Our Student Oath

When I was a young belt just starting off I was training in the tae kwon do class on Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in Utah. My instructor was Mr. Harold Cherry. He was thin and small built but he hit you like a brick. At the end of every class he would have us all kneel to clear our minds of anger and violence before we left the class and we would raise our right fists into the air and recite our student oath. It went like this ...

I am a student of tae kwon do.

I will respect my instructors and seniors.

I will never misuse tae kwon do.

I will be a champion of freedom and justice.

I will help to build a more peaceful world.

That was back in 1979. I have never, not once, forgotten the words to this oath. It is the same oath Lionheart students will be reciting at the end of every one of our classes. Peace through preparation. Never violence without a cause.