| The real warrior does his job. | | | | stories of what he and his buddies did for |
| | | | fun to keep themselves entertained during the |
| The real warrior does not seek out accolades | | | | war and walking the beat. |
| or glory. | | | | |
| | | | It's important to realize that Men like these |
| The real warrior remembers fallen comrades as | | | | epitomize what it means to be a real warrior. |
| the real heroes. | | | | They survived combat on the streets and in |
| | | | the jungles. They went out prepared to commit |
| The real warrior protects himself, his | | | | violence not because they in enjoyed it, but |
| family, and his country out of duty, not | | | | out of a sense of duty. |
| expectation of thanks or reward. | | | | |
| | | | Sadly society does not seem to applaud their |
| The real warrior never brags about scraps, | | | | kind of service any longer. |
| kills, or combat. | | | | |
| | | | All over the country fire departments are in |
| In the immortal words of everyone's favorite | | | | desperate need of volunteers. A young person |
| master, Yoda... | | | | that wants to serve in law enforcement is |
| | | | often discouraged in favor of more lucrative |
| Adventure? Heh. Excitement? Heh. A Jedi | | | | career path. And those joining the military |
| craves not these things... | | | | are called stupid or murderers. |
| | | | |
| So, how do you pick out a true warrior from | | | | Some parents even discourage martial arts and |
| the THOUSANDS of soldiers, cops, martial | | | | self defense training because they don't want |
| artists, athletes, and other assorted | | | | their children to get hurt or become violent |
| toughies? | | | | bullies. Recently, an anti-war activist, |
| | | | Jesse Adam Macbeth was arrested for |
| Simple. The ones that make you laugh hardest | | | | falsifying documents. He claimed he was a |
| are the toughest. | | | | medal-winning Army Ranger who had serviced in |
| | | | Iraq. |
| It's absolutely true. The toughest men I've | | | | |
| met throughout my life always have the best | | | | However, not only didn't he serve in Iraq, |
| sense of humor. | | | | but he washed out of boot camp 6 weeks in. |
| | | | |
| While they never brag, and rarely talk of | | | | Conjuring up completely false accounts of |
| courage and honor, they often share their | | | | orders to commit atrocities against the Iraqi |
| knowledge and experiences through humorous | | | | people, he touted stories of killing and |
| accounts of their adventures. Even when it | | | | violent mutilation in an attempt to further |
| concerns the most dangerous and deadliest of | | | | his cause. But like many "fake" tough guys, |
| situations. | | | | he was eventually called out on the carpet |
| | | | and exposed for the fraud he was. |
| A few years ago, I was visiting an injured | | | | |
| friend in the hospital who mentioned that the | | | | In the martial arts and self defense arena, |
| gentlemen in the next room were "absolutely | | | | inexperienced "tough-talkers" are |
| hilarious", and that I had to stop in to say | | | | unfortunately the rule, not the exception. |
| hi. As it turned out, one was a Marine who | | | | |
| had served in the Pacific during WWII, and | | | | 99.9% of all martial arts instructors have |
| the other man had been a Navy SEAL and street | | | | never been in so much as a kiddie playground |
| cop. | | | | scuffle, never mind a drag-out fight for |
| | | | their life. |
| The older man was modest about his service, | | | | |
| and simply told funny stories of his goofy | | | | They teach theorized, unproven, nonsense that |
| friends from basic training and in his squad. | | | | gives practitioners a false sense of |
| | | | confidence, and a dangerous "untouchable" |
| Like most tough bastards, he didn't go into | | | | attitude that will get you killed if attacked |
| much detail about his combat experiences, but | | | | by a hardened criminal. |
| it was blatantly obvious that he was in it | | | | |
| deep as a few of his stories revolved around | | | | And when protecting your family or your life, |
| to hand-to-hand combat and cleaning his | | | | is not the time to find out that "Master |
| bayonet. | | | | Yells-A-Lot" really is "Master Full-of it". |
| | | | |
| The other man was a Vietnam Vet, who was | | | | REAL self defense is ugly, violent, and |
| involved in the Navy's transition from UDTs | | | | brutal...which is why those of us who've |
| (Underwater Demolition Teams) to the SEALs | | | | experienced it, dealt with it, or teach it |
| (Sea Air Land) in an effort to become even | | | | have to balance it all out with humor. |
| more effective in unconventional warfare. | | | | |
| | | | While there is nothing funny about death, |
| He was also a police officer for one of the | | | | war, or violence...real "tough-guys" train |
| dirtiest and most violent towns on the East | | | | hard and laugh hard. Because when it's all |
| coast. | | | | said and done, the laughter is what our |
| | | | friends and family will remember...Not the |
| And again, this combat hardened tough-guy, | | | | violence. |
| completely downplayed his service by telling | | | | |