Jerry Lee Lockhart - FFF

Our instructors were officers and senior NCOs in the Army Green Berets, Marine Elite Corps, and Navy Seals. As the lead instructor, I was surrounded by ultimate perfection. I was an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant by the nickname of 'Jeopardy.' I was introduced as Colonel Jerry Lee Lockhart, World Champion FFF fighter.

Indicating to the trainees that I was a Chief Master Sergeant in the regular United States Air Force, but a Colonel in the Air Force Reserves. My service record was common knowledge. "I am in my forties, and each of you are in your twenties. Some say that I am the meanest SOB fighter that ever lived. I'm not sure that is correct."

I wanted to see what the students already knew and who needed assistance. "Do we have any black belts in Karate or Judo present?" Several raised their hands. "Do we have any eighth degree masters in Muay Thai?" Bobby Olander raised his hand. "Finally, are any other high level martial arts persons in attendance?" One said that he was an expert in Kung Fu. Another said that he was a lineman in pro-football, and was voted as the best tackle in the league. "I have never met a martial arts person that could beat me, except for one, unless one of you can whip me."

I explained the matches would only be three minutes each. One could win with a knock out, a knock down, or a throw down. Also, one could win by decision of the judges. Your opponent wins if you slap the side of your leg and say, "Khun pen Lak. Meaning, you are the master, and indicating you give up and your opponent wins."

Out of the ones that raised their hands, only six decided that they wanted to fight me. I let them draw from six cards that were numbered to determine where they placed in the order of fights. David Monroe, the former football player, selected card number one. Don Johnson, the Kung Fu expert, chose number two. Bobby Olander received card number three. The other three selected their cards as Kenny Ropers drew card number six.

David Monroe was a monster of a man. He outweighed me by one hundred pounds of solid muscle. He was at least a head taller than me. My thought was, would I really want to fight this giant of a person? David rendered a punch that would have knocked me out if it would have landed on my jawline. I moved my head slightly and the drive powerfully missed my face by a quarter inch. I dispatched seven small whacks to David's abs. I was amazed at his lack of maneuverability. He was a sluggish fighter, more so than I had the privilege to witness.

David sent several blows in my direction, but missed by a fraction of an inch each time. That error let me get four small hits to his lower abdomen after he tried to release an explosive smash, but missed.

David attempted to grab me. I pushed his hands away and distributed six minor shots to the stomach. My whacks were rapid and seemingly of no consequence. David grabbed his stomach. I walloped his cheek with a power thump, causing him to drop to the mat unconscious. The announcer declared I won the fight in 42 seconds by a knock-out.

David recovered, and I helped him up and said, "Good fight. What made the difference in this fight?"

"You wouldn't stand still so I could hit you."

"I'm not the smartest guy in this world, but when I see a freight train coming at me going a hundred miles per hour, I get out of the way." Everyone in the room laughed.

Don Johnson entered the ring. The announcer introduced him as a Kung Fu fighter. Don and I displayed a slight bowing of the head and a pressing of the hands the same as a Thai Wye. The announcer chided, "fighters begin." We side stepped around the ring keeping our eyes fixed on each other.

Don moved toward me. I remained planted, while he exhibited a couple of kicks and hits, which I deflected or blocked. His next kick glanced off my hands, and another boot from him permitted me to grab the big toe on his right foot. I pulled Don around the ring one time and let go of the toe. When I released, he fell to the floor. He was declared the loser by a take down in eighteen seconds.

"Don, why do you think you lost this fight?"

"Because I was more confident than I should have been."

"You're probably right."

It is Bobby's time to square off with me. I was on a five-minute break between fights. I saw the appearance of caution, confidence and concern on his face that was difficult to grasp.

The fight began. We were spoiling each other's attempts as the pace increased. Our arms and legs were moving faster and faster. It floored me when time was called. The judges affirmed a no win.

I confessed, "Only one person had beaten me, and two more had been a no win or a tie. I want to congratulate you on the good job. You are the third person with the technique and tenacity to finish even with me."

Chiang Mai John had been the one who had the win and one of the tying matches, with a no win fight. Grand Master Tuk, a great instructor of Muay Thai from Bangkok, was the second no win. Bobby affirmed that he was a student of Colonel Tuk until recently. He pleaded that if we would have gone another minute he would have lost, because he was totally exhausted.

I whispered that he did not need to improve his technique, but he might want to increase his stamina. For a fraction of a minute he was pensive about something far away. However, Bobby seemed to bloom. He came alive and was unstoppable.

"What made the difference in keeping up with me?"

"It was the 'eye.' That it is the ability to anticipate an opponent's move within a fraction of a second. Grand Master Tuk helped me develop the 'eye.' For some it comes naturally, but for my instruction it took many hours of training. Also, it was the 'ear.' An eighth degree Master is taught to listen to his adversaries moves in expectation of their exchanges. A student can even have a blindfold over his eyes to hear the opponent's moves. If the first two boxers had the 'eye' or the 'ear' they probably would not have lost as quickly."

I looked at him with quizzing eyes. The connection immediately grew between the two of us. Respect was mutually gained. I liked him and felt he could share anything with me.

Bobby told me privately that he would have married Colonel Tuk's daughter. Then he related the whole story. Almost crying, he told me that he still loved her, but she would not answer his letters. I said that I was sorry and hoped things would work out for him. "Keep trying."

Bobby and I became friends. He shared with me that he was not mad at Colonel Tuk. In fact, he didn't blame him for supporting his daughter. Bobby missed her, and claimed there had been no word from Kulabta. He was getting close to graduating from the Officer Training School at Lackland AFB, and had been given three weeks leave before flight school would begin.

Bobby worked the FFF program every day after classes the whole time he was at Lackland. Several students and instructors challenged him, and each one lost. He drew attention worldwide as one of the best fighters in FFF.