Master Teacher: An Expository Essay In Leadership .... By GM Jerome Barber

         It is my belief that a Master Teacher is someone who knows, understands and is very dedicated to the art and science of teaching.  A Master Teacher goes well beyond simply presenting information or training regimes to his/her students. Transmitting information or transferring knowledge is an important and necessary activity that must  happen with every new generation whether it is in a formal educational setting, an apprenticeship program, a job training program or martial arts academy.  There are some subtle yet significant differences between a trainer, a coach and a teacher.  The main difference is that a teacher educates his/her students for both the current moment and a future time which neither can fully anticipate or predict.  Trainers and coaches are usually concerned with preparing their people for the immediate short term successes of the times, here and now, without any real concerns about the long term future.  The Master Teacher educates his/her students by giving them both the physical and intellectual tools that they will need to make their own informed decisions about what directions to take in life.

            The life lessons that a Master Teacher provides to his/her students are not always obvious nor immediately understood by the students.  These lessons are realized and utilized later in life and in ways that neither the student nor the Master Teacher could have fully anticipated in advance.  One of the most important components of these life lessons centers on making the students independent from the tyranny of conformity and seeking the lowest common denominator as an acceptable standard of social existence.

            Those students who have learned to think for themselves, ask critical questions and research the possibilities and alternatives for themselves.  They will usually find alternatives to the standardized, generally accepted societal answers that give so much comfort to those people who are willing to accept the opinions of the so-called ‘experts’.  Those simplistic, canned, oft-recited statements that serve as the correct answers to our social and political problems are actually mental, social, intellectual and emotional blindness.  This type of socio-emotional blindness allows the emotionally insecure to escape taking responsibility for their own behaviors and ideas. 

We can see it so clearly in the martial arts when students cite the opinions of their instructors as hard and fast facts, beyond any need for questioning.  We can see it in instructors who refuse to get involved in calling into question the moral or ethical shortcomings of other instructors, because they do not want to get involved!  They were the people, who as students, followed the party-line and faithfully quoted their own instructors, word for word, idea after idea, until they were given their black belts.  We can see it in so-called martial artists who will jump from system to system and instructor to instructor until they find someone who promote them based on how much money they were willing to pay for those promotions.

             Master Teachers are the bane of every dictatorial minded person and their emotionally weak true believers in public as well as private life.  We can find those dictatorial personalities in every area of human activity including the martial arts. The Master Teachers are there as well and they offer a viable alternative to this conformist malady.

            Teaching is both an art and a science.  It is a learnable craft and there are formal institutions established for the express purpose training people in the art and science of teaching.  In the USA, we have teacher education colleges as well as teacher education programs in some larger colleges and universities.  There is no such equivalent in the martial arts systems as they are taught in the USA.  In fact most current martial arts instructors in the USA have never had a formal instructional training program made available to them.  For most martial arts school owners-operators they opened their schools with little to no formal training in the art of teaching.  They are engaged in on-the-job-training with their paying customers as their students.  It is very difficult for these instructors – owners – operators to move beyond being someone who coaches or instructs martial art students to the status of Master Teacher.  Set all the titles aside and simply look at what these coach-instructors are actually doing.  They are providing guidance and instruction in acquisition of physical movements and skills.  Punching, kicking, rolling, tumbling, grappling and weapons manipulations are physical skills or exercises for the body.  Beyond the cultural courtesies of bowing, training barefooted, learning some words and expressions, counting in another language, what life lessons are being taught by most martial arts coaches/instructors? 

This does not mean that all these coach-instructors are not skilled teaching professionals.  A good number of them are accomplished trainers with students who have earned many awards and lots of well-deserved accolades.  The problem is that these coach-instructors are focused almost exclusively on the development of physical skills in their students.

            Most of the coach-instructors teach what they were taught and in the very same manner in which they were taught.  They do not know how to develop a curriculum or lesson plan.  The do not have instructional alternatives for their students – they use a “one size fits all” approach and if a student is not successful within the confines of their program it is the student’s fault – the student is ‘defective’, has a ‘flaw’, lacks ‘heart’ or is not motivated for success within ‘our championship black belt dojo program’.  Coach- instructors are primarily technicians who are focused on physical skills development.  They are not well versed in character development nor have they mastered the critical principles of teaching and learning beyond the physical realm.

