So disappointed...

stone_dragone

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I recently received a call from one of my good friends down in Alabama who owns an ATA (American Taekwondo Association) school down there. He was just checking in on my healing progress and giving me an update on how things are going there -- backstory: he started out as my TKD instructor when I was in flight school and by the time I returned to Rucker for my career course, we were more like peers than student-teacher.

It seems that one of his black belts, a person that was once very much like a little brother to me, has changed dramatically during the course of his stint in the Navy.

When he left Alabama to join the Navy, he was in the Instructor Training Program - a Red Stripe for those familiar with the ATA - and a 2nd Degree Black Belt. He had recently returned following his tour in the Navy and said that he wanted to get involved in training at the school and helping out again. Just prior to a testing, after not showing up for any classes since he called to say he was starting back, he tells my friend, our instructor, that while he was in the Navy, he completed the Instructor Training Program but he didn't have his uniform with the full black stripe - full instructor status - any more (I missed the reason why during the conversation due to a 3 y/o) and asked if my friend could get him a black stripe for his dobak prior to the test so he could sit a the testing table with the stripe on. Of course, the instructor had no reason at the time to doubt his word so he hooked him up.

To make a long story short, the student lied about completing certification. this may not seem like such a big deal but anyone who is familiar with the ATA can tell you that they are VERY good at keeping records and paperwork and that this would be found out rather quickly.

Before leaving for service, the young man in question was very honest and intelligent. Even forgiving a bout of ego-gratifying dishonestly, it was a move of sheer stupidity to think that his lie would not be found out the monday after the test! I am saddened for my friend - the instructor - and my little brother - the student.
 

Sukerkin

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I was trying to come up with some quip along the lines of "So much for the honour of the fleet" but decided that that was too likely to cause offence on many unintended fronts because it's the "Honour of the man" that's fallen here.

So sorry to hear of how you've been disappointed, SD :(. Those emotional hurts can sting and endure worse than the physical sometimes.
 

Drac

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I was trying to come up with some quip along the lines of "So much for the honour of the fleet" but decided that that was too likely to cause offence on many unintended fronts because it's the "Honour of the man" that's fallen here.

So sorry to hear of how you've been disappointed, SD :(. Those emotional hurts can sting and endure worse than the physical sometimes.

Well said Sukerkin...Not uncommon though..If I had a dollar for ever bogus black belter I have met in my travels I could have retired a few years ago....
 

Xue Sheng

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I was trying to come up with some quip along the lines of "So much for the honour of the fleet" but decided that that was too likely to cause offence on many unintended fronts because it's the "Honour of the man" that's fallen here.

So sorry to hear of how you've been disappointed, SD :(. Those emotional hurts can sting and endure worse than the physical sometimes.

Well said Sukerkin...Not uncommon though..If I had a dollar for ever bogus black belter I have met in my travels I could have retired a few years ago....

Pretty much what they said.

It is sad to hear about things like this and it is of little consolation but it is not the first time I have heard of this or experienced this and I am sure it won't be the last.
 

newGuy12

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Thats shocking. Perhaps he thought that no one would check? Surely it would come up in the future, if he ever hoped to be promoted. What was he thinking?
 

lady fighter

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Is it possible that he completed his Instructor Certification with another Organization and thought it would be "ok" to transfer it over. (p.s. I understand that there usually are NO transfering over between Organizations, but maybe he thought so)
 
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stone_dragone

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Is it possible that he completed his Instructor Certification with another Organization and thought it would be "ok" to transfer it over. (p.s. I understand that there usually are NO transfering over between Organizations, but maybe he thought so)

That is what the ATA had suggested, but I know for a fact that he knows better than that (at least he did a few years ago).

I guess the disappointment lies somewhere between the lie and the stupidity. None-the-less, my world spins no differently today than it did yesterday. On with the rehab!
 

jks9199

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It's already been suggested, but unless you know of a reason not to -- is it possible to give him the benefit of the doubt, or at least get his side of the story? For example, he may have been told he completed the program, but the person supposedly signing off on it either lied outright to your friend (and he didn't really), or for some reason (unpaid dues leaps to mind) was unable to file the documentation. Or maybe, even though you think he should know better, he doesn't realize that certifications like that don't transfer. He might even have become a certified DT instructor of something like that, and decided it would transfer.

