A devout man

"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian [i]band[/i], A devout [i]man[/i], and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always."

Acts 10:1-2(KJV)

Whatever Cornelius may have done while being a centurion in the Roman army, the scripture says

he was devout,

that he feared God,

and that God had heard his prayers.