            Coach-instructors are generally at the center of attention while their student- trainees are interchangeable, disposable and continually replaced.  After all is said and done, the “magic” of success resides with the coach-instructor, not the student-trainee who went on the floor and performed in the competition with student-trainees of other coach-instructors.  The student-trainees will come and go while the coach-instructor will remain in place over a long period of time.  In the end it is all about the coach-instructor and what they were able to accomplish with their student-trainees in competitions.  Within the martial arts world there are a large number of coach-instructors who establish the training regimes and schemes that their student-trainees followed in the quest for championship medals and recognition.  We have to recognize and appreciate that it is the coach-instructors who have pushed their student-trainees through the physical training programs that focused on winning at the tournaments.  Their teaching methods were centered on providing the correct mechanical and technical skills development needed to win medals, but they did not intentionally work on helping their student-trainees to understand how those skills could be blended into other aspects of lives in society.

            Master Teachers are skilled people help their students to move beyond the mechanical and physical skills development.  They use the lessons taught in the present to prepare their students for future situations both inside and outside of the martial arts.  Master Teachers understand that they are involved in a ‘performance art’ which can be improved on and further perfected through practice and experience.  They are inclined to critically evaluate their own performances as teachers just as they will evaluate the accomplishments of their students.  Master Teachers demonstrate the importance of continual learning and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge through their active behavior on a daily basis.  They lead by example while clearly demonstrating to their students that they know, understand and live the maxim:

                  “Proper prior preparation prevents piss poor performances.” 

            Master Teachers place their emphasis on the intellectual, emotional, and physical development of their students.  They are not seeking the limelight; they do not need to be viewed as legends in their own time.  They understand that success is only possible if one has also failed from time to time and learned from those experiences.  As with coach- instructors, the students of Master Teachers come and go over time, the major difference is that Master Teachers encourage their students to learn the lessons well, and then move on, continuing to learn as they grow.  The Master Teacher is an educator, even if they are not working in a formal educational institution.  They bring out the very best in their students and prepare them for life in the future. 

            As a student I had the benefit of learning from and being under the guidance of a number of people whom I consider to be Master Teachers.  They were people who in some cases I sought out and in other cases I was assigned to them by some means without any input from myself.  I want to acknowledge and thank, Mrs. Whetstone, Mr. Harry Whitesides, Dr. Harry Randles, Dr. Sidney Willhelm, Sifu Don Zanghi, GM Tom Bolden, Ama Guro Billy Bryant, Gat Puno Abundio Baet, PG Eddie Lastra and MG Roberto Torres.

            Master teachers are leaders.  They lead by example and inspire others to accept the challenges of studying, learning and teaching.  They were teaching role models who presented learning as a lifelong pursuit and sharing as an ethereal gift to those who are able to accept it.  They are educators in mind and spirit who share a common bond even when they have never met or talk with one another because the gift of knowledge that they gave lives on through their students as well as their student’s students.

            No one can legitimately claim to be a Master Teacher.  It is not a title that one can confer on himself or herself.  The title is earned over time and comes from the accomplishments of your students as seen and understood by people totally outside of your sphere of influence.  A number of people have tried to claim the title, but they never accepted the responsibilities that always come with the designation, Master Teacher.  We all know a true Master Teacher when we meet him/her.  They never have to tell anyone that they are Master Teachers and they will not use that title to describe themselves.

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.,  
Grand Master and  Principal Teacher, 
Independent Escrima-Kenpo -Arnis Associates, 
Hamburg, New York.
 April 12, 2013

"How Fast Was Dizon" ... By GM Ron Saturno

Another excellent piece from Master Ron Saturno!!

