title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: After her release from WWE, Adams returned to fitness modeling and went on to place in the Hawaiian Tropic, Planet Beach, Darque Tan, and Bikini USA model search contests. At the 2006 Grand Prix of Houston, she won the local round for the Face of Champ Car beauty contest (with her duties later taken over by 1st Runner Up Angela Rutledge). Adams was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic Texas 2008 on November 8, 2008. In late 2010 she took part in the Hooters Texas Swimsuit Pageant Finals to determine seven Hooters girls who would go on to the 2010 International Hooters Swimsuit Pageant competition. In August 2011, Adams announced that she was the winner of the Hooters' Viewers' Choice $10,000 award as advertised on the Hooters Swimsuit Pageant competition.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: Adams first became involved in professional wrestling by trying out for the 2006 WWE Diva Search, for which she failed to make the top 8. Despite not making the cut, Adams was chosen to observe workouts in WWE's then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), along with Maryse Ouellet, after which she was offered a developmental contract.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: Adams was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW) to train, beginning as the valet for Daniel Rodimer. When Rodimer was called up to WWE's main roster, Adams became focused on becoming a full-time wrestler. She made her in-ring debut in a loss to Angel Williams, at a DSW TV taping in December 2006. In February 2007, she was, in storyline, promoted to the position of Personal Assistant to DSW General Manager Krissy Vaine, with her main job being to protect Vaine from Angel Williams. This eventually led to another match between Adams and Williams, as ordered by Vaine. On March 15, Adams was fired from her position, as a result of Vaine and Williams forming an alliance together.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On January 23, 2007, Adams debuted on WWE's main roster on the ECW brand, joining the returning Kelly Kelly and the newly drafted Layla in Extreme Exposé. When Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) opened in the summer of 2007, Adams was transferred to the developmental facility for more training, as well as continuing her role on "ECW". Extreme Exposé performed a weekly dance segment on "ECW" for the next several months, as a successor to the former Kelly's Exposé segment of a similar nature, until The Miz was placed on the ECW brand in the annual WWE Draft Lottery, at which point all three women began actively pursuing him. Later, Kelly shifted her attentions to Balls Mahoney, to the amusement of Miz and her Exposé sisters, who had been spending their time mocking his appearance, which resulted in Brooke and Layla transitioning into villainous characters. Brooke, along with the other ECW Divas, as well as the SmackDown and Raw Divas, competed in a number one contender's battle royal, where the winner would face Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam. However, Brooke was eliminated early first by Beth Phoenix, with Kelly Kelly as the last ECW Diva standing. Brooke's last match with WWE was a tri-brand Divas Halloween battle royal on the October 29, 2007 episode of "Raw"; although Brooke was eliminated early, Kelly would eliminate Torrie Wilson and Victoria to get the win for ECW. On November 1, 2007, Adams was released from her WWE contract, and Extreme Exposé dissolved as a group.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: Adams made her debút for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the March 29, 2010, episode of "TNA Impact!", in a backstage segment portraying as Eric Bischoff's assistant, under the name Ms. Tessmacher, named after Lex Luthor's girlfriend and assistant in the first two Superman movies. On the September 30 episode of "TNA Impact!", Tessmacher was put in charge of the TNA Knockouts division, as their new Knockout's Law but the position quickly went to her head, and she began being verbally abusive towards the Knockouts. On the October 14 episode of "TNA Impact", Bischoff fired Tessmacher from her position as his assistant and Knockout's Law, after she had leaked information about his plans for Kevin Nash and "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero, stating that she needed to become a wrestler herself if she was to remain in TNA. On the October 21 episode of "TNA Impact!", Tessmacher begged The Beautiful People to teach her how to wrestle, but they refused, due to the treatment they received from her when she was in control of the Knockouts Division. The following week, it was announced that Lacey Von Erich, of The Beautiful People, agreed to train Tessmacher to wrestle but she left the promotion on November 11, ending the angle abruptly.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On the December 16 episode of "TNA Impact!", Tessmacher made her in–ring debut as Bischoff's hand picked partner for Mickie James in the first round match of a tournament for the vacant TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, in which they were defeated by Madison Rayne and Tara. On December 25, Adams suffered a broken jaw in an out–of–the–ring accident and had wires and metal plates put in her jaw as a result. Tessmacher returned on the April 21, 2011 episode of "TNA Impact!", stating that during her time away, she had been training to become the next TNA Women's Knockout Champion and received her first shot at the title, in her return match, two weeks later, where she was defeated by champion Mickie James. On the June 16 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Tessmacher and Velvet Sky challenged Mexican America (Rosita and Sarita) for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, but were defeated after outside interference from Sky's rival, ODB.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On the July 21 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Tessmacher and Tara, collectively known as TnT, defeated Rosita and Sarita to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, which would be Adams' first professional wrestling championship. Tessmacher earned her first singles victory by defeating Madison Rayne on the August 4 episode of "Impact Wrestling!". The following week, Adams' ring name was changed to Brooke Tessmacher. TnT went on to successfully retain the titles against Rosita and Sarita at Hardcore Justice in a rematch and against Angelina Love and Winter on October 20 before losing them to Gail Kim and Madison Rayne on the November 3 episode of "Impact Wrestling". Two weeks later, both Tessmacher and Tara competed in a number one contender's gauntlet match but were both eliminated.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: After pinning Gail Kim on three occasions, Tessmacher was named the number one contender for her TNA Women's Knockout Championship and receiver her title match on May 13, at the Sacrifice pay–per–view, which Kim won with her feet on the ropes. Tessmacher received another title shot on the May 17 episode of "Impact Wrestling", but was again defeated by Kim in a three–way match, which also included Velvet Sky. On the June 7 episode of "Impact Wrestling", a week after Brooke Hogan's debut, Adams' ring name was changed to Miss Tessmacher and she then went on to defeat Mickie James, Tara and Velvet Sky in a fatal four–way match to earn another shot at Kim's championship.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: Three days later at the Slammiversary pay–per–view, Tessmacher defeated Kim to win the TNA Women's Knockout Championship for the first time. Tessmacher retained her championship against Mickie James in June and against Gail Kim in July before losing it to Madison Rayne, on August 12 at Hardcore Justice, who had referee Earl Hebner on her side, ending her reign at 63 days. Four days later, on "Impact Wrestling", Tessmacher regained the title from Rayne in a match refereed by the debúting Taryn Terrell. After winning the title, Brooke was defeated by her TnT partner, Tara, in a non–title match which led to a title match between the two on September 9, at No Surrender, where Tessmacher successfully defended the title. On the September 13 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Tara turned on Tessmacher and officially disbanded TnT. On October 14 at the Bound for Glory pay–per–view, Tessmacher lost the championship to Tara, ending her second reign at 59 days. Tessmacher received a rematch for the title on the October 25 episode of "Impact Wrestling", but was again defeated by Tara after an interference from her boyfriend Jesse.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On January 13, 2013, at Genesis, Tessmacher competed in a five–woman gauntlet match to determine the number one contender to the TNA Women's Knockout Championship, but was eliminated by Gail Kim. On the February 7 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Tessmacher defeated Tara in a non–title match and earned another shot at the championship which she received during a fatal four–way elimination match two weeks later, but was eliminated by Velvet Sky. In April, Brooke was defeated by Mickie James in a number one contender's match.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: After a four–month absence, Tessmacher returned as a heel on the August 22 episode of "Impact Wrestling", revealing herself as s girlfriend, joining the villainous stable. Tessmacher, now billed simply as Brooke, wrestled her return match on the October 3 episode of "Impact Wrestling", defeating Velvet Sky in a number one contender's match for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship. On October 20, at the Bound for Glory pay–per–view, Brooke competed in a three–way match against ODB and Gail Kim for the championship, in which, Lei'D Tapa attacked both Brooke and ODB, helping Kim to win the championship. On the November 21 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Brooke managed adam baglayan, who faced Mr. Anderson in a no disqualifications match, which Anderson won, and as a pre–stipulation of the match, were forced to disband. On the December 26 episode of "Impact Wrestling", in a backstage segment, Bully Ray ended his relationship with Brooke.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On May 10, 2014, after a six–month hiatus, Brooke returned at the tapings for the Knockouts Knockdown 2 pay–per–view (which aired on tape delay on November 7, 2014), defeating Deonna, while still working as a heel, but was eliminated from the gauntlet match later that night. Brooke made her televised return on the June 12 episode of "Impact Wrestling", as a fan favorite, in an in–ring segment with Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud, where the two would attempt to get her to reveal Bully Ray's secrets, but she refused. Ray would come out and hug Brooke afterwards. Brooke was then sidelined with a torn ACL and after fully recovering, she took more time off to participate in "The Amazing Race" alongside Robbie E.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On January 7, 2015, during "Impact Wrestling's" debút on "Destination America", Brooke returned to TNA and attacked her former boyfriend Robbie E, who insulted her upon his return. On the January 16 episode of "Impact Wrestling", in her in–ring return, Brooke and Taryn Terrell lost to The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) in a tag team match, after Robbie caused a distraction. The feud between Brooke and Robbie continued throughout February and officially ended on the March 13 episode of "Impact Wrestling", when Brooke defeated Robbie in an intergender match dubbed as the "Battle of the Exes", despite interference from Angelina Love and Jessie Godderz.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On the "TKO: Night of Knockouts" edition of "Impact Wrestling" on April 24, Brooke became the number one contender to Taryn Terrell's TNA Women's Knockout Championship after defeating Angelina Love, Gail Kim and Madison Rayne in a fatal four–way match. Brooke then unsuccessfully challenged Terrell for the championship on the "Hardcore Justice" edition of "Impact Wrestling" on May 1 and, on July 1, in a three–way match, which also involved Awesome Kong. In June, Brooke and Kong formed an alliance to compete against Terrell and The Dollhouse (Jade and Marti Bell), defeating them in a tag team and three–on–two handicap match at Slammiversary XIII. On June 25, during the tapings of "Impact Wrestling", which aired on July 15, Brooke defeated Terrell and won the TNA Women's Knockout Championship for a third time, after interference from the returning Gail Kim. In her first title defence, Brooke retained the championship against Marti Bell, two weeks later. Brooke was scheduled to face Velvet Sky in a title match on the August 26 episode of "Impact Wrestling", but the match, however, ended in a no–contest after interference from Jade and Marti Bell. In September, Brooke once again retained her title, this time via disqualification, after Lei'D Tapa interfered in her match against Kim and attacked Brooke. However, on the September 16 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Brooke lost the championship to Kim in a fatal four–way match, which also involved Tapa and Awesome Kong. During October and November (taped in July), Brooke participated in the TNA World Title Series as part of Group Knockouts, along with Madison Rayne, Gail Kim and Awesome Kong; she scored 3 points and tied with Rayne, thus failing to advance to the finals.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On November 15, Adams announced her departure from the promotion, later revealed to be due to her pregnancy, which she did not publicly disclose until February 2016.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On February 25, 2012, Tessmacher made her debut for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE), losing to fellow TNA Knockout Winter in the first round to determine the inaugural FWE Women's Champion. Later that night, Tessmacher and TnT partner Tara helped Maria defeat Winter in the finals of the tournament, making this her last independent circuit appearance.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: On January 7, 2017, during the tapings of the January 19 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Brooke returned to TNA, defeating Deonna Purrazzo and after the match, was attacked by Sienna, which led to a match between the two, where Sienna defeated Brooke after interference from Maria. This led to a rematch between the two, on the February 16 episode of "Impact Wrestling", where Brooke scored a victory over Sienna. In a live Facebook video chat on June 8, 2017, Brooke announced that she was no longer under contract with Impact Wrestling.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: In April 2007, Adams, along with Ashley, Kelly Kelly, Layla El, Torrie Wilson, and Maryse, appeared in Timbaland's music video "Throw It On Me" featuring The Hives, which premiered on "Raw" on May 20. In August 2007, Adams, along with Extreme Exposé, appeared on FHMOnline.com. In June 2011, Adams was featured in a music video for Dorrough titled "Bounce Dat". On November 10, 2012, Adams, along with several other TNA workers, was featured in an episode of MTV's "Made".


