Certainly it was my first inclination when news of Forrest Clayton Salcido's death made the Missoulian on Dec. 13. Same goes for another local dad, Mike Munoz.
The difference between Munoz and most parents is he has prepared daughters Danielle and Olivia for dangerous situations since the time they were tots. Some might consider his approach extreme, but don't pass judgment until you take a look at his girls.
That's important when you consider one-third of all American women will be subject to an attempted sexual assault in their lifetime, according to the FBI.
“It's a frightening world we live in,” Mike Munoz said. “My family lives in Montana because it really is the last great place. People are polite and deal with people as individuals.
“But we just had a beating of a homeless man (Salcido) for no reason. Martial arts gives my daughters confidence to look somebody in the eye. The odds say they will be attacked someday. In that 20-second time frame, their training will be all that matters in the world.”
Munoz, who served in the War on Terror from 2002-04 at a location that remains classified, started 18-year-old Danielle in martial arts at age 5 while stationed in Kyushu, Japan. It was the start of a unique three-year odyssey.
“Imagine a 1,000-year-old temple carved intricately, the planks on the floor beautifully buffed by hand every day, and there's 100 boys and one long-haired girl - that was my Danielle,” Mike said. “She didn't know she wasn't Japanese. When we came home to America, she thought we were leaving her home.”
Today that little girl is a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point. She graduated from Missoula Sentinel with a 3.76 GPA, and at age 16 she was so polished in jiu jitsu that she qualified for the world championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“I would have been 17 by the time worlds happened,” said Danielle, who trained under local expert Jim Harrison. “But that was too young for them so another girl I beat twice went instead.”
That's OK with Danielle. She may take another shot at worlds in the future, but she has higher priorities these days. Like preparing herself to make life and death decisions in the heat of battle.
“Right now I'm getting a free education and serving my country, which are two of the most important things for me,” she said. “And as a woman in New York it makes me feel a lot safer knowing I can protect myself and my friends. I'm a pretty small person at 5-foot-1, 125 pounds, but I feel like I can inflict my share of damage.”
Danielle's younger sister, Olivia, has a different sort of personality. She's more carefree and conscious of the latest fashion trends.
But like Danielle, she's a national junior champion in jiu jitsu, accomplishing the feat last month in Niagara Falls, New York. And like Danielle, the boost of confidence she receives from martial arts comes in handy.
“I like that (martial arts) is different than other sports,” the 16-year-old Sentinel junior said. “I also think it's helpful to feel I can protect myself.”
Maybe the Munoz Method doesn't suit your daughter. Maybe she'd be better off taking a different route to physical fitness like basketball, soccer, jogging or gymnastics.
But by all means, she should be taking some sort of athletic route. So that someday if she is confronted with a potentially dangerous situation, she'll have enough Danielle Munoz in her blood to make a smart decision.
It's amazing how self-confidence can make a difference. Not just in physical altercations, but academically and professionally as well.
Just ask Danielle Munoz, who has used martial arts as a valuable tool in her life.
“I went to my dojo (Monday) for first time in six months,” Danielle said of the local Sakura Warrior Arts school. “I cried because part of my soul is in that place.”
We should all be so passionate about something.
Columnist Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
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