[Kasik]

Those are the facts, the documents, the history from FOIA and National Archives.

The from the Echanis Family.

And it explains the origin of the photo posted on this thread.

It's pretty interesting how some only focus on "wear of the beret" or other cosmetics -

Glossing over what the guy's actual combat record and awards / decorations.

Does anyone with the E/C Company Ranger Association know if any of the other four rangers wounded with Echanis are still alive? That would be interesting to know.

I concur with Art Gitlin, long time Sigung and one of the old San Francisco school of martial artists and instructors "back in the day"..

"I never like discussing Mike because it drives me crazy to hear all these people who now claim to have known or trained with him and so on. I've had people mention his name and say, "Ah, he wasn't so tough." Yeah, right. Now that he's dead everyone is willing to say how not so tough he was. It makes me sick, you know what I mean?" - Art Gitlin, February 1996, interview with Michael de Alba/Fighting Knives Magazine

SGM Jake Jakovenko (Retired) and Master Chief Bob Nissley, both who knew Echanis well, would agree.

Little known fact. After an H2H demonstration in Puerto Rico where Echanis and Jakovenko, according to Jake, beat the crap out of each other Echanis later contacted Grand Master Joo Bang Lee, described the event and recommended Jake be promoted to Black Belt in Hwa Rang Do. Which he was. Prior to that Jakovenko was a brown belt in jiu jitsu.

Echanis was tough enough to both earn and give rank when he worked for both our community and Naval Special Warfare (ST2) in '76/'78.

Just a neat historical note.