USMC
Captain America Lives
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941).
And yes, Captain America was created to aid the U.S. war effort (WWII, that is). And the fictional figure that he is, he wears a costume that bears an American flag motif and he is armed with an indestructible shield. But you know that already, right?!
In my unrelenting pursuit of intruiging stories and inspirational real-life characters, I believe that I have actually found a real-life Captain America.
Two years after being born on Yokota Air Base in Japan, he and his family moved to Scranton, PA, where he spent his childhood and teenage years.
He then atttended the U.S. Naval Academy where he very successfully played football as a linebacker.
After graduating, he was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of Captain.
While serving with the Marines, “All American” Brian Stann was awarded the Silver Star. And the citation reads something like this:
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Brian M. Stann, First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy as Second Mobile Assault Platoon Leader, Weapons Company, Third Battalion, Second Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, SECOND Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 8 May to 14 May 2005. During Operation MATADOR, Second Lieutenant Stann led his reinforced platoon on an assault through a foreign fighter and Mujahedeen insurgent defense-in-depth to seize the Ramana Bridge north of Karabilah, Iraq. On three separate occasions, he traversed four kilometers of enemy occupied urban terrain in order to maintain his battle position. With each deliberate attack he controlled close air support and the direct fire systems of tanks and heavy machineguns destroying enemy positions along the route. At one point, the enemy massed on his platoon and fired over 30 rocket propelled grenades, machineguns, detonated two improvised explosive devices and attacked the unit with three suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive devices. Second Lieutenant Stann personally directed two casualty evacuations, three vehicle recovery operations and multiple close air support missions under enemy small arms, machinegun and mortar fire in his 360-degree fight. Inspired by his leadership and endurance, Second Lieutenant Stann’s platoon held the battle position on the Euphrates River for six days protecting the Task Force flank and isolating foreign fighters and insurgents north of the river. Second Lieutenant Stann’s zealous initiative, courageous actions, and exceptional presence of mind reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
Brian Stann got hooked on martial arts while attending the MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) and he very impressively acquired some very effective cage fighting skills which took him to becoming WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.
After the UFC took over WEC, all WEC-Middleweight and WEC-Light Heavyweight fighters were brought into the UFC family.
Brian Stann dropped from Light Heavyweight to Middleweight where he is currently ranked number 6 in the world with a MMA record of 11-3.
But the Octagon isn’t the only place that Brian Stann is leaving his mark.
The married father of two knows the true meaning of leaving no man behind. He is the very active President of Hire Heroes USA.
Hire Heroes USA’s (HHUSA) mission is to offer transition assistance, job search assistance, and job placement services to those who have honorably served in the US military – and to their spouses – in order to reduce veteran unemployment. HHUSA prioritizes veterans statistically most likely to be unemployed: veterans of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, and veterans that are wounded or disabled.
As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, HHUSA’s services are provided at no cost to the veteran.
And let’s recap with some visuals:
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One Of The World’s Highest Ranking Karate Masters Just So Happens To Be A Member Of Mensa
Thanks for stopping by again today.
I haven’t posted as regularly as I normally do during the last couple of weeks due to an increased work and travel schedule, but trust me when I say that you were always on my mind!
Just reading today’s subject line and you know I’m up to something, right?!
So what does Karate have to do with Mensa?
Well, if you happen to be Grand Master Sam Pearson that would be a whole lot to be proud of.
First off, you might have heard of Mensa, but so far didn’t really know what they are all about. Let me enlighten you:
Mensa, the high IQ society, provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members.
There are members in more than 100 countries around the world.
Activities include the exchange of ideas through lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national and international gatherings; the investigations of members’ opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa.
Mensa is open to persons who have attained a score within the upper two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.
One of their members is Sam Pearson.
And I will be honest with you: Until this morning I hadn’t heard of him myself.
Grand Master SamPearson is THE man who brought martial arts to the East Carolina town of New Bern in the early 70s.
You have to know that even at the age of 74 he is still a force to reckon with and still works out at the Twin Rivers YMCA.
Sam Pearson was born in 1936. After being raised by his granny in Florida, he was returned to his mom, who according to his own recollection, was on her third husband by then.
His father didn’t play much of role in his upbringing and so as a 17-year old he looked for direction in the outside world.
Thus, in 1953, wanting to change his life and find that direction he was missing, Sam Pearson joined the no-nonsense U.S. Marines who are known till today for promising their recruits a rough time. A promise made is a promise kept.
Nobody else from his high school at the time joined the Marines. His USMC career would last 20 years.
During a tour in Vietnam he was exposed to the devastating Agent Orange which was used to kill the vegatation so the Viet Cong couldn’t hide in it. Only problem was that our guys were affected by it which was denied by government authorities for way too long.
Like what happened to so many servicemen, the exposure broke down his immune system, causing all kinds of debillitating ailments.
