Cruentus
Grandmaster
artyon: This may or may not seem like a “big deal” to some of you, but this is special to me, so I thought I’d share.
I did some work with Army Spec Ops., ranger, and Infantry units who are now serving proudly in Iraq. I did a fair amount of training sessions with some of the men before they left, but the biggest contribution I made was a knife training instructional DVD and Manual that is now circulating among some of our troops over there. Master Rich Parsons from FMAC Flint helped me greatly with this video acting as my training partner and friend, as did my brother Jimmy Janulis who did the filming.
I have been told that the video has actually been a very useful lifesaving tool. I donÂ’t know if I can express in the written language how happy this makes me.
Yesterday my good friend who is on leave for 15 days “coined” me. Basically, one of the units I worked more closely with has made me an honorary member of their unit. For those of you who don’t know, it has been very popular for units to have a special coin made that represents their unit during war. The coin is generally given out by commanders and sergeants major to recognize outstanding acts performed by soldiers during their course of duty. It acts as a great moral booster, and solidifies cohesion of the unit. In other words, it basically says, “You have proven yourself!” “You’re a member of our unit!” and “Your one of us!”
Now, these are truly brave men who are serving in some of the worst areas you can imagine in Iraq, facing danger every day they are there. These are the men who are putting their lives on the line for us, for better or for worse and regardless of political arguments and agendas. The men in particular that I have worked with have been running covert operations in Iraq that have been vital to our efforts there; details I am not about to divulge online, but lets just say that I am impressed at the insurmountable odds they have been able to overcome. I, by no stretch, believe that I am “equal” to them….they are my superiors. However, it is nice that they have gone so far as to recognize me as one of them, even though I am only a mere civilian in a much safer environment then they are in.
I am honored that I was able to do something to help these men, possibly something that has saved lives, and I am honored to be “coined” by them. I will put this information on my website in a few weeks but I thought I’d post first.
I donÂ’t know how to end this post, or even if I should be posting this at all. I just hope that you, friends, understand how important this is to me, and I thank you for listening.
Before you go to bed tonight, after reading this, do me a favor. Say a little prayer or have a little meditation for those who are fighting for us. This is regardless of politics or whether or not this war is just; there are men and women who donÂ’t have the luxuries to express their political opinions because they have to fight regardless of them. These men and women are literally sacrificing their lives.
Thanks for listening,
PJMOD
