A Letter to Friends of Azad's Martial Arts

I was lucky enough to train with Master Azad for five years (from 8th grade to 12th grade) and the training I received at the academy I am still applying eight years after I left. I sure am glad that I harassed my parents enough to let me give it a try back when I was in junior high. I am currently a Marine Helicopter Pilot deployed to Iraq in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 04-06. I write this letter as I finish up my seven month deployment and reflect on what has contributed to my success. The following are some topics that I would like to share with you that I learned about years ago at the academy and still use daily. I would like to stress their importance.

Goal Setting:
Set your goals high, higher than what you are thinking. Those goals that seem so far and out of reach are much closer than you think. I remember putting goals on those pine boards at testing right before I broke them. At the time they seemed more like dreams thean goals. I can honestly say that I've achieved the goals that I set for myself at the academy, and guess what, it's time to make some new ones. I'm sure John Glenn didn't predict that he would become a test pilot, an astronaut, and a senator, when he was young. Someone has to fill those positions, make it you, if that's what you want. Yes you can attend Yale, UC Berkeley, or MIT. Get the requirements done and submit the application. If you don't set your goals high you are limiting your potential. Reach for the stars!

Being Humble:

Being humble means having quiet confidence in yourself. This is definitely a good quality to have and one which you will see in all good leadership. Let your performance do the bragging for you while you go about your life. No one likes to listen to someone about how good they are, so prove your worth with action. You will find that people will respect you more and look to you for advice if you are calm, collected, and approachable. It's a good feeling knowing that you've helped someone, or when you see their "light bulb" come on when they've figured it out. People will know what you do even though you might not be aware, and you will be rewarded for it.

Leadership:
Even though you are a student in martial arts, you are training to be a leader whether you realize it or not. You may have heard it takes a good follower to become a good leader - this is true. I didn't think a day would come when I would have to leave the Dojang but it came, and came well before I wanted it to. You will see that you are a lot better prepared than most of your peers to take those leadership roles, so be the one to put your hand in the air and volunteer! Exercise your leadership now, use the academy as your training bed for leading and figuring out your leadership style. Furthermore, observe what traits you like in your leaders whether they are a martial arts instructor, a school teacher, a parent, a friend, or whoever you admire. I will also tell you to pay attention to bad leadership as well. Recognize what you don't like, and how you felt when you were being led like that and make sure you DON'T incorporate that into your leadership. Unfortunately, the world is not full of profound leaders such as Master Azad; there will be people above you who you will wonder how they ever got there with their attitude or leadership style. Don't let their attitude destroy yours!! Remember the good leaders, or when necessary use the "what would Master Azad do in this situation", and you can't go wrong. I have done this in many binds. One last thing on leadership - be yourself. No one can see through a fake, or false motivation faster than the people your standing up in front of. Speak confidently, speak the truth, and be calm. Your positive attitude is contagious; so let it be. Don't worry it takes practice.

Indomitable Spirit:
When the going gets tough you will see the true colors in people, and see who they "really" are. A quote I like is "an optimist tells you to cheer up when things are going their way." Everyone will go through rough times, but it is the strong spirit that looks for a solution instead of just accepting the problem. I just finished a combat tour in Iraq as a Ch-46E Helicopter Aircraft Commander, with my helicopter squadron, HMM-161. We went to work for 179 days straight, flew 5,200 combat flight hours, as well as over 450 urgent casualty evacuations, with a temperature shift from 130 degress in August to 40 degrees in December, and we missed just about every holiday on the calendar. Do you think we got tired? Maybe a little fed up with it all? You betcha, and especially towards the end when the cumulative fatigue set in. I can remember coming back from a 5 hour night flight, and then going to my desk to work on awards and promotion certificates wile barely being able to hold my eyes open, and then going back out in the rain to preflight several aircraft for the next crew. See any reasons one might be a little grumpy after doing this for 7 months? But enough of the war story, just know that you will see people "throw in the towel" when things suck- don't be one of them. Yep you guessed it, this also applies to those last 20 push-ups at the end of a hard Tae Kwon Do class! Chances are that you were put in a hard position because someone somewhere knew you could handle it, whether it's college, a career, or combat. Don't let them down and think of the big picture instead of the temporary pain.

These are just a few good traits that I would like to emphasize to you that I've found to be helpful from personal experience, and I'm sure you are aware of many more. Put in hours perfecting that round-house kick, wear your black-belt with pride, and remember your training when you step out of the academy and onto the sidewalk, because you just left one of the best school houses in the world in my opinion. Put your training to good use, and I'll see you at the top!

Best Regards,
J.D. Lawton

United States Marine, Helicopter Aircraft Commander, Squadron HMM-161