During the 1970s drug use in the United States Navy was tolerated. It wasn’t condoned, but there was no serious effort to crack down on its use.
Jeff and many others in the Propulsion Engineering Department were regular users of hashish, since it was readily available and inexpensively purchased in large quantities during visits to Pakistan. Nick found out about Jeff’s large stash of hashish and threatened to report him. Afterwards I overheard some guys talking about “float testing Nick the Narc.” “Float testing” is a phrase used in the Navy to test an object’s buoyancy, and that meant throwing it overboard into the sea—knowing full well it would sink. These guys were discussing throwing Nick overboard in the middle of the Arabian Sea (with a heavy valve tied to his ankle) to see if he would float—murder! (I don’t know how serious they were about this threat, and whether they were just filled with hate, or if they really intended to carry out this dreadful act.)
Snake Charmers (Cobras)
Karachi, Pakistan
June 16, 1979
Prior to carrying out the retaliation against Nick, an amazing thing happened to Jeff. One of the crew members testified to him about the transformation that can take place in a person’s life, and after hearing this, such a deep penetrating conviction of sin gripped Jeff’s heart that he immediately placed his faith in Christ and received forgiveness for his sins.
Christ’s work in Jeff created a genuine love for Nick, his former enemy. Jeff then began to pray, intercede, and even converse with Nick about the joy and peace that only Christ could give. It wasn’t long until Jeff and Nick were sitting next to each other at the nightly Bible studies, seeking God together!
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