Seminar: Lameco SOG Eskrima and Kali Ilustrisimo with Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Guro Dino Flores. Las Vegas, Nevada. March 23rd, 2018

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Seminar: Lameco SOG Eskrima and Kali Ilustrisimo with Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Guro Dino Flores. Las Vegas, Nevada. March 23rd, 2018.       Guro Dino and Guro Ariel have been training partners since the 1980′s. They first began teaching seminars together in the 1990′s in Wahington State, Oregon, Nevada and California. About Guro Ariel: Traditional Arts for a Modern World!Master Ariel F. Mosses has over 30 years of Filipino Martial Arts experience. He has trained under the watchful eyes and close supervision of three legendary Grandmasters: Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame Grandmaster Conrad A. Manaois, the late Grandmaster Christopher “Topher” Ricketts of Kali Ilustrisimo, and the late Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima International.Master Ariel F. Mosses is the Vice President and Chief Instructor for Manaois Systems International. Master Mosses holds an 8th degree black belt in Kali Jukune Do, as well as an 8th level Master Instructor in Manaois Eskrima.He is an authorized Senior Instructor in Lameco S.O.G., and an authorized Senior Instructor in Kali Ilustrisimo C.N.R. Master Mosses is enshrined in the Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and is a proud member of Kapisanang Mandirigma, a Federation of warriors from different disciplines of the Warrior Arts of the Philippines.Master Mosses is a certified Nevada CCW instructor.Trained by LEGENDS of Filipino CombatThe Filipino Warrior Tradition is founded upon honoring and preserving the knowledge passed on though our teachers. Each generation of students should seek to maintain the virtues and the original intent of his teachers’ systems of combat. These are the teachers and friends who have directly trained Master Mosses.Grand Master Conrad A. ManaoisGrand Master Christopher “Topher” RickettsPunong Guro Edgar G. Sulite   Close Ties: Family, Honor, TraditionMaster Mosses has close ties with the influential trainers and practitioners in FMA today. This close knit group forms a small community, frequently training together to keep the tradition ALIVE, VIBRANT, and TRUE to its roots. Master Mosses’s cousin, Guro Dino Flores, shares in this long history of training and sparring together.They began their formal training in the 1980′s with Grandmaster Henry Bio, of Sikaran Arnis. Both Master Mosses and Guro Flores also trained in the NINOY CINCO TEROS Arnis style with Grand Master Conrad A. Manaois.Each also trained directly with Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite. Guro Dino was accepted as an initial member of Sulite’s newly formed BACKYARD GROUP, AKA The Sulite Oriehenal Group (S.O.G.) into which Master Mosses became an honorary member.Master Mosses soon relocated to Washington State, where Punong Guro Sulite made Master Mosses his head representative for the state. Over the years, Punong Guro spent many weeks at Master Mosses’s home where he PERSONALLY trained Master Mosses. He became Master Mosses’s close friend and mentor. Today, Master Mosses continues to teach his beloved instructor’s Lameco Eskrima in its pure form.Guro Flores and Master Mosses also trained for many years under Grand Master Christopher N. “Topher” Ricketts until his passing in 2010.   https://ariel-mosses.squarespace.com   About Guro Dino: Guro Dino trained for many years with Grandmaster Conrad A. Manaois in Ninoy Cinco Teros Arnis and Master Henry Bio in Sikaran Arnis in the 1980′s along with his cousins Ariel Flores Mosses and Choy Flores. In the early 1990′s he was accepted as an initial member of Punong Guro Edgar Sulites’ newly forming Backyard Group AKA the Sulite Oriehenal Group At the recommendation of Punong Guro Sulite, Guro Dino first visited Master Christopher Ricketts in the Philippines in 1995 and was introduced to his perspective on the Warrior Arts.  Since the passing of Punong Guro Sulite,  he has continuously train in Kali Ilustrisimo Under Master Christopher Ricketts, who gave Guro Dino permission to teach his method before his passing. Guro Dino was the Lameco representative for Master Ricketts and a member of Bakbakan Philippines sponsored by Master Ricketts. Guro Dino continues his training in Master Ricketts method of training with his two sons, the young Masters Bruce and Guro Brandon Ricketts. Masters Bruce Ricketts and Guro Brandon Ricketts are now officially the head of the late Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts “Ilustrisimo” organization which strives to preserve the purity of the art. Guro Dino additionally had good fortune to experience training in Kali Ilustrisimo with Dodong Sta. Iglesia, Grandmaster Rey Galang, Grandmaster Yuli Romo and Grandmaster Tony Diego. He also trained in Kali Ilustrisimo with one of his training partners and fellow Lameco Backyard member Guro Hans Tan, who was certified to teach Kali Ilustrsimo under Master Tony Diego.Additionally Guro Dino trained privately for several years in California and the … [Read more...]