I asked Angel, "How fast was Dizon?" He simply replied, "That man was too much". How do you deal with someone that is really fast was my next question and the answers were not only interesting, but allowed me to see into the mind of a greatly respected and accomplished martial artist. There are many times that I am absolutely amazed at how quick many of the seasoned Filipino Martial Artist's are. Some of the really good Filipino Martial Artist's also have superb timing and very good foot work. It would be a very bad day to come at these men if they can give someone their A-Game. Hell, even their B and C games would put some more White hairs onto some really good martial artist's heads. Angel Cabales had his own way of thinking about a lot of things, but losing a fight wasn't an option, consideration, or even a thought when he decided to come after you. There was only one thought on his mind and that was winning. This conversation was my first real insight into his mindset. He had an inate fighting spirit, balls of steel and natural born killer genetics, he also had mad skills as an Escrimador. If and when it came to fighting, he could step up and get busy quickly and skillfully. This is the best way to deal with a really good opponent. Have a genetic propensity for warfare. Develop an inate fighting spirit as soon as possible and have a fighting skill-set that can be counted upon when needed. Time and good training can allow most of the needed traits to become a part of you, but killer gentetics can't be trained into you, you must be born with it. We can train the mind to compensate for a lack of killer genetics, but most martial arts teachers do not effectively train this into their students, but there are exceptions.
As an Escrimador who has watched men come at one another with and without weapons many thousands of times, you start noticing certain patterns that you could take advantage of, if you know what to look for and how to use this information in your favor. It really does help to know the standard fighting methods of someone that you are engaging in combat with. Watch say a Balintawak player, they play close and are highly effective at what they do. Yes, they do other things in other ways, but watching these players in the park playing together on my last trip to L.A., allowed me to see that they are really good with sticks and getting up close and thwarting an opponent's ability to effectively move. The good players just wouldn't let their partners do much of anything. I wouldn't want to play their game, because they are better at it than I am. The last thing I'd want is to allow them to beat my hands bloody or crack my skull and very quickly I might add. I am using them as an example of a very quick and capable opponent. How could one hope to deal with such opponent's ?
First of all, I am giving all praise and respect to the Balintiwak Escrimador's. I am simply using them as the type of fast hitting, fast reacting opponent that would be very hard to deal with. I am complimenting them, not singleing them out for criticism or who I could defeat. I am brainstorming here and want any of those players to understand my using them is for what-if purposes and because of their highly developed skills. Hope we're understood.
If you are not engaged in direct contact with another Escrimador, it doesn't matter how fast he is, or what set-up he employs to clear the distance between you...he cannot hit you easily or repeatedly without moving his body "properly" into striking range, period. If and when he comes forward, he can come towards you faster than you can back up. If you choose to side-step, which may be your best movement choice, he can quickly re-align to strike you, but "not" quick enough, for you can hit first. We may be talking about fractions of a second. Angel Cabales did not worry about your weapons, he worried about your body position and alignment. The set-up before delivery takes a lot longer than many believe. Some set-ups are longer than others, but it's the body movement which is the most imortant part. They have to move their guns into striking distance. Until they can get their guns into striking range, all of their speed and power mean nothing. If you are standing still and anchored you "can" move your arms quite quickly, but if you have to take the fight to your opponent, you "must" move from the Earth and all telling blows come first from the "legs" are then directed by the waist and lastly transfered through the arms. Like a wave, there is a sequence and it takes time. By reading the legs, we can gain valuable fractions of seconds, which can allow us to almost know what a person is going to do before they do it. The beauty of it all, is that by watching the shoulders/chest area of an opponent, we can accurately guess their intentions and when they are attempting their attack.
Unfortunatly, two men engaging in combat are frequently overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information their minds have to process and we haven't even spoken about fear and adrenaline dump effects. That is why Angel Cabales focused upon ending the fight quickly, by being able to read an opponent's body. I have covered center-line control before and will not cover this topic , but suffice to say that you "can" control most opponent's attempts to strike you, if you understand center-line control. So, if we can effectively read an opponent's body when he chooses to come toward you and if we can control the center we can most likely live to fight another day. This is a large part of what Angel Cabale described as "timing". Many times we practice to continue the fight. We practice long drawn out combatives. We seldom practice to end something quickly. That is why many aspiring Escrimador's have such trouble in sparring matches, their timing is off! They practice for long fights and then enter matches where fights are decided in fractions of a second. They don't train against real power hitting and then are shocked when they attempt a Dog Brother match, where someone is really trying to knock their heads off. I can only hope that my information has cleanly passed onto this computer. It doesn't matter how frightengly they swing their weapons away from you. It doesn't matter how they yell, make sounds and faces: They "have" to bring the fight to you, by bringing their bodies to you. If we can learn to read the chest and detrmine our opponent's intended body movements, we can learn the ability to know what a person is going to do, before they do it. Knowing what an opponent is going to do, is the capstone of an Escrimador's career. When we block blows, we only block what the body took a considerable time to develop. The body is much slower than the hands. So watching the hands is not only dangerous, but ineffective. Many Escrimador's are worried about being hit, they worry about the weapons of their opponent. If they spent more time watching their opponent's bodymovement via watching their chest, they would have a whole lot less to worry about. Deal with the body and what it allows opponent's to do. The body is a lot slower than hands, but no-matter how fast a man is, his body is slower. If we can learn to position our bodies effectively in relation to our opponent, than something cannot be hit what is not there and someone cannot hit you unless you don't see their bodies coming, because the hands only come after the body. This is the second time that I've tried to talk about the importance of watching the body, by watching the chest. Just stand in from of the mirror and start taking steps and moving your weapons. You will start noticing chest and shoulder patterns, that over time can be reliably depended upon to determine if a man is stepping, twisting, bending, which leg is being moved, and arm movements. After many years the ability to read body movements can be counted upon to be reliably used in a life and death situation. Knowing what a man is going to do almost before he does is an ability that every Escrimador needs and should want in his bag of tricks.