I realize the the story about the uniform, and other aspects of this make a lot of this doubtful, but if he was such a friend, doesn't he at least deserve a chance to explain himself?
 

still learning

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Hello, It hurts alot when a good friend or person you know, LIES, CHEAT, OR STEAL. ...at the same time....in a way...it is sad that the person had to go to that level of dishonestly.

You can always be a friend....but you do not have to DEAL with them anymore. For the rest of that person life....he will know that he did wrong and you will know for the rest of your life....he cannot be trusted 100%.

Learn from this lesson everyone! ...Once you cross that line of the "Wrong".....going back will NEVER BE SAME FOR YOU! ..no matter how hard you try.....once broken...people will remember for life!

It is easy to do the wrong or bad things in life...it TAKES HARD WORK TO BE A GOOD PERSON TODAY!


ALWAYS BE HONEST, TRUTHFUL, HUMBLE, TRUSTWORTHTY, life will be better for you in the long run!

We had a buddy in college days we invite to play poker with us one night...just nickel games only...this guy would fake putting in five nickels insteat would be four...the other players saw this too....Today this guy is a banker....and NON of us Bank there or every contact that person again..that was over 30 years ago to.....like elephants...many do not forget!

Aloha (today we still get together one or two times a year and play for nickels)
 

terryl965

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Well said Sukerkin...Not uncommon though..If I had a dollar for ever bogus black belter I have met in my travels I could have retired a few years ago....


I agree I have meet so many BB that have never ever trained and yet people buy into there stories. I can sympathy with you all day long.
 
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stone_dragone

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It's already been suggested, but unless you know of a reason not to -- is it possible to give him the benefit of the doubt, or at least get his side of the story? For example, he may have been told he completed the program, but the person supposedly signing off on it either lied outright to your friend (and he didn't really), or for some reason (unpaid dues leaps to mind) was unable to file the documentation. Or maybe, even though you think he should know better, he doesn't realize that certifications like that don't transfer. He might even have become a certified DT instructor of something like that, and decided it would transfer.

I realize the the story about the uniform, and other aspects of this make a lot of this doubtful, but if he was such a friend, doesn't he at least deserve a chance to explain himself?

In all fairness I have yet to talk to him about this situation, but he has yet to return my calls, either...and my messages are not related to the incident...only a big brother checking in.

When I got to see him around last Christmas, he had told me that he wasn't involved in any ATA activities since leaving AL. That was the rub when hte instructor told me....I knew that it was contradicting what he had told me not a full year earlier. I will still try to get ahold of him and see what's up, however.
 

IcemanSK

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In all fairness I have yet to talk to him about this situation, but he has yet to return my calls, either...and my messages are not related to the incident...only a big brother checking in.

When I got to see him around last Christmas, he had told me that he wasn't involved in any ATA activities since leaving AL. That was the rub when hte instructor told me....I knew that it was contradicting what he had told me not a full year earlier. I will still try to get ahold of him and see what's up, however.

I hope this turns out to be just a misunderstanding & he is as he claims to be. Sadly, I've been around long enough to have my doubts. The ATA seems to be a small enough world to smoke out folks that misrepresent themselves. That grapevine should yield the truth.
 

Balrog

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In all fairness I have yet to talk to him about this situation, but he has yet to return my calls, either...and my messages are not related to the incident...only a big brother checking in.

When I got to see him around last Christmas, he had told me that he wasn't involved in any ATA activities since leaving AL. That was the rub when hte instructor told me....I knew that it was contradicting what he had told me not a full year earlier. I will still try to get ahold of him and see what's up, however.
Oh, wow. Up until this post, I was willing to cut some slack and say maybe his results fell through the crack and didn't get posted or something like that. But he couldn't have completed Level 3 certification in a year's time unless he was doing it fulltime every day. And I don't thing the USN would have agreed with his doing that, as they probably wanted him washing decks or whatever.

Ask him who his certification instructor was and where/when he attended the certification camps. That will be easy to follow up on. If he really did attend the camps, then it might be a clerical error. If he didn't....
 

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