Joe Lewis PTSD Grant Awarded

This past Saturday at a special Rogue Warrior Championships honoring our veterans, Rogue Warrior Fighting awarded a $1000  Joe Lewis Grant to Bushido MMA of El Paso, Texas.  Bushido MMA is run by and for US Army and US Marine veterans and active duty military – several are wounded combat veterans. “This is exactly the type of training center we are looking to award these grants to. “states Rogue Warrior Executive Producer Howard Petschler. “The grants are given to those martial arts training centers that work with veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. The camaraderie of the training environment and the physical nature of martial arts training helps to relieve the stress of those warriors suffering from PTSD.  These awards are designed to encourage martial arts schools to engage more with our veterans and help them out. I only wish we could do more.”

The presentation of the award was made by the creator and first commander of the US Navy’s elite Seal Team 6, Dick Marcinko. The award is named in memory of the legendary martial artist Joe Lewis. Joe was a Vietnam veteran and US Marine who went on to become the first World Kickboxing Champion.  “Joe took martial arts out of the dojo and into the ring,” explains Petschler. “We keep his accomplishments alive with this award. I’m sure he would be very proud of these warriors here today.”

This was the second Joe Lewis PTSD Grant awarded. The first was to RoufuSport of Milwaukee in September.  RoufuSport had three military fighters participating in Saturday’s Veterans Festival event at the E Center in Laughlin, NV. The event also raised several thousands of dollars for the Stars and Stripes Foundation which aids the wounded and their families.

To find out more about the Rogue Warrior Championships go to fighting.com.