The First time

Mike Farris' Origin Story

My third novel, Faithful Warrior (2010), introduced Pastor Michael Farris. A retired Marine officer and special operator who never really left the trenches, even when he stood behind a pulpit. This is his origin story, where as a twenty year old enlisted reservist, Lance Corporal Farris gets his baptism in fire.

-Basil

Mike Farris wanted nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in becoming a pastor. The nineteen year old kept a 4.0 average and worked hard to ensure his acceptance in seminary after finishing his undergrad studies. A natural athlete he also played on the university’s fledgling rugby team, an uncommon sight in the USA in the eighties.

An equally uncommon thing for a Bible college student, Mike Farris also followed in his elder’s footsteps by serving in the US Marines as a Reservist. Unlike his father and grandfather though, there was no Vietnam or World War Two to take him from his studies and activate him for combat.

He had enlisted just af…