Ed and Gordon
Ed Hoffman
The Auschwitz Survivor who added a whole new layer of meaning to the term, “Healing.”
CLICK HERE to Watch the interview of Ed Hoffman by Michelle Manu NOW.
Ed received this award in Laguna Woods Village, the City of Laguna Woods, Veterans Day 2018
Akira Tsurumake to help find relatives of Japanese Pilot and Crew of the Downed plane where Sam Richiusa took the metal for Two Hearts As One original
Circle of Forgiveness Closes
It all started when…
Rabbi Abraham Cooper introduced Gordon Richiusa to Kinue Tokudome, who then introduced Gordon to Akira…
A video of the meeting can be seen by clicking here
Here are a few more photos of this historic meeting:
Laguna Quest
Martial Arts Legend Frank Dux Makes a Wish Come True
DESCRIPTION
Michelle Manu teaches the SHE Workshop where mere women mortals transition into superheroes. The workshop instructs real-life concepts, tools, and builds confidence through information, perception shifting, and tools to increase your feminine instincts and develop your unknown or underdeveloped inner superpowers.
INCLUDES
- Michelle Manu: Empowering Others
- Empowered Testimonials
DESCRIPTION
The award-winning “original ultimate fight champion” and inspiration for the 1988 film, Bloodsport, Frank Dux, makes one fan's dream of meeting his hero come true.
INCLUDES
- A meticulously crafted article by Ed Rampbell, including:
- Dux Redux
- The Chairman
- Heroes' Hearts
- A video showing Heroes Helping Heroes
WE HAVE AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY,
THEREFORE AN URGENT REQUEST…
Heroes’ Hearts Inc. has been invited to participate in Anniversary Events at Pearl Harbor, this coming Dec 7. We are currently raising funds to provide for expenses so that we will be able to attend. When we achieve this goal, Heroes’ Hearts will give remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors a Heroes’ Hearts bracelet and Companion book (as we did in 2016), during the ceremonies taking place at the Arizona Memorial, as well as participate in additional Pearl Harbor ceremonies in the Oahu area.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Without your support, we have to decline this very momentous invitation. As time passes, we lose more and more of our survivors, so we practically beg of you to help us reach as many survivors as we still can, right now, this year. The opportunity to honor our living Pearl Harbor survivors is quickly fading into history and we are working diligently to accept this honored invitation for 2018.
We have been unable to attend past Pearl Harbor ceremonies as hoped. We believe that Sam Richiusa was greatly affected by the Spirit of Aloha (See video) and may not have felt the Two Hearts Beating As One. Instead, we've offered the original Heroes' Hearts® bracelet (made by my father for my mother) to the Pacific Islands Ethnic Arts Museum (PIEAM), on permanent display in Long Beach, CA.
Based on the original bracelet, HH Inc. has made exact replicas of the Two-Hearts bracelet with the help of veteran-owned and operated businesses supporting the campaign to “Do Something Good.” These are the bracelets we hope to give to our surviving Pearl Harbor veterans and we request your donations to get us there to do so. (See Video--VETS Program).
We have also partnered with private-sector organizations and individuals such as Auschwitz Survivor Ed Hoffman and launched a number of projects to oppose discrimination and prejudice to help any number of heroes, especially those with PTSD. Heroes' Hearts® Inc. has been an official 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization since October 7, 2016.
We appreciate your attention and assistance honoring our WWII vets and Pearl Harbor survivors. As the end of the 2018 tax season is approaching, please seriously consider a recurring donation, made possible at Heroes' Hearts® Inc., or a one time donation earmarked for any approved projects.
Please pass this request on to your own contacts. These donations are 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE and also serve our main goal to DO SOMETHING GOOD. (Donate here).
Thank You,
Gordon Richiusa President/Director EIN: 81-4214824
DONATE TO THIS EMERGENCY FUND NOW CLICK THIS LINK
A featured project of a crucially URGENT nature…
Maka’i School Safety Project
Our logo is a combined, pseudo-Polynesian like petroglyph depicting a warrior-healer with a Heroes’ Heart® because, in many cultures (including Hawaiian) there were those (in all walks of life) who simply were the best people to respond to emergencies. They did not need to be asked for forced to respond to any problem, especially attack by an enemy, they simply ran toward the danger because they were best able to handle the situation…This was also true in regard to physical defense.
The staff is a modified shepherds crook blended into a koru (Māori for "loop") spiral shape. The koru is based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond and is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace. Those allowed and selected to serve their community in this capacity will be known as Maka’i, with all due respect.
Combined and Updated Report
“True Freedom is the End of Discrimination and Abuse.”—Benjamin Schultz
While it may seem that the exterior world changes much more quickly than a single opinion, that doesn’t mean that we must abandon every old idea, tool, or strategy in an attempt to keep up with the pace of life. The “old” ways and the “new” ways are based upon the same core human values. The desire to make things better, find new solutions, the motivation to look over the next horizon for the next new field to harvest, and even just the tendency to see what happens “if” is a core human trait that is driven by an innate optimism which has driven the species to speculate, innovate, create, and then continually modify even the best ideas.