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: In 2014, Adams and fellow TNA wrestler Robert Strauss, better known as Robbie E, participated in the 25th season of "The Amazing Race". They survived until the middle part of the final leg of the race, where they were the eighth team to be eliminated and placed fourth. In 2017, Brooke appeared on the TLC show "Rattled", which chronicled the birth of her son Jace.


title: Brooke Tessmacher

text: Adams is engaged to model and personal trainer Weston Wayne Piper. Their first child, a boy named Jace, was born on September 3, 2016. She gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Phoenix Presley-Lee Piper, on October 31, 2018.


title: Victim playing

text: Victim playing (also known as playing the victim, victim card, or self-victimization) is the fabrication or exaggeration of victimhood for a variety of reasons such as to justify abuse to others, to manipulate others, a coping strategy, attention seeking or diffusion of responsibility. A person who repeatedly does this is known as a "professional victim".


title: Victim playing

text: Manipulators often play the victim role ("woe is me") by portraying themselves as victims of circumstances or someone else's behavior in order to gain pity or sympathy or to evoke compassion and thereby get something from someone. Caring and conscientious people cannot stand to see anyone suffering, and the manipulator often finds it easy and rewarding to play on sympathy to get cooperation.


title: Victim playing

text: While portraying oneself as a victim can be highly successful in obtaining goals over the short-term, this method tends to be less successful over time:


title: Victim playing

text: While failing to produce any affirmative values, the fetishistic lack of future is masked up by an excess of confirmation of its own status of victimhood, as noted by the Bosnian political theoretician Jasmin Hasanović, seeing it in the post-Yugoslav context as a form of auto-colonialism, where reproducing the narrative of victimhood corresponds with the balkanization stereotypes, being the very narrative of the colonizer where the permanence of war is the contemporaneity of fear, affirming the theses on eternal hatred thus strengthening ethnonationalism even more.


title: Victim playing

text: The language of "victim playing" has entered modern corporate life, as a potential weapon of all professionals. To define victim-players as dishonest may be an empowering response; as too may be awareness of how childhood boundary issues can underlie the tactic.


title: Victim playing

text: In the hustle of office politics, the term may however be abused so as to penalize the legitimate victim of injustice, as well as the role-player.


title: Victim playing

text: Transactional analysis distinguishes real victims from those who adopt the role in bad faith, ignoring their own capacities to improve their situation. Among the predictable interpersonal "games" psychiatrist Eric Berne identified as common among by victim-players are "Look How Hard I've Tried" and "Wooden Leg".


title: Victim playing

text: R. D. Laing considered that "it will be difficult in practice to determine whether or to what extent a relationship is collusive" – when "the one person is predominantly the passive 'victim'", and when they are merely playing the victim. The problem is intensified once a pattern of victimization has been internalised, perhaps in the form of a double bind.


title: Victim playing

text: Object relations theory has explored the way possession by a false self can create a permanent sense of victimisation – a sense of always being in the hands of an external fate.


title: Victim playing

text: To break the hold of the negative complex, and to escape the passivity of victimhood, requires taking responsibility for one's own desires and long-term actions.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Judith of Flanders (circa 843 – circa 870) was a Carolingian princess as the daughter of Charles II, Emperor of the Romans ("Charles the Bald"), who became Queen (consort) of Wessex by two successive marriages and later Margravine (consort) of Flanders.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Judith was born around 843 or in early 844 as the eldest child of Charles II, King of West Francia ("Charles the Bald"; 823–877) and his first wife Ermentrude of Orléans (823–869) and was named after her paternal grandmother, Judith of Bavaria, Empress of the Romans (797–843). She was a great-granddaughter of Charlemagne (747–814). Judith had nine younger full siblings and five half-siblings from her father's second marriage, but three of her full siblings and all of her half-siblings were born after she had been married off and left her home for Wessex.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: In 855, the widower Æthelwulf, King of Wessex (died 858) made a pilgrimage to Rome with his youngest son Alfred (848/849–899). On the way there, he visited the court of Charles the Bald and negotiated for a marriage with 12-year-old Judith, despite probably being in his mid-fifties and having six children, three or five of them older than Judith. He was looking for an ally as both he and Charles suffered from Viking attacks. Marrying into the prestigious Carolingian dynasty was an additional advantage for Æthelwulf.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: On the way back, in 856, he stayed at the Charles' court again, and married Judith on 1 October 856 at the royal palace of Verberie-sur-Oise. This was an extraordinary event as Carolingian princesses rarely married and were usually sent to convents. It was practically unprecedented for them to marry foreigners. During the ceremony, which was celebrated by Hincmar, archbishop of Rheims, the bride put on a wedding ring and was presented with magnificent gifts. As a part of the ritual, Judith was crowned and anointed with myrrh. Æthelwulf honoured his bride by calling her queen after the ceremony. According to the customs of Wessex, the wife of a king could not be called queen or sit on the throne with her husband. However, all chroniclers pay attention to the fact that Charles the Bald insisted on the coronation of his daughter, probably wishing to secure her position in her new home:


title: Judith of Flanders

text: After the celebrations, Æthelwulf, his new wife and his son returned to Wessex. Judith, a well-educated lady like most Frankish princesses of the time, probably brought the "aura of the Carolingian monarchy" to the court of Wessex.Back in his kingdom, Æthelwulf faced difficulties: his eldest surviving son, Æthelbald, supported by Eahlstan, Bishop of Sherborne and Eanwulf, Ealdorman of Somerset, were conspiring to dethrone him. The marriage with Judith may have played a role in this as Æthelbald probably feared that his father's young wife, the great-granddaughter of Charlemagne, would give birth to a higher-born heir than himself. In addition, some of the nobles were outraged that Judith was crowned and called queen, contrary to local custom.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: According to other explanations, Æthelbald had already been rebelling before his father's new marriage, and this was why Æthelwulf stayed at the court of Charles the Bald and married his daughter, demonstrating to his subjects that he had strong supporters abroad. In the end, father and son negotiated a compromise under which Æthelwulf kept the eastern districts of the kingdom and Æthelbald received the western. It is not known whether this meant that Æthelwulf took Kent and Æthelbald Wessex, or Wessex itself was divided.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Upon the death of Æthelwulf, Æthelbald succeeded him on the throne of Wessex and married his stepmother. By agreeing to this marriage, Judith may have tried to avoid the usual fate of widows, being sent to a convent. To Æthelbald, this marriage was advantageous because of Judith's belonging to the Carolingian dynasty and allowed him to enhance his status, placing him above his brothers. Judith's name appears in several charters during the reign of Æthelbald, which confirms her continued exceptional status. Asser, Bishop of Sherborne condemned the marriage in his "Life of Alfred the Great":


