PeaceWalker Blog

Here I am beside Mr. Craig Marks (to my left) and few of the cadets from the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps. I have had the pleasure of working with these fine young people for almost a year now. They are attending the pre -military / law enforcement academy at the Gerald R. Ford Job Corp Center in Grand Rapids Michigan. This program is headed up by Mr. Craig Marks a former Marine himself (if there is such a thing as a "former Marine!"). He has an un -dieing commitment to the program and more importantly to each of the cadets. He helps each of them to reach out for their dream of having a career in law enforcement, military service or private security. It' s amazing that he has the time because he is also a father of six wonderful children and a wife who (hopefully) keeps him sane...or maybe makes him just that much crazier, it's hard to tell!! Anyway Craig you are doing a fantastic job and definatly making a big difference to not only each of the cadets you come into conta...

This Saturday a dozen or so of us got together at Chuck Pippin's Innovative Martial Arts Academy in Grand Rapids Michigan to train with Buzz Smith a master of the Southeast Asian martial art known as Kuntaw. Buzz is very knowledgeable and has much to offer. I have had the pleasure of training with Buzz at two earlier Gathering of the Tribes and this was no different. His perspective on standing and ground fighting was well received and very insightful. I like his approach to martial arts and the way he teaches. He uses examples of movements that we do every day to help people more easily understand the concepts he is trying to get across. Movements like "looking at your watch, picking up change, asking for lunch money, hitchhiking and many others" have helped many internalize combative movements that may otherwise take much longer to pick up. I know some of his teaching methods have helped me and people I have trained understand and communicate things in much simpler term...

Shortly after touching down in the U.S. I was off to the East Coast to train with Jack Hoban in the art of Budo Tai Jutsu. It was a weekend filled with good training and great people. It was good seeing Jack again. It seemed like it had been a while since I saw him last. The weather was absolutely gorgeous the whole weekend. People came from all over the world to train. I had the pleasure to see many people I typically train with when I go out there and met many more wonderful and talented martial artists. Saturday morning after an early jog and warm up everyone sat down and Jack led a couple hour training session that was filled with his usual (and sometimes unusual!) great training insights and methods. Then as we all sat in the grass Jack surprised me by asking if I would teach one of the afternoon sessions. I was a little taken back but very honored and excited to have been asked to contribute. Jack asked me what my session was going to cover and I immediately knew... I told him I...

Well, although I have many stories yet from Greece, they seem old news now, so if anyone out there is interested in how things wrapped up (or pics) I guess we'll have to go out for beers to chat. Stories of nude beaches, the Greek auto-bon and Samatha Fox will have to wait for a night out somewhere. ...Thailand and Vietnam next trip?? We'll see... :)

Well my friends, I have been back home for a few weeks now. I have finished my journey in Greece, my time at the Buyu Camp with Jack Hoban in Jersey, back to college and even back into the swing of things with my new job. I managed to get a few pics up on the site, but there are more coming. I also have some more Greece stories as well as others, so stay tuned. Little by little I am getting unburied and back into the groove of things. Thanks for your patience!! ~Craig