Sometimes, as the world changes more rapidly than our individual ability to change course, especially with the advent of new technological discoveries, we are intuitively driven to “fit” new information into the old molds. Transitions often therefore feel awkward. In fact, there are those who steadfastly believe that the “new” is “better” than the old, which they call obsolete. While, at the same time there are those who believe that “the old ways” are superior because the patterns, which we have grown familiar and comfortable with have become the total focus of our attention. From any perspective, the fear which can be associated with abandoning any strategy (often resulting in people refusing to admit they’ve made a mistake)—even one that is not working—can only cause problems. Interestingly, this self-destructive behavior is often referred to as, “Shooting oneself in the foot.”
The foundation for our mission as well as our corporate motto is: Do Something Good. We believe we have a viable and practical solution to the school shooting problem which has been plaguing our country. This solution is detailed below.
Our focus is on utilizing, as well as awarding and honoring those who have been trained and whose nature allows them to run toward danger aiding others. Factually, this was done traditionally in many cultures.
We are building a committee to formally and professionally pursue development and implementation of a pilot project across local, state, and federal jurisdictions. We need your help.
Our preliminary team currently includes Firefighters, Lifeguards, Veterans, Psychologists, Educators, Police officers, Cruise Ship Officers, Arizona Memorial Park Rangers, and other security experts. Our first and primary goal is schools.
We are looking forward to your advice and participation in this project.
“The truth is that whatever we’re doing as a society, or not doing, is not working. Inaction is not an option. We must do something and we must get it right.“ –
05/2018 Megan McGuire, 17 year-old junior at Santa Fe High School.
MĀKA’ I, The Sentinels, Shepherds, Guardians, and Protectors of Our Schools for All Age Groups
“If a student is not grasping the point of a lesson or benefiting in any way, the secret is to change the lesson, not the student.”—Gordon Richiusa
The historical goal of a warrior was peace...not death, as evidenced by ancient legends, and myths as well as the writings of great philosophers such as Aristotle and Sun Tzu. The classically superior martial art concept of peaceful resistance by which to attain the compliance of another takes its name from each style’s indigenous culture. The concept of being a police force is derived from this very concept. In fact, most paramilitary departments still refer to their members as peace officers.
“The clearer the picture you have about success in any interaction or action, the better you will be able to accomplish it.”—from The Five Principles of Everything
Always know what it is you are “really” trying to accomplish, what your goal is, how success is defined, then stick to that. Don’t add to, or minimize goals based upon faulty strategies, or try to make strategies “fit” the situation. The strategies, which succeed only as focused intent, spring naturally from the goals themselves, and remember: There is a big difference between Tactics and Strategies. Maka’i would have ONLY ONE FOCUSED GOAL: To protect schools. Whenever a person asks (before reading this report) if the Maka’i are going to carry guns, we respond that this is NOT the right question. Every school is different. Following guidelines from the operation manual (being developed), Maka’i will decide the best course to follow to hopefully prevent problems before they occur, but have the skill to respond when those same problems DO occur.
Māka’i (pronounced MAH-KAH-EE) in the Hawaiian culture was a person who provided and maintained security, similar to a police officer, as well as a spy and general life advisor. Maka’i was not the main job title of any individual. There is no rank, but responding to threats when prevention failed was the goal that they did without question. These people were also farmers, teachers, healers, hunters, gatherers, builders, artisans etc. It is said of King Kamehameha (a warrior who united the Hawaiian archipelago) that in times of peace he returned to the land to taro farm. He believed it was his duty to work to bring about new life to replace any he may have been responsible for taking.
A spy’s main job is the protection of a country or tribe’s people through knowledge and training. By knowing what weapons and skills an enemy might possess, and one’s own strengths and weaknesses, Māka’i were the protectors, security guards, sentinels, and first responders of the larger community, similar to a volunteer fire department or even a department of . Māka’i will NOT replace existing security divisions or police units, which are already in place trying to do their job. Maka’i also, already exist. Our proposal is to develop an operations manual and demonstrate with pilot programs how Maka’i will officially supplement and coordinate with current efforts toward a common objective, using existing funds.
We believe that a change in the way we perceive the duties of those who are protecting us, in this case “us” is the student body and faculty, is an absolute necessity moving forward. Adherence to the Māka’i concept, as well as the purely natural human tendencies associated with another Hawaiian word “Ohana.” will allow Heroes’ Hearts Inc. to help heroes reframe our collective perspective on security using models which have been demonstrated to work.
We will operate independently of financial constraints using already established organizations and funding that will include grants and local support. As the Māka’i will be part of the community, funding through partnerships with the schools in question and coordination with local, state and federal departments and bureaus will be part of the initial pilot program’s job.
