I didn’t enlist in the Coast Guard chasing glory. I enlisted because I was leaving. As a young man unsure of my direction, I was drawn to structure. After working under a demanding German mechanic who valued precision above comfort, I learned that standards build competence. Still, life felt uncertain, so I called the recruiter.

My first duty station was aboard a polar-class icebreaker homeported in Seattle, Washington. Icebreakers aren’t built for speed. They’re built for impact. They have thick, reinforced hulls and a blunt bow designed to withstand heavy force. When the ice is too thick to push through, the ship uses a “back-and-ram” maneuver — reversing to gain momentum, then driving forward to break the ice. Icebreakers can force their way through ice up to 22 feet thick.

You knew when you were in the ice. The grinding steel would wake you in the middle of the night, but the mission didn’t stop. You coffeed up and turned to.

Boot camp stripped away my ego, and pressure revealed my character. In boot camp, a four-inch strip of polished chrome ran across the floor. It had to stay spotless. You didn’t step on it — you stepped over it. Later, on the ship, you stepped over real watertight hatches for safety. Discipline became habit before it ever became a necessity.

At the USCG Rescue Station Calumet Harbor, I learned integrity under authority. That station taught me what integrity truly means.

Years later, with the guidance of my instructors and mentors, I refined my leadership and integrated it into KarateBuilt Grand Rapids. I kept the structure, standards, and attention to detail I learned in the military, but I left intimidation behind.

In my dojo, that same focus carries through:

• Proper structure — strong foundation before force
• Beginning Position — preparation before action
• Full chamber — complete commitment to movement
• Focused eyes — awareness beyond the immediate target
• Controlled breath — calm under pressure
• Holding the stance longer — strength built through discomfort

The details matter. They always have.

Strength, as I define it now, is steadiness. It is staying calm when the school is broken into. It is pivoting to online classes during a pandemic.

Looking back:

• Boot camp taught resilience.
• Antarctica taught perspective.
• USCG Rescue Station Calumet Harbor taught integrity.

The military forged the steel, and martial arts tempered it.

When I enlisted, I thought I was running away from my life, and ended up in Antarctica. The sound of steel being forged isn’t much different than a ship grinding through ice — pressure reshaping metal under force.

Looking back, I wasn’t running away.

I was being forged.

Dwayne L. Flees is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, author of Life Stinks When Your Kid’s a Jerk, and Sr. Chief Instructor of KarateBuilt Grand Rapids. He has taught martial arts in the West Michigan area for over 20 years, focusing on discipline, integrity, and steady leadership under pressure. In addition to operating his martial arts academy, he serves as a College Assistant Instructor in Criminal Justice, bringing real-world military and leadership experience into the classroom.