Training Partners and Life Long Friends ... By GM Ron Saturno

memiors

Master Ron Saturno

In the 70's the opportunity was presented to me to learn Escrima from an Angel Cabales graduate student, his name was Stanley Wells. Stanley eventually became a Master Graduate of Angel cabales and will always be remembered by me as my first real Instructor in Filipino Martial Arts.  Stanley was a hand man as well as an accomplished weapon man, he could also box and was a coach at the time of the Sweet Science of boxing. We trained through half of the angles of Angel Cableles's training regimen together and at some point Stanley took me to Manong Angel to complete my training. Angel Cabales asked me to perform the Serrada Escrima movements that I knew and patiently watched as I strutted my stuff. I was a bonified bad-ass who couldn't hope not to impress the living legend that was patiently watching me perform his beloved art. I really wanted to impress the well known Esdcrima Master. When I was done and he finally spoke to me, you could imagine the suprise on my face when he quietly said, " We will start over, beginning on the first movement, Outside #1". Talking about my little bubble being burst! I was young and impressionable and his starting me over after months of training kind of...well... did knock my pride down several notches. I thought that I was going to impress Manong Angel, but Manong Angel was a meticulous trainer and insisted on his students having a firm basic platform and could and would make students do movements repeatedly until he felt that they understood the movement before moveing on to another new movement. I saw many students come through Angel Cabales and each and every one was trained the same basics. You would get firm basics from Manong Angel and I can tell the old- timers from those trained by others, there really Isn't much difference in the movements, but I can just tell who Manong Angel trained. It could be the way they move, or how they hold their stick, but if Angel Cabales trained you, you were a lucky man. I was a lucky man.       So one day we looked up and a new student swaggered in. He kind of tilted when he walked, but he had a ready smile and we all knew that he would fit in just fine. No attitude, no bull-shitting or trash talking, he just came to learn Escrima. He had real troubles at times because we just weren't giving him any slack. He fell several times during training, but he never said a word, he just got up and did the movements again and again. We found out after a while that he was born with spinal bifida and that his spine really wasn't well attached and this was why he tilted when he walked and why his balance could be interrupted. I liked the young man and hoped that he would stick with it and he did. We had a lot of fun learning Escrima together and became good stable mates. We had another man who hung in with us and his name is David Mah. The three of us had the opportunity to learn Escrima together and the memories of our training has kept us close and in touch for decades. These two men have broke my knuckles as I have broken theirs. In fact there was a time when none of us could knock on doors because of our pointing finger being swollen and deformed, we knocked with our palms and couldn't help but laugh when we did. We used to stand at a faucet in the school and let the cold water run over our hands to reduce the swelling in our fingers. How in the hell we would laugh while doing this is now beyond me, but it was somehow funny in a masochistic way and the thought never crossed our minds to quit. We were young and dumb and dedicated Serrada men.       The time eventually came that my friend started having troubles with his leg. Circulation was causing real hardships and at one point became life threatening. He survived, but when the problem returned he had the leg amputated. This never slowed the man down. He now has to travel most times in a wheel chair, but teaches from a chair. He comes and goes to events driving a car that he stops with the parking brake because he doesn't have a foot to press on the brakes. He has never stopped teaching and learning Escrima from the very first day of his training. He now travels the country and the globe spreading Escrima and he does this from a wheel chair.       He has never complained within my earshot in over thirty years of friendship. He has never let anything slow him down or prevent him from achieving what he has hoped to achieve. He has never let his condition be an excuse to not becoming one of the very best and most talented martial artists in the world. He patiently trains and unless you notice, which you hardly ever do, he has somehow overcome tremendous obstacles to become a true fighting Master and not just from a wheel chair, but just a fighting Master with the heart of a lion. He has a ready smile and has to be pushed hard to have a bad word to say about anyone. his students rightfully love him and they are loyal and dedicated to him and his martial art.      I really don't know why I wrote this today. Maybe, I am dwelling on my future and the goals that I have set and how difficult some of my goals will be to achieve. Here is the message in a nut shell. When ever I feel sad and down and  think about how hard life can be I think about my friend and how he has never complained and blamed anyone about his problems. He has put his head up and went forward regardless of what was put before him. He is truly one of the most inspiring men that I have ever met and truly consider him one of the most very special people that I have ever met. He has become a well known name in Filipino Martial Arts and is practically synonomous with excellence and well done Escrima. His name is GM Carlito Bonjoc and if you ever have the pleasure to meet him or train with him, make it so. Carlito this was for you my friend, I love you.