Sam Pearson has battled numerous ailments such as PTSD, diabetes and high blood pressure and even Parkinson’s disease.
Only 3 years ago during a short period, everything seemed to be breaking down, including severly painful shingles across his face.
Things looked very bleak and robbed him of his joy of life. But somehow things turned around and he is doing a lot better today.
Way back in 1974, he introduced martial arts to New Bern, NC.
The current head instructor is his former student and New Bern policeman Ronnie Lovick who is a 7th degree black belt.
During the early 70s, karate and other martial arts started to become really popular in the United States after many servicemen returned from Asia.
The school was operated at several locations. During the daytime Sam Pearson worked as head of security of a shopping mall.
He ensured that all of his students were worthy of pursuing the martial arts. He looked for honest and dedicated individuals who also did not smoke or drink.
Counting the years that he instructed in the Marines, Sam Pearson has probably taught more than 2,000 students over almost 50 years.
Besides all his great accomplishments, Sam Pearson is most proud of the fact that he is a member in Mensa, the international IQ-society.
Semper Fi, Sam Pearson!
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USMC Teaches UFC Combat Outside The Octagon
I guess you can say that UFC fighters are somewhat like modern-day gladiators.
Just a couple of days ago I stumbled across something I think you’re going to like.
Several UFC fighters and UFC President, Dana White, travelled to the United States Marine Corps’ MACE (Martial Arts Center of Excellence) and they couldn’t have been more impressed with what they saw and experienced first-hand.
The U.S. Marines at Quantico, who are true warriors in the true sense, put their amazing skills on display.
It sure was an adventure for the UFC guys and I pull my hat that they got out of their comfort zone and tried some stuff they don’t normally do on a daily basis. Kudos!
“One mind, any weapon.”
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Whenever I put The Week In Review together, I become aware how fast time flies by.
Let’s enjoy the limited time we have here and make a difference in somebody’s life.
Hard to believe, but true: Ultimate Fighting Championship Is Gearing Up for their 111th event!
Did you know that UFC1 took place over 15 years ago? On November 12, 1993 and the overall winner was BJJ legend, Royce Gracie.
Fast-forward to March 2010: UFC 111 Main event GSP Vs. Dan Hardy. This will be the Welterweight title fight between “The Perfect Fighter” from Canada and “The Outlaw” from Great Britain.
Let’s foil attacks on girls and women and teach bad boys a lesson! Urgent appeal to girls and women: Learn Self-Defense!
This is one of my all-time favorites: Check it out now! Reminder: Italian Female Karate Champion Defeats Mugger.
Alright, so you got all the moves, but … Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset and Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset – concluded?
With all the buzz about Academy Awards, aka Oscars, I thought it might be an interesting approach by introducing the “Scottish Warrior Who Won 5 Oscars“.
There you have it again: The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I would love to hear from you, so don’t be a stranger!
Tune in tomorrow, when I ask the question ” Whatever happened to …..?”
Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset?
We talk a lot about the physical and technical aspect of martial arts, both competition and self-defense.
I thought it might be rather interesting to have a closer look at the mental aspect which supposedly makes up for about 90%.
If we want to come out of a perilous and maybe even life-threatening physical encounter unscathed, we have to have the right mindset.
What does that mean?
Let’s just call it ‘Combat Mindset’.
I would like to introduce somebody who knew a thing or two about it.
Friends knew John Dean Cooper simply as “Jeff” Cooper, who was a U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel and who served in both World War II and the Korean War, also known as the ‘Forgotten War’.
At the age of 36, Colonel Cooper was decommissioned in 1956.
He is still recognized as the father of the ‘Modern Technique’ of handgun shooting.
Jeff Cooper was referred to as one of the 20th century’s leading international authorities on the use and history of small arms.
This might rock your world:
According to Colonel Cooper, the most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation isn’t the weapon or martial skills, but rather the combat mindset.
In his book, Principles of Personal Defense, there’s a chapter on awareness, in which Colonel Cooper presents an adaptation of the U.S. Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness.
The original color code according to Jeff Cooper had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one’s state of mind.
His teachings relate to the degree of danger you are willing to do something. This allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation.
Jeff Cooper didn’t necessarily invent anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state. Numerous law enforcement and military agencies apply these principles.
White – Unaware and unprepared.
When attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker.
If you are confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be “OMG! This isn’t happening to me.”
Yellow – Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation.
Your mindset is that “today could just be the day I might have to defend myself.”
You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary.
You use your eyes and ears, and realize that “I may have to SHOOT today.”
You don’t have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow.
You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don’t know.
You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to “Watch your six.” (In aviation 12 o’clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft’s nose. Six o’clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.)
In Yellow, you are “taking in” surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. Or as Cooper put it, “I might have to shoot.”
Don’t miss the continuation and conclusion in tomorrow’s post. It’s that important!
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