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Asser's additional comment on the "great disgrace" was not reflected in contemporary Frankish records. His assertion that marriage is contrary to even pagan practice is refuted by the marriage of Eadbald, King of Kent (died 640) to his father's widow Emma of Austrasia in 616. Judith was still childless when Æthelbald died on 20 December 860, after a reign and marriage of two and a half years.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Æthelbald's death left Judith with no future in Wessex. She was still no more than seventeen years old and childless. According to the "Annales Bertiniani" and Flodoard, she


title: Judith of Flanders

text: According to the most likely account, a certain Count Baldwin (born probably in the 830s – 879), traditionally regarded as the son of a forester called Odoacre visited the monastery in 861, and according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, he fell in love with Judith. There are claims that he had already been interested in her before her first marriage. Around the Christmas of 861, or in early 862, Judith either fled with Baldwin or was kidnapped by him. According to one contemporary source, Judith was not abducted but eloped with the consent of her brother Louis:


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Judith's father was furious because of the kidnapping/elopement. He immediately organised search parties to bring her home and capture Baldwin. Flodoard mentioned a letter from Archbishop Hincmar of Reims to Bishop Hunger of Utrecht in which he informed Hunger of Baldwin's excommunication for kidnapping Judith and marrying her without royal consent. Contemporary chronicles state that in 862 Charles the Bald held a council with the bishops and nobles of his kingdom. According to Hincmar, the king ordered (or, by Flodoard's account, asked) the bishops to pass a canonical verdict on Baldwin and Judith, as commanded by the decrees of Pope Gregory II: “"if anyone marries, having kidnapped a widow, let him be anathematized himself, as well as those who contributed to this"”. Judith's brother Louis was also punished by imprisonment in the Abbey of Saint Martin.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Meanwhile, Judith and Baldwin sought refuge with the Viking Rorik of Dorestad, King of Friesland (circa 810 – circa 880) and later fled to the court of Judith's paternal cousin Lothair II, King of Lotharingia. Eventually, they travelled to Rome in order to plead their case to Pope Nicholas I.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: In Rome, Judith and Baldwin negotiated with the pope. He listened to their arguments and sent his legates Radoald, Bishop of Porto and John, Bishop of Cervia to her father. They asked Charles to recognize the marriage as legally binding and welcome the young couple, but Charles and Archbishop Hincmar were not easy to convince. In a letter dated to 23 November 862, the Pope expressed his fear that Baldwin might had already joined forces with the "Jute prince Rorik". Rorik had already fought against King Charles on the side of his brother Lothair I, then-Emperor of the Romans (795–855). According to Flodoard, in 863


title: Judith of Flanders

text: According to the later chronicler Albert of Stade, Bishop Hunger turned to Rorik urging him not to provide any support to Baldwin.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Eventually, King Charles the Bald reluctantly forgave the couple and allowed them to marry. They returned to West Francia and were officially married at Auxerre on 13 December 862 or in 863. The king was not present, but gave Baldwin the March of Flanders, making him a peer of the kingdom. Not much later, he also gave him Ternois, Waas and the lay abbacy of Saint Peter in Ghent.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Some scholars have suggested that the king hoped for Baldwin's early death by giving him land just south of the Scheldt river, a region frequently attacked by the Vikings. Baldwin, however, managed the situation well, successfully quelling the Viking threat, earning the nickname of "Iron"from his contemporaries, which later generations replaced with the nickname "Iron Hand". He expanded both his army and his territory quickly and became a faithful supporter of his father-in-law. His possessions would become known as the County of Flanders, one of the most powerful domains in France.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Baldwin chose a small island in Flanders as his residence, formed at the confluence of the Boterbeke and Roya rivers. There stood a fortress, possibly built by Vikings, surrounded by a small number of huts, named Bruggia. As it was in ruins, Baldwin built a new fortress with a personal residence, a chapel, houses for the servants and a cathedral where the relics of Saint Donatian of Reims were placed. The home of Judith and Baldwin stood where now the Palace of Justice and the Town Hall are, and the cathedral was located on the north side of the current Palace of Justice. It included a mint and was surrounded by a high wall with four gates, fortified with rising lattices and drawbridges. Ruins of buildings still remain, including what probably used to be the baptismal chapel behind the crypt of Saint Basil.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Judith had children from her third marriage, at least three sons and maybe two daughters. The exact date of her death is unknown, but it is believed to have happened no earlier than 870. Between 893 and 899, her eldest surviving son Baldwin II married Ælfthryth, daughter of Alfred the Great, King of the Anglo-Saxons (previously King of Wessex), son of Judith's first husband and brother of the second. If Judith was alive at this time, she probably played an instrumental role in the marriage negotiations due to her knowledge of the Wessex court. Judith's husband Baldwin died in 879 in Arras and was buried in the Abbey of Saint-Bertin near Saint-Omer.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: Judith's marital history was considered scandalous and a violation of church rules by her contemporaries. In the middle of the 10th century, however, she was described by the compilers of the genealogy of the counts of Flanders as "the wisest and most beautiful", the woman who brought Carolingian blood to the comital dynasty, while her scandalous stories were omitted. The anointing and coronation of Judith as Queen of Wessex allowed the restoration of the status of wives of kings and improved their position.


title: Judith of Flanders

text: In addition, two daughters are sometimes attributed to Judith and Baldwin, although both of these accounts should be treated with caution as they are based on unreliable sources:


title: Greeting

text: Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other. Greetings are sometimes used just prior to a conversation or to greet in passing, such as on a sidewalk or trail. While greeting customs are highly culture- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status and relationship, they exist in all known human cultures. Greetings can be expressed both audibly and physically, and often involve a combination of the two. This topic excludes military and ceremonial salutes but includes rituals other than gestures. A greeting, or salutation, can also be expressed in written communications, such as letters and emails.


title: Greeting

text: Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals, e.g. greeting a sovereign. Conversely, secret societies have often furtive or arcane greeting gestures and rituals, such as a secret handshake, which allows members to recognize each other.


title: Greeting

text: In some languages and cultures, the same word or gesture is used as both greeting and farewell. Examples are "Good day" in English, "Drud" in Persian, "Sat Shri Akaal" in Punjabi, "As-salamu alaykum" in Arabic, "Aloha" in Hawaiian, "Shalom" in Hebrew, "Namaste" in Hindi, "Ayubowan" in Sri Lanka "Sawatdi" in Thai and "Ciao" in Italian. The bow and handshake are also used for both greeting and leave-taking. And in many south Asian countries like Sri Lanka and India, they put their arms together and place it near to heart which shows they are greeting from the bottom of the heart. In India they say "Namaste" and in Sri Lanka they say "Ayubowan" which means live longer.


title: Greeting

text: A greeting can consist of an exchange of formal expression, kisses, handshakes, hugs, and various gestures. The form of greeting is determined by social etiquette, as well as by the relationship of the people.


title: Greeting

text: The formal greeting may involve a verbal acknowledgment and sometimes a handshake, but beyond that, facial expression, gestures, body language, and eye contact can all signal what type of greeting is expected. Gestures are the most obvious signal, for instance, greeting someone with open arms is generally a sign that a hug is expected. However, crossing arms can be interpreted as a sign of hostility. The facial expression, body language, and eye contact reflect emotions and interest level. A frown, slouching and lowered eye contact suggests disinterest, while smiling and an exuberant attitude is a sign of welcome.


title: Greeting

text: Many different gestures are used throughout the world as simple greetings. In Western cultures, the handshake is very common, though it has numerous subtle variations in the strength of grip, the vigour of the shake, the dominant position of one hand over the other, and whether or not the left hand is used.


title: Greeting

text: Historically, when men normally wore hats out of doors, male greetings to people they knew, and sometimes those they did not, involved touching, raising slightly ("tipping"), or removing their hat in a variety of gestures. This basic gesture remained normal in very many situations from the Middle Ages until men typically ceased wearing hats in the mid-20th century. Hat-raising began with an element of recognition of superiority, where only the socially inferior party might perform it, but gradually lost this element; King Louis XIV of France made a point of at least touching his hat to all women he encountered. However, the gesture was never used by women, for whom their head-covering included considerations of modesty. When a man was not wearing a hat he might touch his hair to the side of the front of his head to replicate a hat-tipping gesture. This was typically performed by lower classmen to social superiors, such as peasants to the land-owner, and is known as "tugging the forelock", which still sometimes occurs as a metaphor for submissive behaviour.


title: Greeting

text: The Arabic term "salaam" (literally "peace", from the spoken greeting that accompanies the gesture), refers to the practice of placing the right palm on the heart, before and after a handshake.


title: Greeting

text: In Moroccan society, same-sex people do not greet each other the same as do opposite sex. While same-sex people (men or women) will shake hands, kiss on the cheek and even hug multiple times, a man and woman greeting each other in public will not go further than a handshake. This is due to Moroccan culture being conservative. Verbal greetings in Morocco can go from a basic salaam, to asking about life details to make sure the other person is doing well. In the kingdom of Morocco, the greeting should always be made with the right hand, as the left hand is traditionally considered unclean.


title: Greeting

text: A Chinese greeting features the right fist placed in the palm of the left hand and both shaken back and forth two or three times, it may be accompanied by a head nod or bow. The gesture may be used on meeting and parting, and when offering thanks or apologies.


title: Greeting

text: In India, it is common to see the Namaste greeting (or "Sat Sri Akal" for Sikhs) where the palms of the hands are pressed together and held near the heart with the head gently bowed.


title: Greeting

text: Among Christians in certain parts of the world such as Poland, the greeting phrase "Praise the Lord" has had common usage, especially in the pre-World War II era.


