How a veteran’s struggles with grief, addiction and crime led him to ministry

Johnathan Herzog didn’t always see himself as a Salvation Army officer (pastor). Instead, he envisioned himself a marine. As soon as he could enlist, he was committed to serving his country, but after the tragic death of a friend, he decided life was too short—so why not live it to its fullest?

Through a series of reckless decisions, Herzog found himself in county jail facing multiple charges, all with a $300,000 bail.

How did he make the most of his time in prison? Finding God.

Watch to discover the stunning transformation Herzog made in his life.

Below is a transcript of the video edited for readability.

Johnathan Herzog: Since a young kid, I wanted to be a Marine. Like specifically a Marine. 

So at 17 years old, with my dad's permission, I enlisted into the Marine Corps. Went to boot camp and then ended up going into Marine combat training. I deployed to Iraq with low altitude air defense.

I met a buddy of mine named Joe. I came from a broken family, and this dude just always was there for me. While we were in Iraq, we made a pact to go into reconnaissance.

But Joe died in his sleep one day. 20 years old, healthiest guy, and a role model in my life.

I had lost a friend. I figured if life was gone that quickly, then I was just gonna carpe diem it up. I turned to alcohol, and my life spiraled downhill. 

Out of pride, I turned down a $90,000 re-enlistment bonus to go to college. School seemed to go okay at first. I was excited to try something new, and use my GI Bill, but unfortunately, I was given way too much money, and I had no discipline in my life whatsoever. 

The moment that I got paid, I ended up in the casino. Drinking and partying, turning to these things because I couldn't figure out purpose for my life.

One night I decided to drive home under the influence. I had taken this truck off-road, and I got it stuck. And in my drunkenness, I thought it was a brilliant idea to just escape from it all. 

I decided, "I'm gonna throw my ID and my wallet into the glove box of my car and then I'm gonna light it on fire." I remember walking away from this, like, having kind of a euphoric sense, but something came back to me. 

In the back seat, there was a Marine Corps Bible that my dad had given me when I was in boot camp, and it just pained me to know that I had destroyed that. My life is a hot mess, has gone up in flames.

And I came to my sister's house. She told me that some neighbors had threatened my nephew, who was autistic. I proceeded to drink, started thinking and dwelling on this and was like, "I'm gonna go over and show them." 

I don't remember the entire series of events, but I walked over, and firing two rounds through the window, just like it was nothing. Next thing I know, I'm being pulled out at gunpoint. 

I don't remember being escorted, but waking up in a jail cell, and having some yellow papers slid underneath the door, and on there were three counts of first degree assault and a $300,000 bail.

So I was in this county jail, and I was still not even coming to grips with what kind of condition I was in. I remember vividly looking down at the tile and thinking, "My life's screwed up so much right now that, figure out how I can get those tiles off and cut my wrists because there's really no hope for me."

Then I turned to this book I got from the chaplain, called Winning Against All Odds. And at the end of that book, there was a very simple "Pray This Prayer: Admit, Believe, and Confess that You Have a Problem."

And on December 16th of 2010, I accepted Jesus into my life for the first time. 

All I can describe is just like goosebumps, and just a feeling of it's going to be okay. I began to realize that I needed to go to chapel, and one day I had this chaplain come by. He's like, "I'm looking for a chaplain's assistant. Would you be interested in this job?" I said, "I would love that."

God sent me on a mission in this prison. I began to just step out in faith and just go to the guy who just got off of the chain bus and say, "Hey, welcome. I wonder if you've ever heard of this Jesus?"

I was freer than I had ever been in my entire life, and I was in prison. And I go, "Well, I wonder, God, if I can be used for your purposes outside of here?"

The chaplain gave me a card and it was for The Salvation Army's Correctional Ministries Bible studies and they said, "Hey, when you get out, you should come to this church, and there's this great men's group,” and so I stayed true to that.

When I got out of prison, I met Don and Martha Shepherd, and they opened the door for me to get my first job with The Salvation Army. These people barely knew me, but they loved on me. When other places kind of closed the door for me, they saw something in me. 

Eventually, I met my wife, Amber, and we set forth to the School for Officer Training. Today, I'm a Salvation Army officer, and God has opened the door for it to come full circle. 

And now I go down into the hardest unit in Arizona State Prison Complex, and I get to minister to these men who are just like me. I gotta tell you, it's one of the best parts of my ministry, and it brings me so much joy to get to share that there's hope, and that this situation in your life doesn't have to define you.

And I'm grateful to God to see my daughter, this beautiful little angel, because I remember looking back to those tiles, and thinking that it was hopeless. And I'm so glad, I'm so grateful, that I didn't make a dumb decision of taking my life because God can use anybody. He's a God of grace and mercy, and I'm just so thankful to Him and The Salvation Army.