In our scenario teachers only teach; students only learn; Maka’i only serve to protect the flock.
Indeed, conflict avoidance is the ultimate goal, as it is always better to avoid conflict before it occurs or even train intensely for dangers, which never materialize rather than react and respond when threats disrupt the daily routines.
The first protectors of the American colonies were called Minutemen. Another modern day example of this concept can be seen in firefighters, lifeguards and even forestry stewards.
Firefighters measure the success of a fire season based upon how FEW fires they had to douse; the most successful lifeguards are those who never have to enter the water because no one ever drowns; the forestry stewardship certification programs use environmentally sound practices to manage the cutting and regrowth of living trees.
We should use as much skill and planning in protecting our children and schools as we do to protect our trees and forests. Similarly to Forestry Stewardship Certification we foresee a strict vetting process and oversight for continued accreditation of every Maka’i.
Our goal—and the goal of every Maka’i therefore—is a clearly defined and observed success, as a predefined and agreed upon by the local students, educators, and program participants who will help to develop the operations manual. The students, teachers, and parents in a community are not only on our team, but we are on theirs, and they are the flock that is our natural inclination to protect.
As always, the best way to teach and implement any successful strategy is by example.
A great leader is served without question. Why? Because by example they have served and worked along side everyone involved. How we learn, implement, and teach a successful strategy and protect those who depend upon us, requires our emphasizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses, and knowing exactly what it is we are aiming to accomplish and demonstrating that we can stick to community-based plan and make what we do clear to everyone.
We have chosen to call our sentinels or shepherds Māka’i. They are NOT vigilantes. They are NOT a secret society or added level of security trained only to react when bullets start flying. Māka’i are imbedded into the community, ready to respond to dangers as a tactically trained individual who is part of a unit, much the same as the shepherds use themselves and other assets to focus their whole attention on the one single purpose of protecting the flock. Māka’i will work with the local police departments, not for them, and they will NOT take on any tangent responsibilities assigned by these or other agencies. They will be focused units designed to function independently, and as part of the larger family of the community, which they protect. In our case the community will be a single school’s students and faculty.
The basic size of an embedded team will depend upon the number of faculty and student body who need protection. A single security guard has proven to be ineffective when multiple points of entry or large numbers make the job undoable. However, no Māka’i ever works alone because they are members of larger units and the community as a whole. Part of a successful effort (initially and otherwise) is to earn the trust of those who we are protecting.
Using the horrible recent Parkland and Houston school shooting incidents as urgent warnings, we believe it is possible that, if there had been such a team assigned and embedded in the school, the loss of life would be have been minimized, if not prevented totally. Recent news stories demonstrate that Māka’i DNA already exists. We merely need to find those heroes whose instinct is protecting others—off duty Marines saving individuals from drowning or retired veterans tackling a shooter on a train demonstrate that we don’t need to wonder where they got their courage to act. Rather, let’s recruit these individuals, reward, and praise them for their continued service.
Māka’i standards, certifications, and outcomes will NOT be based upon any narrow budgetary financial concern.
This means that vice principles and other office staff would not become “safety officers” during lunchtime and coaches, teachers and students would be trained ONLY to support the Māka’i, not become part-time security or hall safety monitors. However, knowing which teacher or staff member is ALSO trained to help in an emergency would be part of the Māka’i responsibility as well.
The team’s members will be recruited using existing agencies but will likely be filled especially by retired veterans. However, we have already started forming a committee of students, politicians, firefighters, educators, lifeguards, crises counselors, medical professionals, closed environment security professionals (museum directors, cruise ship captains, jail staff), police agencies, State militias and National Guards, martial artists, and other specialized well-trained “self-defense” and first responder personnel who have already received training, been in real life threatening situations and are conditioned to run towards all danger, including gunfire without thought.
“The difference between soft and hard, is the difference between being in the right place at the right time, and knowing what to do when you get there.”—from The Five Principles of Everything
Our overseas veterans who have returned from combat would be a valuable resource pool. Since there is already federal money allocated that could cover program development, personnel training materials and additional stipends for this new job designation, the training will be minimal. We would work directly with the Department of Commerce, Veterans Administration, and other already existing programs and agencies to ensure quality and success.
Many returning vets have no self worth and are typically unemployable in other job placements due the stresses experienced in warfare. Recently, an NPR report suggested that a high number of combat veterans are returning home and finding that their most comfortable job direction is firefighting. Firefighters who we’ve recruited already to our committed have said, “Belonging to Māka’i would be very low stress by comparison, but this kind of rewarding, “part of a life and death team” work is very appealing for me and other veterans like me.”.
Using physically disabled/handicapped vets, firefighters, and police officers as over-watch personal is also highly recommended. This program would give them purpose after serving in other capacities while demonstrating that the best weapon in all self- defense is the human brain.
Maka’i will also serve to network and coordinate all existing on site security teams and other first responders. There will be no guessing, no miscommunications or lone peace officers waiting too long for back up.