on my feet in the hospital.  I thankfully realised that God has saved my life for His own use.  Later a friend explained to me that Jesus gave His life for all sinners and that I could become His child if I should accept Him as my Saviour and give my life entirely to Him.

I did that and began to feel the peace of God within me.  I was still a soldier but my life changed entirely.  Some of the other scouts were also influenced by the change in me.

Before our next attack I prayed with one of my fellow scouts.  The following day two more scouts joined in our faith.  One of them a South African, Gert Daneel of Enkeldoorn.  On the third day before an attack was about to start (there were 12 seasoned soldier in our group) we sat in a circle, holding hands and prayed in the midst of the others. Nobody laughed at us.

Later I was very glad that Gert had become a Christian because a short while after the attack he was wounded fatally. Terrorists were hiding in the trenches against a hill below us. I fetched Gert amidst machine gun fire. His life on earth had passed but his life in Heaven had just started.

During this attack we were completely visible in a mielie field against the hill. The terrorists fired at us the whole night. They could hardly miss us but they did. The nearest bomb fell 50 metres away. We felt that angels were protecting us and we moved without fear.

Gert had to be buried in Enkeldoorn. His relatives and friends were heartbroken. How greatly relieved they were when I told them that Gert had become a christian a few hours before his death. It made a great impression on the people of the little village. Many of them came closer to God because of Gert's brother who later joined the Selous Scouts and also became a christian.

At a primary school near the cemetery where Gert was buried I told the story of how Gert and I had become christians. That day 60 young children kneeled down to pray in the school hall. One of them was Gert's little brother, Steven.