title: Greeting

text: Adab, meaning respect and politeness, is a hand gesture used as a secular greeting in South Asia, especially of Urdu-speaking communities of Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, and Bengal in India, as well as among the Muhajir people of Pakistan. The gesture involves raising the right hand towards the face with palm inwards such that it is in front of the eyes and the fingertips are almost touching the forehead, as the upper torso is bent forward. It is typical for the person to say ""adab arz hai"", or just ""adab"". It is often answered with the same or the word ""Tasleem"" is said as an answer or sometimes it is answered with a facial gesture of acceptance.


title: Greeting

text: In Indonesia, a nation with a huge variety of cultures and religions, many greetings are expressed, from the formalized greeting of the highly stratified and hierarchical Javanese to the more egalitarian and practical greetings of outer islands.


title: Greeting

text: Javanese, Batak and other ethnicities currently or formerly involved in the armed forces will salute a government-employed superior, and follow with a deep bow from the waist or short nod of the head and a passing, loose handshake. Hand position is highly important; the superior's hand must be higher than the inferior's. Muslim men will clasp both hands, palms together at the chest and utter the correct Islamic "slametan" (greeting) phrase, which may be followed by cheek-to-cheek contact, a quick hug or loose handshake. Pious Muslim women rotate their hands from a vertical to the perpendicular prayer-like position in order to barely touch the fingertips of the male greeter and may opt-out of the cheek-to-cheek contact.


title: Greeting

text: If the male is an "Abdi Dalem" royal servant, courtier or particularly "peko-peko" (taken directly from Japanese to mean obsequious) or even a highly formal individual, he will retreat backwards with head downcast, the left arm crossed against the chest and the right arm hanging down, never showing his side or back to his superior. His head must always be lower than that of his superior. Younger Muslim males and females will clasp their elder's or superior's outstretched hand to the forehead as a sign of respect and obeisance.


title: Greeting

text: If a manual worker or a person with obviously dirty hands salute or greets an elder or superior, he will show deference to his superior and avoid contact by bowing, touching the right forehead in a very quick salute or a distant "slamet" gesture.


title: Greeting

text: The traditional Javanese "Sungkem" involves clasping the palms of both hands together, aligning the thumbs with the nose, turning the head downwards and bowing deeply, bending from the knees. In a royal presence, the one performing "sungkem" would kneel at the base of the throne.


title: Greeting

text: A gesture called a "wai" is used in Thailand, where the hands are placed together palm to palm, approximately at nose level, while bowing. The "wai" is similar in form to the gesture referred to by the Japanese term "gassho" by Buddhists. In Thailand, the men and women would usually press two palms together and bow a little while saying "Sawadee ka" (female speaker) or "Sawadee krap" (male speaker).


title: Greeting

text: In Europe, the formal style of upper-class greeting used by a man to a woman in the Early Modern Period was to hold the woman's presented hand (usually the right) with his right hand and kiss it while bowing. In cases of a low degree of intimacy, the hand is held but not kissed. The ultra-formal style, with the man's right knee on the floor, is now only used in marriage proposals, as a romantic gesture.


title: Greeting

text: Cheek kissing is common in Europe, parts of Canada (Quebec) and Latin America and has become a standard greeting mainly in Southern Europe but also in some Central European countries.


title: Greeting

text: While cheek kissing is a common greeting in many cultures, each country has a unique way of kissing. In Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Iran and Egypt it is customary to "kiss three times, on alternate cheeks". Italians, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanians, Bosnia-and-Herzegovinans usually kiss twice in a greeting and in Mexico and Belgium only one kiss is necessary. In the Galapagos women kiss on the right cheek only and in Oman, it is not unusual for men to kiss one another on the nose after a handshake. French culture accepts a number of ways to greet depending on the region. Two kisses are most common throughout all of France but in Provence three kisses are given and in Nantes four are exchanged. However, in Finistère at the western tip of Brittany and Deux-Sèvres in the Poitou-Charentes region, one kiss is preferred.


title: Greeting

text: A spoken greeting or verbal greeting is a customary or ritualised word or phrase used to introduce oneself or to greet someone. Greeting habits are highly culture- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status.


title: Greeting

text: Voicemail greetings are pre-recorded messages that are automatically played to callers when the voicemail system answers the call. Some voicemail systems allow for different greetings to be played to different callers.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974) is an American politician and United States Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2018 and succeeded Ron DeSantis, who went on to be elected the 46th governor of Florida in 2018.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and grew up in Jacksonville. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz represents Florida's 6th congressional district, which includes Flagler, Volusia, Lake, and St. Johns counties. He is a combat-decorated Green Beret still serving as a colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard, and a former White House and Pentagon policy advisor. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz graduated with honors as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Virginia Military Institute, and has served over 26 years in the Army. After commissioning as an Army lieutenant, he graduated Ranger School and was selected to be a Green Beret, serving worldwide as a Special Forces officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, Waltz was decorated with four Bronze Stars, including two for valor.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz worked in the Pentagon as a defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. He went on to serve in the White House as the vice president's counterterrorism advisor. Waltz wrote "Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan."


title: Michael Waltz

text: In 2010, Waltz helped found the analytics and training company Metis Solutions. It was bought in November 2020 by Pacific Architects and Engineers for $92 million.


title: Michael Waltz

text: After telling an anecdote to the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference audience about his time serving in Afghanistan during the public announcement of the Obama-era troop withdrawals, Waltz said of the War in Afghanistan, "So, are we 15 years in? Yes. Are we in for a lot more fighting and do we need a long-term strategy to undermine the ideology of Islamic extremism—just like we did fascism and just like we did communism? Yes, we do. Uh, and you know, I think we're in for a long haul and I think our nation's leadership needs to begin telling the American people, 'I'm sorry, we don't have a choice, we're 15 years in to what is going to be a multi-generational war because we're talking about defeating an idea.' It's easy to bomb a tank, very difficult to defeat an idea and that's exactly what we have to do." After his statement, a CPAC audience member disrupted the panel, shouting "It's impossible".


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz is considered one of Congress's most hawkish members with regard to China, saying, "We are in a Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party." In 2021, he was the first member of Congress to call for a full U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics over the CCP’s genocide and internment of Chinese Uyghur populations and the enslavement, forced labor, and concentration camp of ethnic minorities in China.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz serves on the House China Task Force with 15 Republican lawmakers representing 14 committees of jurisdiction to coordinate policy on China. The Task Force collaborated and released the China Task Force report. The CTF issued a final report that includes 82 key findings and more than 400 forward-leaning recommendations to addressing the China threat.


title: Michael Waltz

text: In the 116th Congress, Waltz sponsored the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020 to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals and bringing the U.S. supply chain from China back to America by establishing a critical mineral research and development program at the Department of Energy, which was signed into law in Section 7002 of Division Z in the FY21 appropriations bill.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz has also pioneered legislation to secure American universities and academies from Chinese espionage. In 2020, he secured legislation that provides a universal requirement, for all agencies, for researchers to disclosure all foreign funding sources in applications for federal funding. Failure would result in permanent termination of research and developments awards to the professor or school, permanent debarment of malign professors, and criminal charges.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Further, Waltz directed the Department of Defense to track foreign talent recruitment programs that pose a threat to the United States, particularly as a response to China Communist Party efforts to infiltrate American universities.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz also sponsored legislation to ensure the Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) does not invest in Chinese or Russian markets. Weeks later, President Trump directed the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to reverse their decision to expand TSP investments.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz ran for Florida's 6th congressional district in 2018 to succeed incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis, who retired before being elected governor of Florida. He defeated John Ward and Fred Costello in the Republican primary before facing Democratic nominee Nancy Soderberg, a former representative at the United Nations and the former Deputy National Security Advisor, in the general election. Waltz won with 56.31% of the vote to Soderberg's 43.69%.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz was challenged by Democratic nominee Clint Curtis. He received 265,393 votes (60.64%) to Curtis's 172,305 (39.36%).


title: Michael Waltz

text: In April 2020, Waltz joined the National Guard's COVID-19 response efforts as a colonel on the planning staff. On November 6, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he tested positive for the virus.


title: Michael Waltz

text: In December 2020, Waltz was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of "Texas v. Pennsylvania", a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. Shortly thereafter, the "Orlando Sentinel" editorial board rescinded its endorsement of Waltz in the 2020 election. It wrote, "We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy."


title: Michael Waltz

text: Along with all other Senate and House Republicans, Waltz voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.


title: Michael Waltz

text: On May 19, 2021, Waltz voted against legislation to establish the formation of a January 6 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.


title: Michael Waltz

text: In 2020, Waltz voted for the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, which would prevent the president from withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan without congressional approval.


title: Michael Waltz

text: In August 2021, Waltz called on President Biden to reverse course on the War in Afghanistan. In 2010, Waltz helped found Metis Solutions, a defense contractor that "provides strategic analysis, intelligence support, and training", with offices in Arlington, Virginia; Tampa, Florida; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and Kabul, Afghanistan. Waltz sold Metis Solutions in 2020.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz voted to include provisions for drafting women in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158) which effectively prohibits ICE from cooperating with Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of unaccompanied alien children (UACs).


title: Michael Waltz

text: On July 19, 2022, Waltz and 46 other Republican Representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.


