Martial
Arts Program
Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States of America
The United States Marine Corps has always been known, with good reason, for the marksmanship of the average Marine. This is not a coincidence. It is the result of a program initiated in the early days, after the commissioning of a Corps of Marines, on November 10, 1775, to operate under the aegis of the Department of the Navy. Their original assignment was to serve aboard ship, as guards and, in battle, when the opposing vessels were closing within grappling range, where the ship’s crew would board the enemy ships, the sea-going Marines, would begin to fire en masse, to deplete the number of enemy sailors of the enemy. Under highly charged circumstances and heaving decks, the American Marines were charged with firing, on command and as a group, into the mass of men aboard the other ship, simultaneous with the broadsides of the ship’s cannons, spreading carnage and death upon the opposition on the deck and in the rigging. In order to maximize the effect of the Marine detachment, they had to be as accurate, as possible. The task was made more difficult, when the boarding party from their own ship mingled upon the deck of the enemy ship, to pick off the opposition, without accidentally wounding any of their own companions in arms. Eventually, the United States Marine Corps officers, had placed upon the top of their covers (hats) a quatrefoil, or two figure eights laid cross wise, to signify or differentiate their officers from the enemy officers, before firing. That symbol, although, no longer required in modern battle, is still worn upon the Marine Officer’s Barracks Caps (worn with Class A Uniforms), to remind them of the history that precedes them. The proud history of victory creates their excellent level of Esprit De Corps.
For this
reason, The United States Marine Corps realized that a perfunctory familiarity,
with weapons would not be satisfactory for Marines. As a result, from Boot Camp
forward, the young Marines
any of the other Service organizations. Each Marine
would learn the Code of the Rifle, whose main point was that, “this is my
rifle, there are many like it, but this rifle is mine.” Every Marine acquires
a unique affection and knowledge of his particular weapon. Carelessly dropping
your rifle, in Boot Camp, brings swift judgment, upon the offender. They are
taught, from the beginning, to fire up to 500 yards, as the norm. Each Marine,
enlisted and Officer must qualify annually with his or her weapon. Qualification
is an important part of a Marine’s life and his future depends, to a great
extent, upon this proficiency, to the point that, if an Officer fails to
qualify, with either rifle or his side arm, that Officer is required to write an
explanation for failure to qualify, to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. That
explanation goes into the Officers Service Jacket, or data.
In WW I,
the wickedly accurate fire of the Marines, in their first engagement with the
enemy, proved devastating, when paired with their normal aggressiveness in the
face of withering fire by the German machine guns and artillery, gained them a
fierce reputation with the Bosch, who called the Marines, “The Dogs from
Hell,” or “Devil Dogs.” The Marines were among the first combatants, to
utilize snipers, following the lead of the Germans. In the years to come, the
Marine Corps would cherish their Marksmen and, in every way, encourage them to
enter the many Marksmanship Contests around the world. These marksmen became a
well known elite group and finally, led to setting up teams of marksmen at the
various Marine Corps bases around the world, who would meet and compete in these
contests. Soon the Corps had a cadre who continuously brought home the trophies.
Whenever a war, skirmish or conflict required America’s Armed Forces, such as
the so-called Banana Wars in Central America, The Boxer’s conflict, WW II,
Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and, most recently, Afghanistan and Iraq have
required the use of snipers, a special corps of men who would go into the
enemies territory, in pairs, slide through the grass and stealthily crawl for
miles, an inch at a time and when the target was located, took one shot, for one
kill and then disappeared back into the brush. After WW I and WW II, these
groups were disbanded, but remained a band of brothers, who, in peace time
In the
1950’s another group began to emerge, within The United States Marine Corps,
those who would go that extra step, to bring professionalism, to another phase
of war, Hand-To-Hand Combat or H2H, as it came to be known. In that era and for
decades before that, Marines in Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC and San Diego,
Cal, as well as Officers Candidate School, Quantico, Va. the recruits would be
given a perfunctory knowledge of Judo or Jiu-Jitsu, depending upon the assigned
instructors martial arts skills. Often, they were learning from an English
translation of an old Japanese Manual on Judo, from the Kodokan in Japan,
printed in the late nineteenth century. Some of the instructors were probably
only ten pages ahead of the recruits. An hour and a half per week was set aside
for the instruction and at the end of Boot Camp, after twelve weeks of
instruction, as we used to say, “you knew enough H2H, to use it in a fight and
get yourself killed.” The result, was that certain individuals, who got a
taste of the martial arts, desired more and sought out other Marines, who had
been over to Japan or Okinawa and had taken lessons with some of the resident
