I arrived in South Korea on Sunday January 6, 1985, and it was NOT the South Korea of today! Samsung was not the electronics powerhouse it is today, Goldstar was not known as LG, and Hyundai were cheap little cars used as taxis.
When I first arrived, I was sent to Seoul to process in country and receive my assignment. I was first sent to Panmunjom and the JSA (Joint Security Area) on the DMZ, otherwise known as the North Korean border.
The assignment for MP’s was optional, and although it was a cool place to be and great for the career, I wanted to do law enforcement, and the MP’s there were just chauffeuring officers around. I said no, was returned to Seoul, and was assigned to Camp Ames.
Camp Ames was a small base where nuclear warheads were stored in the mountains Northeast of Taejon. The base sat in a valley and had the small village of Chong Dong Ri located outside of it. It was a very small village, and in the winter the mountain road would freeze, not allowing anyone in or out.
When I arrived at Camp Ames it was the middle of the night, and it was a dreary freezing rain. When our jeep entered the village my heart sank, because the chances of there being any martial arts there was probably zero. I arrived at my unit, was given a room, and went to bed hoping I could explore soon.
Finding Master Yun
My chance to explore wouldn’t come until Saturday, six days later, after I had completed all of my in-processing and began working my shift. That evening, I headed into the village to get something to eat and look around. I exited the gate and as I walked up the road, I heard yelling.
Not like argument yelling, but….karate yelling! I followed the sound to a building on the left with double doors with windows. I peeked inside and saw two Americans dressed in white doboks, wearing blue belts and a small Korean man around fifty years old wearing a white dobok with midnight blue trim and belt.
He was calling out techniques in English and counting in Korean as the two soldiers walked up and down the floor performing punches, kicks, and blocks. The doors were cracked open and I quietly slipped inside, but the instructor saw me. He nodded and then continued the class until the end.
I sat near the entrance where there was a list of basic techniques, and above them it read Tang Soo Do! Holy crap! I actually found a Tang Soo Do school in this small village in a mountain valley. I could not believe it!
When class had ended, the instructor came over to me, smiled, and said hello. I introduced myself and told him I would like to learn.
He introduced himself as Master Yun Tak Bong, and told me that he teaches Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. I was shocked. Not only was there a martial arts school here, but the same art that Chuck Norris studied while stationed in Korea!
Classes were five nights per week from 7PM to 9PM, and the cost was $25 per month! Master Yun said the dojang was always open if you wanted to practice on your own, and then he told me something that I carry with me to this day.
“Tang Soo Do is for life and defense.” I didn’t fully know what he meant, but it would become clear later on.
Master Yun signed me up and gave me my first official dobok and white belt, along with his dojang patch, which I still wear proudly today. I quickly paid him $50 for the first two months, thanked him repeatedly, and headed back to my room as excited as could be.
I even forgot to eat.