Blindness became Major Scotty Smiley’s journey of supreme testing. “My world not only went physically black, but it went spiritually black. I couldn’t understand how and definitely why God would allow something so tragic to occur to me.”

In 2005, while deployed in Iraq, Smiley was victim of a car bombing which ultimately resulted in the loss of his eye-sight. Despite the injury, Smiley continued on in his service to the United States, being commissioned as a Major in February 2013.

Major Scotty Smiley is the U.S. Army’s first blind active-duty officer and author of Hope Unseen. With his wife’s love and the support of his family and friends, Scotty’s response became God’s transforming moment.

“In the end, though, trust was a choice I had to make alone,” said Smiley. “I had to first forgive internally the man who blew himself up, forgive myself for the decisions that I made in the field, but most importantly, ask God to forgive me. Because I knew that was the biggest mistake I ever made was questioning Him.”

Scotty Smiley shared his story with BGEA in November 2012. Read more from the full article here.

WATCH VIDEO: Army Major Scotty Smiley shares his testimony of how his faith has kept him and his family strong throughout his life and service.

Major Smiley will be the featured speaker at the Billy Graham Library Men’s Breakfast on September 14. Find more information at www.billygrahamlibrary.org.