title: Michael Waltz

text: Waltz has a teenage daughter and is married to Julia Nesheiwat, a combat veteran who served in the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, most recently as Trump's Homeland Security Advisor. Waltz and Nesheiwat also have a child together. They live in St. Johns County.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The United States Air Force Security Forces (SF) are the ground combat force and military police service of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. USAF Security Forces (SF) were formerly known as Military Police (MP), Air Police (AP), and Security Police (SP) at various points in its history. Due to its significant ground combat mission, Security Forces are often regarded as Air Force infantry within the Air Force and were formed on the premise of being the Air Force's "Marine Corps", in that they would provide security for the Air Force similar to how the Marines provide security for the Navy.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: As outlined in Department of the Air Force publications, Security Forces are responsible to protect, defend, and fight to enable U.S. Air Force, Joint, and Coalition mission success. Not only are they responsible for installation law and discipline enforcement, but Security Forces are the Air Force's base defense and ground combat force.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The director of Security Forces is a brigadier general and the highest-ranking Security Forces officer, sometimes referred to as the "Top Cop". The director of Security Forces reports to the deputy chief of staff of the Air Force for logistics, engineering and force protection. The director of Security Forces has the responsibility to develop policy, doctrine, and guidance for Security Forces and serves as the executive agent for the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Program.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The deputy director of Security Forces acts as the chief deputy to the director of Security Forces. The Security Forces Career Field Manager is a chief master sergeant and the senior enlisted Defender, acting as an adviser to the director of Air Force Security Forces.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The USAF Security Forces lineage can be traced to its beginning in WWII with the German blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg relied on swift attacks by land and air. One of the tactics employed by blitzkrieg was the use of paratroops and airborne forces to capture, or destroy in advance, air bases. A key turning point in air base defensive thinking came with the loss of the Battle of Crete to German forces and capture of the British air base at Maleme in 1941. This single action led then Prime Minister Winston Churchill to study British air base defense policy, and in a condemning memo to the Secretary of State for Air and to the Chief of the Air Staff dated 29 June 1941, Churchill stated he would no longer tolerate the shortcomings of the Royal Air Force (RAF), in which half a million RAF personnel had no combat role. He ordered that all airmen be armed and ready "to fight and die in defense of their air fields" and that every airfield should be a stronghold of fighting air-ground men and not "uniformed civilians in the prime of life protected by detachments of soldiers." Churchill's directive resulted in formation of the RAF Regiment.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 12 February 1942 the United States adopted the British air defense philosophy. The Army Chief of Staff, Gen. George C. Marshall, approved the allocation of 53,299 African-Americans to the Army Air Forces with the "stipulation that air base defense 'for the number of air bases found necessary' be organized and that 'Negro personnel' be used for this purpose as required." This order formed the Army Air Forces (AAF) air base security battalions in June 1942. Units were deployed throughout the European, Asian and African theaters and designed to defend against local ground attacks. These units were armed with rifles, machine guns and 37mm guns.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 29 March 1943, General Hap Arnold, the commander of the Army Air Forces, established the Office of the Air Provost Marshal, which established three separate organizations for the law enforcement and security role: Guard Squadrons, Military Police Companies (Aviation), and Air Base Security Battalions. Guard Squadrons were assigned to provide interior law enforcement and security to bases within the continental United States, with a technical guard school at Miami Army Air Field and a military police school at Buckley Field. Outside the United States the duties of law enforcement and internal security were carried out by Military Police Companies (Aviation), which, while a part of the Army Air Forces, were still part of the Army's Military Police Corps. Their training was conducted at Camp Ripley. Air Base Security Battalions, the direct predecessors to the USAF Security Forces, were formed to be the ground combat force of the Army Air Forces, much like the RAF Regiment is for the Royal Air Force. The battalions operated machine guns, mortars, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, half-tracks, self-propelled guns, and even light tanks, with the official history of the USAF Security Forces referring to them as the Army Air Forces' "infantry"


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: When the Air Force was created with the signing of the National Security Act of 1947, all members of the AAF were transferred to the new branch, to include military police attached to the Army Air Forces.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 2 January 1948 the Military Police were reformed into the Air Police and established the Air Provost Marshal. Immediately twenty-two military police companies were predesignated Air Police squadrons, however the term Air Police did not come into full usage until November 1948. The transfer of personnel fully from the Army to the Air Force was supposed to be completed by December 1948, however it was not fully completed until 1953. In April 1952 Army grade titles and MOS designations were replaced with Air Force AFSCs.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In June 1950 the Air Force began urgent operations focused on air base defense with the outbreak of the Korean War. A buildup of ground combat forces began. The center of this buildup was the expansion of the Air Force Air Police from 10,000 in July 1950 to 39,000 in December 1951. Still, one year into the war the Air Provost Marshal reported that "the Air Force is without policy or tactical doctrine for Air Base Ground Defense." In haste, Air Police serving as the cadre of this force were outfitted with armored vehicles, machine guns and recoilless rifles. Air base defense was officially implemented by Air Force Regulation (AFR) 355–4 on 3 March 1953. AFR 355-4 defined air base defense "as all measures taken by the installation commander to deny hostile forces access to the area encompassing all buildings, equipment, facilities, landing fields, dispersal areas and adjacent terrain." However, the regulation did not include provisions for sustained ground defense operations. Performance of this mission fell to the provisional base defense task forces to be organized and equipped like infantry. It was the Strategic Air Command's (SAC) October 1952 edition of the SAC Manual 205-2 that rejected the notion that the USAF's ground defense mission conflicted with Army functions. SAC officials felt that success of the Air Force mission might require point defense elements that the Army could not afford to protect, much less have the Air Force rely on the Army to come to the rescue. After the Korean War, General Curtis LeMay had the Air Police begin the Combat Arms Program, to better train airmen in the use of weapons.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 1 September 1950 the Air Police School was established at Tyndall Air Force Base. In 1952 the Air Police school was transferred to Parks AFB, California, and re-designated the "Air Base Defense School" to emphasize on air base defense capabilities. It soon became evident the emphasis on air base defense was not making much headway. On 13 October 1956 Air Police training was transferred to Lackland AFB, Texas, where it evolved into Security Police training and eventually became the US Air Force Security Forces Academy.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Toward the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s, the Air Police began to reemphasize the security aspect of their mission, with a strong focus being given to protecting the Air Force's strategic nuclear weapons, and a greater amount of centralization regarding training occurred. The Air Provost Marshal was also redesignated the Director of Security and Law Enforcement.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 1 November 1964, between 12:25 and 12:33 am, Vietnamese Communist (VC) troops attacked Bien Hoa Air Base with six 81mm mortars positioned about 400 meters north, outside the air base. The VC fired 60-80 rounds into parked aircraft and troop billets, then withdrew undetected and unabated. The attack killed four US military personnel, wounded 30 and destroyed and/or damaged 20 B-57 bombers. U.S. air bases had become targets and became routine targets thereafter. The Air Force was not allowed to patrol the perimeter of their bases. That role was left up to the Vietnamese Air Force. Also, the U.S. Army was cited as being tasked to control the security of the area around the air base, and after-action scrutiny along with politics served to foster distrust and jealousy between services, chains of command and the U.S. and Vietnamese services. As a result, air bases in South Vietnam were left vulnerable. By striking at USAF air bases the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and VC employed Giulio Douhet's military concept, which stated the only effective way to counter air power was to destroy its bases on the ground. This concept has also been proven effective during the Indochina War from 1946 to 1954, when the Viet Minh regularly and successfully attacked French air bases.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The USAF Sentry Dog program was a product of the Korean War. On 1 May 1957 the Air Force gained responsibility for training all working dogs in the Department of Defense. By 1965 the USAF had a pool of sentry dog teams available for deployment to South Vietnam. Nightly at every air base, sentry dog teams were deployed as a detection and warning screen in the zone separating combat forces from the perimeter. Nearly all air base defense personnel agreed that the Sentry Dog Teams rendered outstanding service, with some going as far to say "Of all the equipment and methods used to detect an attacking enemy force, the sentry dog has provided the most sure, all-inclusive means."


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: During their time in Korea and early in Vietnam, the Air Police found themselves in a number of ground combat roles, some of which more accurately reflected an infantry-type role than that of the military police. In 1966 the Air Police were redesignated the Security Police, in an effort to more accurately reflect the security and combat aspect of their mission.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Shortly after the creation of the Security Police, in 1967 the "Safe Side" program was activated, which resulted in certain Security Police squadrons being trained in the use of light infantry tactics and special weapons to better enhance air base defense. Many of the squadrons that were part of the Safe Side project, such as the 1041st Security Police Squadron (Test), established observation posts, listening posts, conducted reconnaissance and ambush patrols, and served as mobile response forces to protect the airbases. The successes of this initial squadron resulted in the creation of the 82nd Combat Security Police Wing and the development of ground combat training for all security policemen. In 1968 the Air Force accepted the Safe Side Program's recommendation to establish 559-man Combat Security Police Squadrons (CSPS) organized into three field flights. Three CSPS were incrementally activated, trained and deployed in 179-day temporary duty rotations to South Vietnam. On 15 March 1968 the 821st CSPS began a hasty training program at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and was in place at Phan Rang Air Base on its TDY deployment by 15 April. The 822nd CSPS was organized, more completely trained and replaced the 821st in August 1968. The 823rd CSPS was trained at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and replaced the 822nd in March 1969, remaining until August 1969 when it was replaced by the 821st.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The vindication for the Safe Side program occurred during the Battle of Tan Son Nhut, as part of the Tet Offensive, on 31 January 1968, when Tan Son Nhut Airbase was attacked by a combined force of seven North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong battalions, composing an enemy force of 2,500 enemy troops. The combat trained Security Police were able to hold off the North Vietnamese forces, preventing the loss of the airbase. The Vietnam War demonstrated to the Air Force the need for whole base defense measures,


