Let me introduce myself.
  
                       Charles M. Dunn
                            Born in Los Angeles, California

     I was the youngest of four children, and when I was only 7 years old, my parents went their seperate ways.  We were raised by a loving Mom, but she didn'g get home from work until very late so we had to fend for ourselves most of the time.  Those lonely days still bring tears to my eyes.

Growing up in a "dog eat dog" South Central neighborhood, I had to dash to the bus stop after school, keeping on the alert for bad boys who were always looking for a fight.  As time went on I started riding the public bus across town to my older sisters apartment, where my Mom would pick me up on her way home from work.  Man...that's when I knew I had to get out of the ghetto!  Everything was new here, nice cars, friendly people, ane very peaceful.  When I graduated elementary school, Mom told my sister and I, we would be moving.  She didn't want me to go to a junior high school that was pretty much run by gang bangers. I miss my Mom!   

Finally, we moved to a nice neighborhood, or so we thought!  The only difference is the boys were bigger and the gangs were tougher, controlled by the notorious "Crips" and "Bloods."  We didn't have enough money for the public bus at the time, so I had to take the long walk to and from school.  It finally got to the point where gang members were threatening my very existence, so I started eating more and lifting weights that were given to me by a next door neighbor.  That was back in the day!  That was when Bruce Lee first came out, and karate gyms were popping up all over the place.  My best friend, Leonard, talked me into watching a karate demonstration after school one day.  I started taking classes right away!  The lessons were grueling, but I was picking up some weight from the big meals and massive training, and as I got better at karate, my instructor would have to grab my ghee to slow down my aggressive sparring.  Once I learned the ropes, I gained some serious confidence.

One night, I was walking home from a friend's house and saw a group of boys coming my way from across the street.  It was a bully, David, who had beat me up in front of my friends several years before.  The two boys with him went to grab me, I trained for that moment.  As soon as I finished the butt whipping on those two.  David started pleading, then begging, "please don't do that to me."  I looked at his pitiful face. Can you believe it?  I felt kind of sorry for him.  I walked away and have never run from anyone since.

Now I'm a father of six beautiful children, and we live in Santa Clarita, California.  

I love God, family, and friends!  Writing about "Heros" is what I do.  Heros are everywhere, and heroic deeds are happening all around us!  Everytime you help someone in need, say a kind word, forgive someone who has made a mistake, those are all the little things that add up to living a heroic life.

Stay in touch, and thanks for checking out my site.

C.M. Dunn    

         "May the peace of Jehovah be with you."