I ave always had pride, confidence and character and I also lacked Roos and direction in applying those traits and that is why a TV program triggered a journey that would take me through all John’s questions and a bit more.
It was the Vietnam Nam era and I knew my draft day would soon come so I started to seek out a path that ensured my survival. One day I watched a Saturday matinee titled, @The D.I.” With Jack Webb. It was that moment I knew I wanted to be a Marine and I knew if any training would ensure my survival, the Marine’s were it.
Along the way and even earlier I stayed up late to watch a TV show called, “The Green Hornet,”where this character in a mask did some pretty neat skillful fighting stuff. I never knew that this guy would inspire more people than me to seek out Kung Fu.
In between those life changing events while walking along a street in Florida I hear these yells and loud noises so when I found the source and peered in I was amazed by these guys wearing white Panama’s, yelling kiai’s and destroying slabs of cement. It was a karate dojo run by Dave Collier Sensei and if I were not already hooked, his dojo brought me the world of karate.
I also found boxing at a local Beach Street gum and Judo in my early days as a Marine at Camp LeJeune. I was also lucky to have served with a Marine whose Uncle was Ed Parker, a Hawaiian Marine who was proficient in karate. Add in a fellow Marine who was Samoan who liked to thump he at chow daily at work and I found myself immersed in karate with no name or style.
In 1979 as a Staff Sergeant I transferred to Camp Hansen Okinawa, truck company, third MarDiv where a day or so after I arrived reported in as my First Sergeant. He heard I was interested in finding a dojo so came to see me and asked if I would like to learn Okinawa Isshinryu.
I said, “Never heard of it First Sergeant,” and he did this wicked little D.I. smirk and informed me we would be starting a dojo at Hansen gym where no other martial arts could be found at that time, I.e., January 1979.
The reason Henry and I were right was because he became my Marine mentor that helped me smooth out some very, very rough edges that he saw, and informed me, were taking me down a dark road. His being my Sensei was just the frosting on the cake while becoming a tool I would use to put myself on the right road or path - Toa if you will.
Like I try to convey, everything I accomplished came from me and as fate would have it my journey exposed me to a few good men who would expose me to the tools I was missing that would set a solid foundation where I could set my character so it would build my home against all types of weather both foul and smooth sailing.
You see, this explains in part why I can’t fathom why the moniker of first gen and the placement of a man on a pedestal would be so important to those few that man trained directly for some and indirectly for others.
You see, just about anyone who had the tools to share would have done the job and the one’s who did have my undying gratitude but - pedestal, not so much because I instinctively understood that to accomplish something worthwhile would be up to me because all the tools in the world won’t help if I don’ have the right stuff.
Fate and luck and good character is what drove me and others merely contributed what I was seeking due to the fate of the path I walked.
Semper fi John, I found the Marines and they supplied that which I am proud I exploited in our favor - Marines and mine.
Henry was a Marine’s Marine who happened to know Isshinryu and happened to find me on the commandants orders to Truck Company coinciding with my orders. We simply became friends in and out of the dojo.
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