Clebe McClary said he enjoys playing golf, a sport he took up later in life, after meeting PGA golfer Billy Casper. It wasn’t the first time he’d met Casper however; the first time was when he was in a military hospital bed, facing a leg amputation.
First Lt. Patrick C. “Clebe” McClary III USMC (Retired) recounted the story to John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk: He was a platoon leader in the First Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam when the Viet Cong attacked. He attributes his very existence today to a visit by the PGA golfer. “He said, ‘I’m praying for you. God’s got a plan for your life. Don’t quit,’” McClary said.
Casper wasn’t for the war, McClary said, “but he was for the troops.”
So when McClary got the chance to meet Casper at the Masters Tournament a few years ago, he took it. And he also took up golf.
He said he enjoys the beauty of the course, and the chance to witness to others while he’s out there.
McClary will be the featured speaker Sunday at Living Stones Church of God Worship Center in Oxford. He is speaking in conjunction with the annual observance of Purple Heart Day on Saturday, Aug. 7.
“Purple Hearts – that’s a medal you don’t want,” McClary said. “You’ve got to get shot to get that rascal,” he said. And he has three of them.
McClary shares his story and the message of having “a personal relationship with a living Savior. Know the Lord. You don’t know when it’s going to be your last day,” he said.
See more about McClary, visit www.clebemcclary.com.
Listen here to the full interview with Clebe McClary.