Page 13 - Expert Issue 2015 (2)

The Greatest Generation

By Robert Tussey

Lori and I were out to breakfast the other day at The Broken Yolk in Carmel The greatest generation was just that. Once WWII was over the survivors
Mountain Ranch. As usual the place was hopping and the conversations came back and dove into American life and showed their pride by building
wove into one another. Courtney was coming past with menus to seat a lives and businesses and growing families and never complaining: Nose to
new customer and we watched as an elderly couple shuffled by and chose the grindstone and all. We owe a great gratitude to all who have served,
their seat: She wanted light so they could read the menus. He wore a ball defending our country from the tyrannies perpetrated by war. We owe them
cap with his ship designation and some smaller things I couldn’t read. They our freedom. Thank you.
sat ten feet from us and began the ‘what are you having, I don’t know’
scene we all know so well. They’d complete each other’s sentences and And as that quick moment ended and the food arrived we saw the return of
she chided him for having caffeinated coffee. “It’ll keep you up all day.” normalcy and daily routine. She said, “You know you shouldn’t have bacon.
It’s bad for your cholesterol.”
A conversation began with the couple in the booth behind them when she
mentioned there were too many choices and wondered aloud ‘what was
good here.’ As the couple behind them engaged, the attention was drawn to
his military service. We couldn’t hear most of what he said as she was fac-
ing us in the booth, but the pantomime of the scene was magic. He bright-
ened up and began telling stories of his time in the Navy. People close by
stopped eating and talking and began to listen to this World War II veteran
tell his tales with his wife punctuating on the parts where his memory was a
little cloudy.
He sat a bit more straight in his seat and his face glowed from the atten-
tion, but his pride in his service and his America dominated his demeanor
and those around him. Then people began thanking him for his service.
He said a humble thank you to each of them. And as quickly as it began, it
stopped. The food came and all settled back into their own routine. This tiny
fraction of time had come and gone but the moment was not lost on anyone
around them. This elderly couple had touched the hearts of those in that
little circle and I wished I would’ve been closer to hear it all.
How beautiful it was to have witnessed his countenance. At this time in
history, with wars and anger and discord swirling around everywhere, this
gentleman’s brave past had touched a few more hearts in his journey. One
that has seen decades of other conflicts come and go with his pride never
waning.

Anthony Hong Tae Kwon Do

Women and Self Defense: Helpful Tips and Misconceptions
Through the many years of training in various martial arts and teaching for over a couple decades I have come to realize some simple tips for women's
self-defense and also some misconceptions. It’s easy to claim to have the best women's self-defense program, but if it isn’t teaching awareness or good
habits you should probably take a second look.
Awareness is probably one of the most important aspects of self-defense, having full awareness of your surroundings can certainly give you the upper
hand or avoid any confrontation. For example, you are in a rush to a meeting in downtown San Diego; you can either stay on the sidewalk or hurry
down an alleyway which seems to have a few men slumped down on the sides, which one would you go down? Of course the correct answer would be
to take the sidewalk, the point is calculating risk. Are you prepared enough to defend yourself in that alleyway, if those men attacked you? Making good
judgments can really alter the course of a dangerous situation.
Having good self-defense habits are defined as having an answer for every common attack within a mugging, assault or any dangerous situation.
As humans we naturally have bad habits when considering someone is attacking you; you flinch, scream, flail your arms around or even close your
eyes completely. The purpose of taking a self-defense program is to acquire knowledge in which it can be used in a simple yet effective manner. The
program should replace those bad habits with: putting your hands up for defense, striking vital points, proper movement and escaping in an effective
manner.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a good self-defense program it should give you everything you need to know to properly defend yourself in various
situations for a long period of time after the program ends. Do understand learning one move once will only last that day; practicing one move a thou-
sand times will create a lasting effect. Be mindful of your surroundings and always be prepared for the worst.
Want to know how to defend yourself?
“Like” us on Facebook at Anthony Hong Tae Kwon Do or use Promo Code:
SDWM to receive two FREE passes for our Women Self Defense Workshop
Class. Bring a friend and learn to be aware and safe!
Anthony Hong Tae Kwon Do
12265 Scripps Poway Parkway #106, Poway, CA 92064
Ahtkd.net
(858)547-0080