Not Your Ordinary Training ..... by GM Ron Saturno

Memiors
Master Ron Saturno
When my wife and I had broken up I was bout 28 years old. I was unemployed and things were getting really tight. My father said one day that someone was looking for help fixing their house in San Jose, Ca. San Jose was about 70 miles from Stockton, where I lived. A lot of people may not know about the unofficial coconut highway. Filipinos will mention to another Filipino that they needed or wanted something and some way and some how the information can cross cities, states and I'll even believe continents. I to mentioned to my Dad that I was broke and didn't have the gas money to get to San Jose. He said, no problem. I'll front the money and loan you my truck, just pay me when she pays you. A few phone conversations later, we set a date for the following week-end and bright and early that Saturday morning I find myself getting a walk thru the home that needed fixing. The ladies name was Carmelita ( name changed and you'll eventually know why). She has a beautiful home and wanted a hot tub built into the floor of her bed room. As I worked the week-end Sunday evening soon came around and she invites me to stay in a spare bedroom, so I could be ready first thing in the morning. I had driven back Saturday night and had returned early Sunday morning. It was a great idea and I said O.K., and stayed. I had carried some sticks along with me just in case there was a chance to get some practice in. About 8 p.m. or so, she came to check on me and without knocking walked in and sat on the bed and watched me. She made a few knowledgeable comments and itbecame clear that she knew what Escrima was. She eventually commented that I seemed to be able to use my stick very well, but then commented further that unless she saw me use my stick in real life it didn't mean anything. It pissed me off, but I needed the money and kept my mouth shut.
The next morning there was a full breakfast waiting for me around 6 a.m. I got started early and was worrying the whole time about the job. She wanted me to install the hot tub into the floor and I was worried about the subfloor and if I would have to do structural work. The plumbing that would go to the area was already somewhat done on Saturday and Sunday. While I was eating I couldn't help but notice that there were a few young ladies walking around the house and that they were very good looking. They must have came into the house that night. They didn't look related , but could have been friends of the owner. She was only about forty herself and still quite a looker, so they may have been running buddies. She mentioned that they had both just came back from Reno, Nevada.
That night she returns to watch me work out after I had stopped working on the project. She mentioned if I knew anything about using a knife? I said that I was O.k. and she then asks me if I had one. I had a decent Balisong and showed it to her. She took the knife from me and starts displaying a series of really crisp moves. She was good. She took the time to show me a few moves and we had a great time together. She asked me if I smoked weed and I told her yes. She went to her room and came back with a bag of weed and some rolling papers. As I sat watching her, she rolled a joint with one hand and it was tight and right. The smell of the weed was hella skunky and I knew that we were both going to get high and we did. I soon discovered that forty year old breasts could be damn good and also discovered that she did a lot of things really well besides working a knife and rolling a joint.
The next day after a long day on the project, she shows me how to use a bottle cap to cut someone with. She showed me how to quickly bend the cap, how to hold it and how to use it effectively. This woman had a lot of strange talents and I was kind of figuring out that she wasn't raised in a convent. I had been overseas in the military and kind of figured out that she had been a working girl, or had been in and around some rough bars in her time. I don't judge how anyone makes a living, bu only how they treat me and she was treating me pretty good. Did you know that you can reliably break a bottle safely for wet work? I do, she showed me this as well. Hell, I was getting a back door educaton and having a hell of a lot of fun. Consorting with a whore and learning how to break bottles, use bottle caps and working a Balisong....my priest wouldn't approve, but I was having a hell of a lot of fun. Then it was another long night of trying to break the springs on the expensive matress in her spare bedroom. Working all day and playing all night was starting to take a toll on me. She was working magic on me. I had been butt hurt and despondent about my break-up. After a few days I noticed that my ex-wife was hardly crossing my mind: I was too busy and too tired from lack of sleep and the demands of a Cougar. But like a good soldier I carried on and performed my many duties.
Like all good things the job eventually ended. She kept me away from the girls and I never knew who they were. She kept me so busy in so many ways that they weren't an issue anyway. I drove by her house a few months ago and realized that she would now be around 80. At forty she was still a looker and I'll bet that she is still beautiful wherever she is, because she was beautiful inside. She didn't know squat about sticks and blades, but gave me an invaluable education about using everyday objects that are within our work environment as make-shift deadly weapons. She may not have been a Ninja, but a Ninja would have got his ass cut-up if he didn't want to pay her his tab. She never let me feel before lesaving that she expected or wanted an occasional phone call, so we parted ways friendly, but not friends. When I teach Escrima at the many seminars that I am involved in, there are times that I want to teach a few of the non-classical things that I've learned alng the way. Escdrima is not just about weapons, but about a state of mind that is focused upon survival. I no longer practice much with a Balisong, California is felony prone, but I do laugh sometimes when I open a bottle of beer and hold the cap in my hand knowing that those around me don't know what that little cap could do to them. At near 60 I realize that I am 20 years older than this woman at the time that we met. As I sit here typing away on my bed, I can almost picture this woman rolling a joint with one hand and laughing and rolling around the bed that we shared, smiling and full of life. Not all of our Escrima education is in the back yard, seminars, or school. The desire to live and fight sometimes comes from the most unexpected place and situations. Knowledge about fighting is where we find it.

