Grand Master Reno Morales The Patriarch
By Dr. Michael Willet
Many men have claimed to be great martial artists and many men have claimed to be teaching killer survival techniques. You can pick up most martial arts magazines or mix4ed martial arts periodicals and find a host of advertisers touting their brand of Marine, Navy-Seal, or some kind of Special Forces reality training. For the most part, it’s all just bunk. Most of these guys wouldn’t know a Special Forces personal if they kissed them on the mouth.
Grand Master Reno Morales is the real deal. From the killings fields of Viet Nam to the mean streets of New York, Reno Morales has survived it all.
Reno Morales is a decorated combat veteran. He has served both in the Unites States Marine Corps and the United States Army Airborne. As directed by his military superiors’, Reno has many kills accredited to his account. In recounting some of the vivid memories, Reno still has occasional nightmares about certain missions. “Home was a far away place.” There was one mission where, Reno was in a foxhole, fighting back to back with a fellow Marine. The sound of a missile, whistled above their heads but as Reno recounts, he did not hear it explode. He turned to ask his fox hole partner, where did the missile land (because he heard no explosion) there was no response because to his amazement, his fox hole partner no longer had his head. That is the reality of war, one moment you are here and the next moment only God knows. On another occasion, Reno and his elite team were pinned down in a firefight for three or four hours, as he remembers. “I didn’t think I was coming home.” Reno received several his (wounds) and had to be medivac’d out. He spent about 4 months at camp Kuei in Okinawa, Japan. Then he requested to return to his unit. He was denied and sent back to the world (US territory) because he was on his second tour of duty and his wounds were much worse than he realized. Reno returned home on the 4th of July 1967. As Reno recounts he war experiences, he says; “The wounds of the mind, are still healing.”
Reno Morales began his martial arts training in the late 1940’s. He has black-belt ranking in a multiplicity of disciplines. He has become a walking lexicon of martial arts. Reno credits his instruction to Tatuso Shimibuku, Masatoshi Nakayama, Michio Hiikisutshi, Shigeru Kimura and Kanie Mabuni, to name a few. Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Reno Morals has over 60 years of teaching. Oh, did I mention that his venerable warrior was born March 21st 1934. Do yourself a favor and look at his picture again, it’s true the Grand Master is 74 years old.
Grand Master Reno is a former international champion and multi time Hall of Famer. Grand Master is the Co-Founder of the original Bronx Shotokan Karate-do Club. He has formulated his own brand of martial arts, based on his many years of studying various systems and personal life experiences. Shinjitsu Jissen
Karate Jutsu is the name. Grand Master says; “The martial arts has one rule: Survival, no rings, no rounds, no referee.”
GM follows the tenets of Master Funakoshi’s Dojo Kun and Niju Kun. There are five principals that read like this:
- To strive for perfection of character
- To defend the paths of truth
- To foster the spirit of effort
- To honor the principals of etiquette
- To guard against impetuous courage
Grand Master Morales is followed by several of his outstanding children in martial arts. His daughter the very popular and excellent warrior, Sensei Firefox. Senseni Firefox is as beautiful as she is deadly. Don’t get it twisted, she can still bring the love. The well respected Anthony Vargas his nephew is now making his name in the martial arts and his little, Ruben “The Rebel” Morales.
Grand Master Reno Morales is truly the Patriarch that we can touch, long live Grand Master Reno Morales.
Grand Master Reno Morales passed away on February 7, 2013.