Masters, who would teach foreigners. Some of these Marines returned from their
overseas tours, with an excellent understanding of the basics inherent in the
arts they studied. They set up the original schools in America, on the base or
just outside the base where they were now stationed. In the fifties and early
sixties, the instructors who had made Black Belt overseas, were a special breed
of adventuresome and extraordinary people, as were their original students,
since these teachers taught, as they had learned, without protective equipment
or even gi's (uniforms) and utilizing full contact to the body and often to the
head, as well. No one complained, although many quit after a week. Those who
stayed wanted this knowledge badly and were willing to pay the price. We were in
awe of our teachers and felt that we were the first waves of Americans who would
learn the exotic, almost mystical art of karate. In my case, it was Isshin-ryu
and it was taught by Sensei Don Nagle, who, as a white belt, fought in and won
the famous Okinawan Karate Championship Tournament, against the Okinawa’s’
best Black Belts. He would later be referred to, in the magazines of the time,
as “A Living Legend.” We did demonstrations on or off the base, to
familiarize others with what we were doing and some, like myself, taught at
their own units and got clubs started on the base. When, in 1962, I had a
serious accident during a demo for a unit near the famed Brooklyn Navy Yard, and
wrecked my left knee, I was discharged from the Corps eight months later, at the
Navy Hospital and told I would always have a limp and might require a cane to
walk. I thought differently and in 1963, started to teach Isshin-ryu in my own
dojos. However, like most former Marines, I missed the Corps and, as a result,
contacted Colonel Krance, in Manhattan, offering my services for the First
Marine Corps Districts recruiting efforts. I worked with him for about four
years, doing demos, with my team, at Colleges, the NY Coliseum, Madison Square
Garden and as the representative for Hai Karate After Save Lotion, toured the
country and always talked up the Corps, while wearing a large embroidered Marine
Corps emblem on the back of my Gi. It remains on my gi, to this day. Sensei
Nagle, Gary Alexander and others did the same thing, giving the Corps the credit
for our exposure to this type of fighting. When we were written up in magazines,
we always got the Corps into the story, we were proud to be Marines. Throughout
five decades, we pushed for the Corps to institutionalize H2H training and there
was often some progress, but none of it ever stuck, as they say. We were patient
and kept at it. GYSgt. Don Bohan held tournaments at both Quantico, Va. and Camp
Lejeune, NC, Marine bases, bringing hundreds of participants into the bases for
the tournaments. People like Ernie Cates, five time winner of the All Marine
Judo Championship and others like Captain Brian Burke and Sgt. Jeff Nadeau all
tried to push for a program. However, the Corps was always the last to get a
shot at the Armed Forces Budget, getting
Until a
short time ago, we were still stirring the pot, with people like myself, Don
Nagle, Gary Alexander, Bill Miller and Jim Advincula visiting bases and doing
demos of the latest techniques for the troops, while we waited for the Corps to
jump in the pool. Eventually, just as the Corps took the snipers to their hearts
and placed them under the mantle of the Corps, a Commandant of the Marine Corps,
with a background in close combat, taught to him by several enlisted men,
realized that this was a skill necessary to round out the Marines knap sack of
fighting skills. Again, this was not just a coincidence; it’s time had come
and the Corps responded to a new enemy. The type of warfare they will face had
changed and the Corps was always willing to meet that challenge. Although these
skills were always an integral part of the Marines training, the 32nd
Commandant, J. L. Jones, General, United States Marine Corps, has designated the
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, as a permanent skill set, establishing an
initial cadre of professional level martial artists at the historic home for
Marine Corps schools. The Martial Arts Center of Excellence (MACE), quartered at
Quantico, Virginia, manages this new school. The initial Marines who were
assigned to set up this program, were made for this position, Lieutenant Colonel
Bristol, with a background of martial arts and an avocation to the study of
ancient weaponry and Master Gunnery Sergeant Cardo Urso, a black belt of note in
Shorin-ryu, with an enormous background in the Okinawan arts, who has taught
karate for decades. After their tours of duty and having dutifully established
the program, Lt. Col. Bristol requested and was reassigned to his specialty,
Force Recon duties, in Okinawa, while Master Gunnery Sgt. Urso retired, with the
Marine Corps Commandant at his ceremony and now heads up the U.S.
Marshall’s’ program in New Jersey. An official Military Occupational
Specialty (MOS) has also been designated for the training professionals who will
teach specially picked candidates to graduate from this program. The basic idea
behind this self-fostering
The Marine Corps is backing up their intention with a
multi-million dollar budget for the Martial Arts Program, a new Building with
all of the facilities required for the teaching of these skills, in size, mat
room and equipment. The students will not be entering an
easy credit course, as the Instructors are there to demonstrate to their
charges, that Hand-to-Hand combat is a dirty, hard hitting means of saving their
life. There