sisters lived past the age of eighteen. His mother died when he was sixteen, leaving him in charge, and he gave the three remaining kids up to an orphanage.
He had a rough life that might have broken a lesser man, yet it forged a mental toughness that far outweighed his physical build. He was resilient too, tough enough to jump up on a burning tank and use a .50 caliber machine gun to hold off advancing German troops, killing fifty, all while bleeding from a leg wound.
Next time you equate size to intensity, remember the guy you are about to square up with might have had a rougher life than Audie Murphy. If so, you are about ready to find out what intensity really means up close and personal…
According to the
Before he enlisted in the Army, Audie Murphy was turned down by two other branches of the military because he was too small and underweight, yet he went on to become the most decorated United States combat soldier of World War II. Mental toughness often trumps physical size and strength in a fight. As the adage goes, it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
Audie and Matty, while not exactly endowed with manly monikers such as Killer or Spike, were definitely guys you wouldn’t want to cross. When it came to a fight, they both proved that size and intensity are not the same thing.
Take Nothing for Granted
He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated… Hence, the skillful fighter puts himself into a position that makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
In large-scale strategy, the area to watch is the enemy’s strength. “Perception” and “sight” are the two methods of seeing. Perception consists of concentrating strongly on the enemy’s spirit, overseeing the condition of the battlefield, fixing the gaze strongly, seeing the progress of the fight and the changes of advantage.
Kane was driving home from work on an arterial road through a mixed residential/ industrial district one afternoon when he noticed flashing lights in his rear-view mirror. He took a quick glance at the speedometer, gave a sigh of relief that he was not exceeding the 35 MPH speed limit, and pulled over to the right to let the officer pass. Since the officer was not coming for him, Kane gave the incident little additional thought until he came upon a stoplight at a four-way intersection a few blocks later.
Although there were half a dozen cars between him and the light, Kane’s truck cab was high enough up that he could see across the intersection to where the officer who had recently passed by had pulled over to the side of the road in front of a small apartment building halfway down the next block. As the policeman exited his vehicle, Kane noticed that he was wearing a helmet and ballistic vest, not the normal concealed vest that all officers wear on daily basis, but rather a bulky, riot-style over-garment that is rarely seen on the street. Furthermore, he was carrying an assault rifle, not exactly standard gear for a traffic control officer.
While Kane was waiting at the signal, seven more police cars arrived—one more from behind his vehicle, three from the opposite direction on the same roadway, and three from one of the cross streets. They came in quickly with lights flashing but no sirens and parked on both sides of the street in front of the apartment. Although not all the officers had exited their vehicles by the time the light changed, Kane noticed that they were all wearing ballistic helmets and bulletproof vests.
This developing situation was definitely concerning him. It’s not an everyday occurrence, at least not in Seattle, for that many police cars to converge on any given location, particularly not with officers dressed for battle. While Kane had previously participated in a stadium drill that included the Seattle Police Department SWAT team, National Guard, and various other emergency services personnel, he had never seen officers dressed in this manner on the street. And, frankly, even though they were more than half a block away, he wasn’t all that excited about seeing them quite so up close and personal.
Despite whatever danger had drawn law enforcement’s attention, however, fully six cars that were on the road in front of Kane’s vehicle failed to react to anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps they never even noticed a developing problem. Regardless, all of those drivers continued forward along the main arterial through the light, passing the gathered officers who were pulling an assortment of impressive-looking ordinance from their vehicles, clearly oblivious to the danger that this scene presented. Kane, on the other hand, turned right at the light choosing a safer path. As he went around the corner, he noticed in his rearview mirror at least three or four other vehicles behind him also continuing along the main arterial through the light instead of detouring along a safer but longer path as he had chosen to do.
Perusing the newspaper the next day, it was evident that nothing dramatic had happened during this event. There was only a routine drug arrest—no shootout, no body count. Regardless, there easily could have been. Driving between heavily armed officers and their intended target is foolhardy behavior. While a car door has some chance of stopping a stray bullet, windows most definitely do not. Despite this fact, everyone else was either unaware or unconcerned about the danger. If you watch the portrayal of police officers on television enough, it is easy to become disassociated from such events, never realizing that you may be placing yourself in imminent danger merely by proximity.
Since the best way to avoid injury in a fight is not getting into one in the first place, your prime strategy must be to become aware of and steer clear of the danger before it is too late. If you miss the cues or the situation spins out of control too fast to avoid, you have blown your self-defense. Good situational awareness means paying attention to the details, particularly those things that stand apart from the norm as the officers’ presence certainly did on this occasion. Sometimes, though, it is not quite so obvious, perhaps only a feeling that something is wrong. Listen to your internal radar. If it pings off of something unusual, pay extra attention, look for avenues of escape, and be prepared to take action.
Whenever you are in public, it is important to pay attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle cues around you. Watch for people who look out of place or act in an unusual manner. Things like making too much or too little eye contact, hiding one’s hands from plain view, moving stiffly or awkwardly, or dressing in an unusual manner might be of particular concern. Similarly, a group of toughs trying to look casual or a crowd that has gathered for no apparent reason might also be causes for concern. Look not only for what you can see, but also for what others are reacting to as well. Body language is important. They may very well have spotted something important that you missed. Pay attention to sounds and smells as well visual cues.
Being prepared and alert for trouble can stave off most attacks before they begin. Put yourself in a potential attacker’s shoes, taking note of locations where you might lurk if you wanted to get the jump on someone. A few extra precautions near these potential ambush sites can add an extra layer of safety. The sooner you spot a potential attacker, the more time you will have to react. Keep your hands free to the extent possible so that you are ready to use them at a moment’s notice.
Do your best to avoid potentially dangerous locations, times, and people. Be particularly cautious when traveling in fringe areas between populated and isolated areas such as when you go from a shopping mall to a parking lot, particularly at night. Plan ahead and take precautions. For example, if you need money from a cash machine during a night out, choose one inside a well-lit, busy store rather than using an isolated, freestanding