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: and demonstrated that airmen, regardless of AFSC, could be vulnerable to attack, just the same as Army and Marine forces.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: By January 1971 the Security Police career field was split into two separate functions: Law Enforcement Specialist (AFSC 812XX) and Security Specialist (AFSC 811XX). In November 1971 the first female airmen trained into the law enforcement specialty, and in November 1976 100 female airmen were trained as security specialists. Although the female security specialist program was soon after shut down, they have the distinction of being the first women permitted into any combat role in the entire U.S. Armed Forces. Law enforcement specialists, who had excelled in their career field, could be selected as criminal investigators and attend Military Police Investigations training at the 3280th TCHTG OLA Air Force Liaison at Ft. McClellan, AL, or attend the Office of Special Investigations basic agent's course at Bolling AFB, Washington DC.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In May 1975, Security Police units were tasked with a high priority rescue operation of the SS Mayaguez merchant ship, and with Air Force helicopters, were preparing to perform a boarding of the ship. Prior to the rescue mission one of the helicopters crashed, killing 18 security policemen, and forcing the mission to be aborted. The loss of this aircraft was attributed to a failure to properly assemble a blade sleeve during overhaul nearly a year earlier.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: From 1981 to 1989 the Security Police were responsible for protecting the USAF's ground launched cruise missiles in Europe, providing security for them during the height of the Cold War. In 1983, during Operation Urgent Fury, Security Police forces were among the first on Grenada, responsible for securing runways and POWs. In January 1985 women were finally permitted to enter the security field - the first since 1976.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In 1987 the standard weapon of the Security Police Law Enforcement Branch was changed from the Smith & Wesson Model 15 .38-cal. six-shot revolver to the Beretta M9, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a standard 15-round magazine, which brought the Security Police in line with the rest of the United States Armed Forces. Also in 1987 the Air Base Ground Defense School was moved from Camp Bullis to Fort Dix, where the Army was given control of the training. In 1989, as a part of Operation Just Cause, Security Police units were responsible for securing airfields during the Invasion of Panama and performing drug interdiction and humanitarian missions.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In August 1990, Security Police were deployed to Saudi Arabia as a part of Operation Desert Shield, where they were responsible for guarding airbases, dignitary support, and counter terrorism. In August 1995 Air Base Ground Defense Training was moved from Fort Dix back to Camp Bullis, and control was shifted from the Army back to the Air Force. During Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, Security Police forces conducted convoy operations and acted as a peacekeeping force. In 1996 the Khobar Towers Bombing


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: occurred, with 19 airmen killed and 260 injured. Security Policemen SSgt Alfredo Guerrero, SrA Corey Grice and A1C Christopher Wager received the Airman's Medal for their actions prior to and after the terrorist attack.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In response to the Khobar Towers bombing, the Air Force reevaluated how the Security Police was organized, and came to the realization it could not afford to have only a few specialize in the security aspect of the mission. On 31 October 1997, the Security Police became the Security Forces, with all individual specialties being merged into one Security Forces specialist AFSC. The Security Forces brought back the principles of Safe Side, transforming the Security Forces into a combat force.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In 1997 the Air Force activated the 820th Base Defense Group, a Force Protection unit based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The unit is a trained force protection unit of 12 Air Force Specialty Codes with an airborne capability, and is intended to serve as a quick reaction force, capable of deploying anywhere in the world. Air Mobility Command also activated the Raven program, which attached Security Forces specialists to its aircraft to provide on-site security in hostile or remote environments.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Security Forces prepared for additional attacks and combat operations, both in the United States and abroad. On 16 December 2001, airmen with the 786th Security Forces Squadron deployed to Manas International Airport, Kyrgyzstan, to provide security while the airbase was under construction, to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Three months later the 822nd Security Forces Squadron assumed the role, and conducted patrols outside the airbase to deter attack and build relations with local villagers.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 19 March 2003 the United States invaded Iraq, and on the same day members of the 161st Security Forces Squadron arrived in country, securing the newly captured Tallil Air Base. On 26 March 2003, elements of the 786th Security Forces Squadron performed the first Security Forces combat jump in Air Force history, taking Bashur Air Base in conjunction with the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Throughout the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Security Forces specialists, and airmen as a whole were pressed into more ground combat roles, to include running convoys. This resulted in the formation of The Aerospace Expeditionary Force Transport Company. These companies were not divided into flights, but rather platoons, with the first, the 2632nd Aerospace Expeditionary Force Transport Company, deploying in April 2004. Some Security Forces specialists were also attached to Army and Marine infantry units to provide either manpower or military working dogs.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 1 January 2005 Task Force 1041 was formed by elements of the 820th Security Forces Group to execute Operation Desert Safe Side. The objective was to conduct outside the wire "kill or capture" missions in one of the most violent areas of Iraq. At the end of the operation, they had reduced attacks on the local airbase to almost zero, while capturing 18 high-value targets, eight major weapons caches, and 98 other insurgent or terrorist targets. Units, such as the 824th Security Forces Squadron, were responsible for training Iraqi security forces. In Summer 2008 the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron stood up at Balad Airbase, and for the first time since the Vietnam War a Security Forces Squadron assumed full responsibility for the security, both on and off base, of a major air base in a war zone.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 28 September 2005, the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron became the first combat Security Forces squadron to lose a member in Operation Iraqi Freedom when A1C Elizabeth Jacobson was killed in action near Safwan, Basra Governorate, Iraq.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The Strategic Air Command's Elite Guard, an Air Police unit first established in December 1956 to provide security at USAF SAC headquarters, was the first USAF unit officially authorized to wear a blue beret (with affixed SAC patch) in 1957 as part of their distinct Elite Guard uniform. The Elite Guard's dark blue serge wool beret was worn on duty, at both guard and ceremonial functions, from 1957 onwards.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In 1966–67, during Operation Safe Side, the first Security Police beret was issued by the 1041st Security Police Squadron. This experimental and specially trained Air Base Ground Defense (ABGD) unit adopted a light blue beret displaying a falcon as its emblem. Operation Safe Side developed into the 82nd Combat Security Police Wing, consisting of three "combat security police" squadrons, but was inactivated in December 1968, ending the unofficial use of the light blue beret.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Elsewhere, during the Vietnam War, although not an authorized uniform item, some local security police commanders approved a dark blue beret similar to the SAC Elite Guard beret for their units as a less-conspicuous alternative to the official white Security Police cover for certain specialized personnel. In Thailand during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Military Working Dog handlers assigned to the 6280th SPS at the Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base sported a dark blue beret with no insignia. Other units adopted a beret to distinguish their guards.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In 1975 Brig Gen Thomas Sadler was appointed Air Force Chief of Security Police with the task of bringing the Security Police career field into the mainstream of the Air Force. One tool he employed was recognition of members of a distinctive portion of the force, with the beret proposed as a uniform change. Significant opposition to the beret from senior colonels and Major Command (MAJCOM) Chiefs was gradually overcome by the popularity of the concept with personnel. The uniform board approved the proposal, and the beret was officially worn worldwide starting in February 1976.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The 1976 beret was worn with the MAJCOM crest of the appropriate major command to which the unit was assigned. It continued in this manner for 20 years until the forming of the Security Forces. In March 1997 the 82nd CSPW was reactivated and re-designated the 820th Security Forces Group. The heraldry of the 820th SFG then replaced the individual MAJCOM emblems as beret insignia. Enlisted personnel wear the dark blue SF beret which bears the fabric SF "Flash" depicting a falcon over an airfield with the SF motto ""Defensor Fortis"", literally meaning "Strong Defender" but taken to mean "defender of the force" according to the Air Force, underneath. An officer's "Flash" is similar in appearance but replaces the embroidered falcon and airfield with either metal "pin-on" or embroidered rank.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: The "Falcon over crossed runways" is derived from the 1041st Security Police Squadron of Operation SAFESIDE. This unit evolved into the 82nd Combat Security Police Wing with the mission of providing the Air Force with worldwide ground defense capability and became the base model for all modern USAF Security Forces. This symbol was adopted to represent this ground defense mission.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Nuclear Security Forces, or "nuke troops", train constantly in small unit tactics due to their lead responsibility in fighting off clandestine, special operations forces. This has included training such as "Blue Coach", which saw Security Forces training alongside US Navy SEALs and engaging OPFOR in training, defeating their Marine Corps attackers.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Since March 2004 the Air Force has provided Security Forces airmen to serve in combat and in combat support roles alongside their sister service members while maintaining their Air Force identity. The Air Force calls such missions "in lieu of" taskings, or ILO for short.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In January 2006 Brig Gen Robert Holmes, Director of Security Forces and Force Protection, stated, "We want to make our airmen more proficient, and to do that we need to adapt. We're going to change our training, our tactics and our procedures and the Air Force will be better for it." Brig Gen Holmes calls these transformations a "refocus" on how Security Forces train and fight. He elaborated, "We're not in the Cold War anymore; we have to alter our mentality and our practices for today's reality. Because of the nature of the threat, our airmen are fighting the global war on terror on the front lines, and we owe it to them to provide training, equipment and resources to be effective. Essentially, Security Forces will focus on preparing for their war-fighting mission at forward locations, as well as security at a fixed installation. Our airmen are going 'outside the wire' to conduct missions and are proving successful in keeping people safe." Gen. Holmes also said one of the transformation goals is bringing security forces back in step with standard Air Force 120-day deployments. He explained, "Right now our folks are going out for 179-day rotations. Our airmen need time to reconstitute and train. So it's important to get them in line with the rest of the Air Force. We aim to do just that." Overall, Brig Gen Holmes said the changes would make Security Forces more effective and relevant to Air Force needs in the face of the current changing nature of warfare.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In November 2007 it was announced that the Air Force was going to triple the number of Security Forces personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan to back-fill Army and Marine Corps mission tasks.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: In September 2010 the Air Force announced it was increasing all combat deployments to 179 days beginning in 2011. Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Personnel Center, said the increase in deployment duration is an effort to "improve predictability and stability for airmen and their families." Peterson added that by revising the policy, airmen affected by the change will also "ideally" get more time at home. The dwell time for those airmen is expected to increase from 16 to 24 months. Despite these "improvements", Security Forces, civil engineers, contractors and intelligence are among the busiest in the Air Force, with six-month deployments, followed by only six months at home.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 2 March 2011, a senior airman assigned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, and an Airman 1st Class assigned to the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, were shot and killed by a 21-year-old Kosovo native of Albanian descent, at Frankfurt International Airport, Germany. The shooter's relatives in Kosovo told the Associated Press that he was a devout Muslim and German federal prosecutors said they suspect he was motivated by extremist, Islamist ideology. A U.S. law enforcement official says the shooter shouted "Allahu Akbar", or "God is Great" in Arabic, as he opened fire. The Air Force says most of the airmen attacked were part of a Security Forces team passing through Germany on their way to a deployment in Afghanistan. In addition to the two dead, two other airmen were wounded.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: Three Security Forces members have been killed in action while serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. On 5 September 2013 a SSgt assigned to the 105th Base Defense Squadron while attached to the 820th Base Defense Group, was killed by small-arms fire after his unit was ambushed and attacked by insurgents outside of Bagram Airfield.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 21 December 2015, two non-commissioned officers serving in the 105th Base Defense Squadron, part of the New York Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing, were killed, along with four special agents with the Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, outside of Bagram Airfield by a suicide bomber utilizing a motorcycle.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: As of 30 May 2011 12 Security Forces members have died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. These personnel total 22% of all Air Force casualties during OIF.


