Well, in 2004, we helped manage wildlife around this part of the world in Texas and my brother went with me on this job I was doing, and we happened to get into a bunch of killer bees. And it was a very close call on our lives, and it was a pretty cool story. You know, it was something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
My brother and I, we was in an airboat out in the middle of a reservoir, and we run it up on the edge of the bank to get out and do our job, and bees fell in on me. And then the airboat died and we had to leave the boat to get away from the bees, and they didn’t mind following us. Very intent, did not want to give up, stayed after us strongly. We went into the water, killing bees by the handfuls. Literally scraped from off my face and just handfuls of ears, face—mostly the top of our head. I think they go for the hottest spot on your body.
My brother and I are out there, and the bees are covering us up. We’ve been involved with them for I don’t know how long. And then I hear a voice, you know, and I kind of—I look around and I—where’s it coming from? But it’s very distinct, very clear. And it sounded a whole lot like my dad that had passed away back in January. This is happening in July. And he just said, “Boy, you have got to get y’all out of there. Your brother does not know how to run your airboat.” And he says, “Take care of business, get on—you going to be sick, but”—and he did tell me, “You’re going to make it.” And I just pulled a lily pad over my head and started walking back to the boat, walked over the levee. Got the boat pulled out—that still took time, and the bees were still relentless. We got them out, got the air boat started. When I turned the boat around and went to take—Paul was right there. And I picked him up, and we took off. And it was kind of—I looked down at him, he was looking up at me, and I asked, “You all right, brother?” And he said, “Yeah, I’m all right.” I said, “Well, you look horrible.”
The game warden picked my brother and I up and hauled us to the hospital in a rapid manner. He seemed more into it than we did. We were in pretty bad shape. We get to the hospital in a wheelchair me in. Paul was able to walk in. And we dealt with the nurses for a little bit and getting pudding. Doctor comes out and says, “Get ‘em in on them tables,” and they did. And they started on us. And it was kind of like—I come out of my body. I’m sitting up on this—like a window seal, looking down at me on that table, they done cut all my clothes off. I’m jerking, going into convulsions, losing bodily functions. And it was kind of like—Whoa, man, you ain’t out of the woods yet. Said, you still may not make it. And it was kind of like, you know, you’ve had a good life. For a man 50 years old, you’ve done a lot. You know, I’ve fished, and hunted, and enjoyed life. And so I was good with it. And then all of a sudden it was—I’m all back together again. The me that was up there is back down in my body.
Well, it was months later when me and Paul had got together. And I kind of told Paul, you know, what went on and, you know, Paul’s my older brother and has always been kind of like a mother hen taking care of us. And, you know, this was me, kind of taking care of him, I guess. And, you know, and he just kind of, in his grunty way, said, “Hm, why didn’t he talk to me?“
I thought I had a strong belief in God until this happened. And it more affirmed me and assured me that there is a God. To hear a voice that I know was my daddy’s and to allow something like this to happen to a guy like me—yes, I’m 100% sure there is a God, and this reconfirmed my faith tenfold. But you still had your doubts somewhat—I did, you know, show me something. There was times in my life I wished that, that—I needed help, nothing happened. But, you know, you look back, and I really didn’t need help back then. I needed help this time.
