As a child I grew up on U.S. military
bases. The term “about face” was
understood at a very young age. I knew
it was a drill command in which a soldier makes a 180° turn and heads in the
opposite direction. Keith, my older
brother, used to march us all over the house when we were kids . . . left,
right, left, right. Halt. About Face!
It wasn’t until several years later that I
realized the phrase, about face, had an altogether different meaning. It can also be used to refer to a complete
change of one’s plans, ideas and actions . . . a change of attitude or point of
view. And that is exactly what happened
to Sergei.
* * *
In Sergei Kourdakov’s book, The Persecutor, he describes the last raid he participated in. Sergei was angered when a woman prayed for
him. He was stunned that she didn’t ask
for help for herself when she saw his arm raised to strike her.
“I started
to swing. Then the strangest thing
happened to me. I can’t describe
it. Someone grabbed my wrist and jerked
it back. I was startled. It was hurting. It was not imaginary. It was a real squeezing on my wrist until it actually
pained. I . . . turned around to hit
him. But there was no one there!
I looked
back. Nobody could have grabbed my arm.
And yet, somebody had grabbed me!
I still felt the pain. I stood
there in shock. The blood rushed to my
head. I felt hot as fright swept over
me. This was beyond me. It was confusing, unreal. Then I forgot everything. Dropping my club, I ran out . . . .”
-Sergei
Kourdakov, The Persecutor (Chapter 19,
pg. 226)
* * *
Sergei was used to always being in control, and
he took great pride in his strength. It
was necessary for his survival. But that
night a greater strength held Sergei’s arm back. What happened to Sergei the night of his last
raid caused him to change his point of view about everything. He had a sudden and complete change of plans. He did an “about face.”
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