I started training as early as 1973 in Queens, New YorkCity.  The emergence of martial arts was big back then and clubs were surfacing everywhere. To the novice they all seemed good and originality was never thought of.  I joined a Shotokan dojo and trained there until June 1977. In August that same year I joined the Air Force and put karate on hold to focus on my military training.
 
I worked out when I got the chance to do so, but not in a formal karate environment.  I was assigned at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio Texas and as work permitted practiced kata at the gym and trained with others who were practicing other styles of karate.

All this changed as of January of 1980.  While at the base gym,  a karate class was being taught in one of the exercise rooms and they were practicing the style of  Shotokan. After the class finished, I talked with the instructor Mr. Velez who mentioned that he was  a direct student from the lineage of Mr. Nishiyama and Mr. Nakayama.  I joined the club, Randolph JKA Karate Club, and continued my trainining in aformal environment. Here is where I was first introduced to Mr.Nishiyama’s organizations, AAKF and ITKF.

During the summer of 1982, I moved to San Marcos, Texas, and attended Southwest TexasState University. While there, I taught karate at the recreation center under the guidance of Mr. Velez and still traveled to San Antonio to work out at the main dojo.  I continued my training with Mr. Velez and in March of 1985, I got assigned to RAF Upper Heyford, United Kingdom.

While there I joined and trained with Mr. Enoeda’s organization, the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) until my departure and return back to San Antonio in January 1989 where I joined up again with Mr.Velez and Mr. Nishiyama's organizations. By this time Sensei Nakayama had passed away and Sensei Nishiyama had gone independent from JKA Japan.  However, after the passing away of Sensei Nishiyama in 2008 I opted to go back to the club's roots affiliating with JKAAF and JKA Japan.

Prior to retiring from the Air force in1999, Sensei Velez, appointed me as chief instructor of the dojo as he remained on as guest instructor during dvanced workouts.  I call San Antonio my second home and work fulltime teaching Aviation Technology at a local College as an Assistant Professor.