title: United States Air Force Security Forces

text: On 2 October 2015 during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, a senior airman and an airman 1st class were killed when their C-130J, assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, crashed on takeoff while they performed Fly Away Security Operations.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Kajukenbo (Japanese: カジュケンボ) is a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. It was developed in the late 1940s and founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement of Palama, Hawaii.


title: Kajukenbo

text: The name Kajukenbo is a combination of the various arts from which its style is derived: KA for Karate, JU for Judo and Jujutsu, KEN for Kenpo and BO for Boxing (Kajukenbo). Kajukenbo training incorporates a blend of striking, kicking, throwing, takedowns, joint locks and weapon disarmament.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Today, Kajukenbo is practiced all over the world in many different branches. In contrast to many traditional martial arts, students are not required to mimic their teacher, but are encouraged to develop their own "expression" of the art after they first master the system.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Kajukenbo was founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. In the late 1940s, the Palama Settlement was a violent area. Due to this environment, five martial artists from varying backgrounds came together with the goal of developing an art that would be practical and effective on the street. These founders sought to develop one style that would complement each of their individual styles and yet allow for effective fighting at a greater variety of ranges and speeds.


title: Kajukenbo

text: In its conception, the founders followed a simple rule: if a technique worked consistently on the street (or against one another), then it stayed in the system; if it did not, it was discarded. This allowed the style to maintain its self-defense focus, while covering limitations found within each of their traditional arts.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Shortly after its conception, the Korean War broke out, and with it Joe Holck, Peter Choo, Frank Ordonez, and Clarence Chang left Hawaii on active military service, leaving only Adriano Emperado to continue teaching the system.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Emperado and his brother Joe introduced the hybrid Kenpo to the public by opening the Palama Settlement School in 1950. In 1957 they started calling the school the 'Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute' (K.S.D.I.). The training there was notoriously brutal. Their goal was to be invincible on the street, thus the students sparred with full contact. Emperado had a motto, "The workout isn't over until I see blood on the floor". He also said "the best teacher is pain". His philosophy was that if someone was afraid of pain they would be defeated the first time they were hit. Those who remained developed into tough fighters with a reputation for employing their art in street fights with little provocation.


title: Kajukenbo

text: In 1959, Emperado continued to add more Kung Fu into Kajukenbo, shifting the art to a more fluid combination of hard and soft techniques. Many techniques from Five Animal Kung Fu were integrated. Since then, Kajukenbo has proved to be an improvement-based, continuously evolving and open form. John Leoning, also helped bring out the "bo" of Kajukenbo by pointing out that there should be no wasted motion.


title: Kajukenbo

text: The art slowly began to grow in popularity, and soon Emperado had 12 Kajukenbo schools in Hawaii, making it the second largest string of schools at the time. Joe Halbuna, Charles Gaylord, Tony Ramos, Christopher Fournier and Aleju Reyes, who all earned a black belt from Emperado, brought Kajukenbo to the U.S. mainland in 1960. They each opened Kajukenbo schools in California. In 1969, Tony Ramos trained with and exchanged ideas and methods with Bruce Lee. Tony's version of Kajukenbo became known as the "Ramos Method" and is kept alive by numerous instructors.


title: Kajukenbo

text: In a 1991 interview with "Black Belt Magazine", Emperado was asked who some of the Kajukenbo tournament stars were and said According to Chuck Norris, in his book "Against All Odds: My Story", he won the middleweight title in 1967, at the Long Beach Internationals; then defeated Carlos Bunda who had won the lightweight title.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Kajukenbo continues to evolve with each generation and maintains its primary focus on realism and practicality. There are usually martial arts schools that will change along with time to fit into the day's society. It is generally thought that "unfair" moves, such as strikes to the eyes or groin, are perfectly acceptable, as is whatever else the practitioner feels is necessary to get home that day.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Training workouts emphasize cardio conditioning and functional strength. While individual schools may show variation, it would not be unusual to train with sandbags or boxing gloves. There are core self-defense techniques at the heart of Kajukenbo and Kajukenbo schools eschew impractical and flashy moves. Most kajukenbo curricula feature counter-attacks to punches, kicks, grabs, as well as using knives, sticks and guns to counter back. While this base of common knowledge will keep schools' styles similar, there is plenty of room for variation. This openness tends to encourage schools to incorporate other arts into their practice. The primary concentration of all Kajukenbo schools remains real world self-defense, because protecting one's self in a street-fighting situation is primary.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Traditional Japanese martial art ranking is often followed. One common belt order is as follows: white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, brown, and black, followed by the other various degrees of the black belt. The schools have second and third stripe belts that feature a white for second or black for third stripe running down the center of the belt.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Black belt rankings and titles can also vary, with most schools adopting either Chinese or Japanese titles.


title: Kajukenbo

text: The original style of Tum Pai might have been put together by Adriano D. Emperado, Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz in the early 60s to create an advanced style for the Kajukenbo system. In the mid-60s the developments that made up Tum Pai became incorporated into what was called "Chu'an Fa". In 1971 Jon A. Loren started incorporating the concepts of Tai-Chi and Southern Sil-lum into his Kajukenbo classes. This was called Northern Kajukenbo until 1976. In 1976, while staying with Emperado in Hawaii, he demonstrated his concepts and techniques and asked if he could call it "Tum Pai" and bring the name back to life. Emperado granted permission with the acknowledgment that the original Tum Pai followed a different path than the revised Tum Pai soft style. The name Tum Pai, which means "central way", fits the Tai Chi concept blended into the Kajukenbo format.


title: Kajukenbo

text: In Hawaii during the early 1960s Adriano Emperado, along with students Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz, incorporated innovations of the style Tum Pai and other martial arts into their Kajukenbo training. Later it became obvious that they were no longer doing Tum Pai and it would have to be named something else. In the mid 60s Al Dacascos moved to Northern California and continued training in the Northern and Southern styles of Sil-lum Kung Fu to enhance his Kajukenbo training. It was in 1965 that the name "Chu'an Fa" was introduced.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Wun Hop Kuen Do was founded by Al Dacascos. In Cantonese Chinese Wun Hop Kuen Do means "combination fist art style". Wun Hop Kuen Do techniques identify with, and are based on, the Kajukenbo system. This martial arts style incorporates techniques from many different styles including Northern and Southern Kung Fu systems and Escrima. Since this style is always being developed it is not a fixed system, practitioners of the style are always striving to improve it by the incorporation and improvement of useful methods or techniques. In addition the philosophy of remaining "unfixed" also applies to the defense techniques, in that there is no defined response to a given situation, and they attempt to fit the situation as it arises. This idea leads to self-defense that is creative and allows one to think about what is the best response. This is one of the primary things that sets this style apart from most others; it is a martial art that asks you to think for yourself and use your own common sense to actually see what you should do next. There are many drills to allow practice of this type of fluidity and creativity that lead to the ability to respond reflexively to any situation—which is in contrast to many other training methods where one is supposed to mimic techniques which are often not practical, except under very defined circumstances.


title: Kajukenbo

text: Founded by Sijo Adriano Emperado, it exists as an umbrella aiming to bring all branches of Kajukenbo under Sijo's umbrella. One body, while appreciating each different part of the body. The KSDI welcomes all true practitioners of Kajukenbo. The KSDI is currently under the administration of GM Kimo Emperado with deputy administrator GM Glen Fraticelli.