“CHARGE!” PHILIPPINE SCOUTS AND THE LAST HORSE CAVALRY CHARGE: By: Dwight Jon Zimmerman

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    “CHARGE!” PHILIPPINE SCOUTS AND THE LAST HORSE CAVALRY CHARGE: By: Dwight Jon Zimmerman Courtesy of: 1st Filipino Regiment, U.S. Army, 1942-1946 Facebook Group. A place for the children of the men of the Regiments to gather to honor and share memories of their Fathers with each other. The only way we will be able to keep the Regiments' legacy alive is to be able to pass on the stories of the men who served to the children who will follow us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/laginguna1942/about/   “CHARGE!” PHILIPPINE SCOUTS AND THE LAST HORSE CAVALRY CHARGE: By: Dwight Jon Zimmerman On January 3rd, 1942, Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma’s 14th Japanese Army captured the Philippine capital of Manila and was threatening to cut off the strategic retreat of Lt. Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s American and Philippine troops to the Bataan peninsula. To prevent this disastrous possibility, the elite Philippine Scouts were given the dangerous task of fighting a delaying action. Organized in 1901 and commanded and trained by U.S. Army officers, the Philippine Scouts originally fought rebellious Moros who lived in the southern Philippine islands. By the time of the Japanese invasion, the 12,000-strong Philippine Scouts had a reputation of being a crack unit. Twenty-four (24) year old Lt. Edwin Price Ramsey was one of the American officers attached to the Philippine Scouts, serving as the commanding officer of a platoon in the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts). Born in Illinois, raised in Kansas, Ramsey had graduated from the Oklahoma Military Academy, where he developed a love for polo. In June 1941, he volunteered for service with the 26th Cavalry because he had heard they “had an excellent polo club.” Shortly after the Japanese landed in December 1941, Ramsey’s platoon was ordered north, where it conducted vital reconnaissance and assisted in rear guard skirmishes. On January 15th, 1942, Ramsey and his troops were looking forward to some rest and relaxation following a demanding reconnaissance mission. But a counterattack was being planned, and because he was intimately familiar with the region, he volunteered to assist in the assault. Then things took a different turn. Maj. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, commander of II Corps, wanted to make the Japanese-held village of Moron (now Morong), strategically located on the west coast of the Bataan Peninsula, the anchor for a defensive line stretching inland to the rugged Mount Natib. On the morning of January 16th, Wainwright ordered Ramsey to take an advance guard into Morong. Ramsey assembled a 27-man force composed of mounted platoons from the 26th Cavalry and headed north along the main road leading to Morong. Upon reaching the Batalan River that formed part of Morong’s eastern border, Ramsey’s unit swung west and cautiously approached the seemingly deserted village, composed of grass huts suspended on stilts, with the livestock living beneath the structures. The only stone building was the Catholic Church, located in the middle of the village. At the village outskirts, Ramsey reorganized his force into squads and ordered a four-man point unit to lead them in. As the point unit approached the village center, it came under fire from a Japanese advance guard that had just crossed the bridge spanning the river. Ramsey saw in the distance lead elements of the main force beginning to ford the river. If the Japanese troops managed to reach the village in force, Ramsey knew that his outnumbered troops would be overwhelmed. Ramsey then decided to do something the U.S. Army hadn’t attempted in more than fifty (50) years – launch a horse cavalry charge against an enemy in war. Ramsey quickly signaled his men to deploy into forager formation. Then he raised his pistol and shouted, “Charge!” With troops firing their pistols, the galloping cavalry horses smashed into the surprised enemy soldiers, routing them. Ramsey quickly signaled his men to deploy into forager formation. Then he raised his pistol and shouted, “Charge!” With troops firing their pistols, the galloping cavalry horses smashed into the surprised enemy soldiers, routing them. At a cost of only three (3) men wounded, Ramsey and his men then held off the Japanese until reinforcements arrived. Ramsey received the Silver Star for his action at Morong. He later fought in the Philippines as a guerrilla, and received numerous decorations. He was discharged in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Sadly the horses in Ramsey’s unit did not survive long. In early March 1942, with troop rations running low and animal fodder almost gone, Wainwright ordered all horses and mules slaughtered for food. Among the horses was Wainwright’s prize jumper, Joseph Conrad. After issuing the order, adding that Joseph Conrad be the first killed, Wainwright turned away and strode back to his command trailer, his eyes filling with tears. *** The … [Read more...]