More Fong Shui ... Historical Documentation of the WSEF Founders in Escrima Simplified

WSEF Honors Martial Combat Specialist Danny Lane with Honorary Grandmaster Degree in Tang Soo Do

 World Martial Arts Federation President Danny Lane Awarded WSEF Honorary GM

Master Danny Lane, President and founder of the WMAF has 44 years experience in the fields of martial arts, police and military.

He has been personally trained by Chuck Norris for 32 years and is one of America's top Masters. He has been featured in magazines around the world and several motion pictures. He has produced 19 training videos sold worldwide. 

He holds high ranking Black Belts in numerous systems, including Chuck Norris's UFAF Chun Kuk Do, International Federation of Jui-Jitsuans, United States Judo Association, United States Ju-Jitsu Association, Nihon Goshen Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Moo Duk Kwan and the National and International Police Defensive Tactics Organization.

He has been inducted into 9 Hall of Fames including the World, International, USA, Florida, Action Martial Arts Magazine, Eastern, USA Halls of Fame.

He has been featured in numerous magazines articles world wide and has been labeled as "An American who knows Real Combat" and "A Real American Hero".

 

As a competitor, he has won hundreds of tournament awards including nine National Karate and Tae Kwon Do Championships, the North American Championship, 1994 Masters Sport Jujitsu National Championship and the World PKA Kickboxing title in 1975 and retired undefeated as a world rated professional kick boxer. As an Instructor he has taught more than 40,000 students and turned out over 700 Black Belts worldwide many who have become National and World Champions and successful studio owners.

 Master Lane has traveled the world over teaching his concepts, competing, demonstrating and learning more martial arts skills in Korea, Japan, Thailand, Europe, Russia, England, Mexico, South America, Cuba and Africa, just to name a few. Master Lane is a U.S. Marine Infantryman and an Expert in small arms weapons. He was highly decorated during combat, receiving two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star during the Vietnam War. 

He is also a retired police officer where he served in numerous capacities: patrol officer, S.W.A.T. team member, major crimes detective (homicide, burglary, rape, grand theft, forgeries, etc.), tactical unit leader, and training academy instructor. He is a certified International Police Defensive Tactics Instructor and is an expert in Police and Military Defensive Tactics and still does high profile body guarding assignments.