As summer heat bore down on Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday, guests escaped inside the Billy Graham Library to hear from U.S. Marine veteran Tim Lee. 

Now chairman of the board of trustees at Liberty University, Lee shared his inspiring story of war, faith, and perseverance before greeting attendees and signing copies of his autobiography, Born on the Fifth of July.

Lee joined the United States Marine Corps in 1969 and was awarded a Purple Heart two years later when he lost both of his legs while serving in Vietnam. After returning home, he was called by God to dedicate his life to sharing the Gospel. Since 1979, Lee has traveled as a full-time evangelist, speaking in churches, over the radio, and on TV.

His message Thursday centered on choosing faith instead of bitterness. He recalled spending eight months in a Philadelphia naval hospital after his injuries in Vietnam, surrounded by other wounded Marines.

“I never saw so much bitterness and so much anger,” Lee said. “I wasn’t bitter. I was just glad to be alive.”

Still, Lee said there was a time when he hit “rock bottom.” Doctors had planned a surgery that would have left him lying on his back for the rest of his life. Frightened, he called his parents from a pay phone in the hospital.

“I’ll never forget what my dad said,” Lee recounted. “Son, we’ve got to trust God.”

In God’s perfect timing, the surgery was canceled. The next morning, Dr. Robert Bailey—the doctor who had performed his first surgery in Vietnam—unexpectedly arrived at the hospital for his first day at a new station. Bailey intervened, treated his wounds, and helped change the course of his recovery—and life.

Sandy McCormick was drawn to attend the book signing because of Lee’s service as a Marine. Her father served in the Korean War and also received a Purple Heart. As Lee spoke, McCormick said she kept looking up at the Bible verse displayed on one of the rafters above him in the Library. She reflected on how this Scripture—about being saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus—perfectly described Lee’s life story.  

Another attendee, Mike Barbour, came with a copy of Lee’s book that his son gave him for Father’s Day. As he read the book, Barbour said he was struck by Lee’s early rebellion and the way his life changed. What stood out most, he said, was “the emphasis of God’s grace” in this veteran’s testimony. 

Lee reminded the audience that God’s care is not limited to his own story. 

“God doesn’t love Tim Lee more than He loves you,” he said. “God loves you today.”

As we celebrate 250 years of freedom in America, pray that many more people—like Tim Lee—will discover true liberty that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.