title: Kajukenbo

text: In 1967 Charles Gaylord, along with other accomplished Kajukenbo practitioners Aleju Reyes, Joe Halbuna, Tony Ramos, John Ramos and Al Dacascos formed the Kajukenbo Association of America (KAA.) The KAA organization lasted until the early 1970s, but it was brought back in 1980 under the leadership of Charles Gaylord who had recently received his 9th degree black belt under founder Adrian Emperado. Fifteen years later in September 1995, the KAA's black belts promoted Charles Gaylord to the honorary rank of 10th degree black belt. Grandmaster Gaylord's traditional Kajukenbo curriculum continues to be taught by his chief instructors who operate Kajukenbo schools in Hawaii and other parts of the United States.


title: Kajukenbo

text: The Kajukenbo Tum Pai Association is dedicated to help unite the practitioners of the Martial Art of Kajukenbo Tum Pai. The Association has a compiled registry of all Black Belts from all Tum Pai lineages. A current and updated Kajukenbo Tum Pai family tree is available at their website. They have information about schools and instructors who teach Kajukenbo Tum Pai. The Association organizes the annual Kajukenbo Tum Pai Association Annual Black Belt Meeting, Kajukenbo Tum Pai Annual Workshops, and the Tum Pai Association Family Luau.


title: Kajukenbo

text: The 1982 children's book 'A Bundle of Sticks' by Pat Rhoads Mauser, is the story of a fifth-grade boy Ben Tyler, who is being bullied by a much larger boy named Boyd Bradshaw. One day Ben comes home from school with a badly bruised nose, so Ben's parents decide to enroll him in a Kajukenbo martial arts school. Ben reluctantly agrees to attend the school because his mother has already paid the instructor who is known only as Sifu. At first Ben thinks he will not enjoy Kajukenbo, but he eventually discovers how valuable his training is when he successfully defends himself from Boyd.


title: Saint Young Men

text: In Japan, the "Saint Young Men" manga has sold over 16 million copies. Individual volumes of the series have frequently appeared on lists of the weekly and annual best-seller manga in Japan. It received a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2009 and was nominated for a Manga Taishō Award in the same year. It was also nominated for Best Comic at the 2012 Angoulême International Comics Festival. Its film adaptation has been well received by the Japanese public.


title: Saint Young Men

text: and , the central figures of Christianity and Buddhism respectively, are living together as roommates in an apartment in Tachikawa, part of the suburbs of Tokyo. While taking a vacation on Earth, they attempt to hide their identities and understand modern Japanese society. Each chapter shows their lives during an average day, when they are sightseeing, drinking beer, blogging, or playing video games.


title: Saint Young Men

text: While Jesus is portrayed as an impassioned person for his love for all (even for shopping), Buddha tends to be calm and thrifty, and also likes manga. The comedy often involves visual gags and puns, as well as jokes in reference to elements of Christianity and Buddhism; for example, Jesus creates wine from water in a public bath and Buddha shines when excited.


title: Saint Young Men

text: Before writing "Saint Young Men", Hikaru Nakamura was working on "Arakawa Under the Bridge", which began serialization on December 3, 2004, in the first issue of Square Enix's manga magazine "Young Gangan". It attracted the attention of an editor of the magazine "Weekly Morning", who wanted Nakamura to publish a series for the magazine. She accepted the offer because of her admiration for Kaiji Kawaguchi's works, such as "Zipang" and "The Silent Service", that were serialized in "Weekly Morning". The series' title is derived from a song by Denki Groove and Scha Dara Parr called . Starting from sketches of two friends wearing casual shirts, she conceived the idea of portraying Jesus and Buddha as average people.


title: Saint Young Men

text: Nakamura envisioned a comedy manga in which the protagonist would be a "very very powerful character", and realized a divine character would fit this premise. She first planned Jesus to be a character in the series, but to make the gags work well, Buddha was added to the series. Their opposing personalities were inspired by Nakamura's sister and her sister's husband; by observing their relationship, she saw some amusing situations. She also saw a resemblance between her version of Buddha and Osamu Tezuka's version.


title: Saint Young Men

text: Despite the religious references in the series, Nakamura stated she used only her personal knowledge and some aspects of modern society, such as yakuza and blogging, which were not intended to be critical but were added because they fit the story. Similarly, secondary characters were only introduced in the series if a chapter needed a new character to introduce a topic. The themes of the chapters were created before the situations and jokes. However, if Nakamura had a specific theme, she created several jokes and then connected them to form a story. When creating a simpler chapter as compared to the more elaborate, thematic ones, she wrote without worrying about creating jokes and situations in advance. With the help of her four assistants, on average she took between ten days and two weeks to make a complete chapter.


title: Saint Young Men

text: "Saint Young Men", written and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura, began its serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine "Monthly Morning Two" on September 26, 2006. The series was put on hiatus between September 22, 2011, and March 22, 2012, because of Nakamura's pregnancy. Its first (collected volume) was released by Kodansha on January 23, 2008, and the twentieth volume was published on July 22, 2022. A guidebook was released on April 23, 2013. The manga series has been translated in other languages, including Chinese by Tong Li Publishing, French by Kurokawa, German by Egmont Manga, Italian by J-Pop, and Spanish by Norma Editorial.


title: Saint Young Men

text: In 2010, Jason Thompson reported that Ed Chavez, editor of the American publisher Vertical, contacted the Japanese licensor of the series to request its publishing in North America. The Japanese licensor of the series refused to allow it to be published in North America, because it was thought that Americans might take offense to it. However, in April 2019 Kodansha Comics announced that it acquired the rights to publish the manga digitally. After two volumes were released digitally between April and June 2019, the publisher announced in July its plans to publish the manga in print. Nevertheless, a third digital volume was released in October before the first 2-in-1 omnibus hardcover volume was released on December 17, 2019.


title: Saint Young Men

text: The production of an anime film was first announced in issue 44 of "Weekly Morning". Before the film release, a guidebook to the film was published on April 30, 2013. The film was directed by Noriko Takao and written by Rika Nezu. Its characters were designed by Naoyuki Asano and the music was composed by Keiichi Suzuki and Ryomei Shirai. The film was produced by Aniplex, Kodansha and Toho, was animated by A-1 Pictures, and distributed by Toho. It premiered in Japan on May 10, 2013. Its soundtrack was published by Aniplex on May 8, 2013. Later, on October 23, 2013, it was released in DVD and Blu-ray formats. In addition to the film, the same staff produced an original animation DVD (OAD) that was released along with the eighth manga volume. A second OAD was released along with the ninth volume.


title: Saint Young Men

text: In an interview with NHK World, the staff for the anime noted that they wanted to stay loyal to the artwork of the manga while creating the movie. They decided to focus more on the art and character designs, and decided to give it a "sketched" look, instead of the traditional "bold, dark lines" typically used. All the shadows were colored by pencils, sometimes even scribbled to make sure that the "sketched" look came through. Like the manga, the anime film also recreates various attractions of Tachikawa, including the Showa Memorial Park.


title: Saint Young Men

text: In November 2016, a live-action drama series adaptation of the manga was announced with no further details. The following month, Yūichi Fukuda was revealed to be the director and screenwriter, while Takayuki Yamada was announced as the producer. Only in February 2018, the main actors were unveiled; Ken'ichi Matsuyama playing Jesus and Shōta Sometani playing Buddha. In April, it was set to debut in the summer of that year on Kakao Japan's streaming service Piccoma TV, but, by June, it changed to fall. Starting on October 12, 2018, the web series received a two-week limited screening in over 40 AEON theaters. It was followed by the premiere on Piccoma TV on October 18; the same day a special screening with staff and cast was also held in Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills. The first six-minute episode out of ten was also made available through YouTube.


title: Saint Young Men

text: In February 2019, a second and a third season were announced through the "Monthly Morning Two" magazine. A teaser and a poster for the second season were released in April, when it was also announced that the ten-episode season would stream online on Piccoma TV on June 1 and in theaters starting on June 6. NHK General TV rebroadcast the first season between June and July 2019, and planned to show the second season on October 5 and 12, 2019. Only the first half of the second season was broadcast in October because of the Typhoon Hagibis and it had to be rescheduled to January 25, 2020. The ten-episode third season premiered and finished before it on NHK, on January 11 and 18, 2020 respectively.


title: Saint Young Men

text: "Saint Young Men" received the 2009 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Short Work Manga. The 2009 edition of Takarajimasha's guidebook "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!", which surveys people in the manga and publishing industry, named it the best manga series for male readers. It was nominated for the 2009 Manga Taishō Award and for the category "Best Comic" at the 2012 Angoulême International Comics Festival. As the result of its popularity, issues of "Monthly Morning Two" started selling out on newsstands; because of this, in May 2009 Kodansha began making the magazine available online the day it is published. It has been among the top 20 of best-selling manga series in Japan in 2009, 2011, and 2013. All the first eleven individual volumes appeared on lists of the 50 best-selling manga of their respective year in Japan, while the 12th featured in the top 100; volume 15 was also among the top 50 best-selling manga of the year, and volume 16 was the 35th best-selling manga in the first half of 2019. By June 2018, the manga had sold about 16 million copies in Japan. The manga was also displayed at the British Museum in 2011. In 2014, "The Daily Dot" reported a growing Western fandom that spread various Tumblr GIFs of the series.