Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,— One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm.

Paul Revere played a critical role in America’s Revolutionary War. This statue of him is one of the many treasures along the Freedom Trail in Boston, honoring him and the many patriots whose courage and vision birthed a free nation. You can read a biography about Paul Revere, his house, Midnight Ride, Silver Shop, Foundry, as well as the Freedom Trail in Boston.

America’s history is rich in martial warfare. The American Revolution freed us from England and allowed America to become a nation whose freedom has been revered and prized the world over. Freedom gained at the expense of great courage, vision and, unfortunately, bloodshed. Pictured here in the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, is a statue of General George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, who led the Colonial Army against the British.

Pictured is Grandmaster Richard Andrew King, founder of the Kiado-Ryu system and the Karate Institute of America, known to his students as “Mr. King” or, simply, “sir.” Most weeks, Mr. King is in charge of selecting a photo, but this week he is taking a much-deserved holiday and has left the duty to someone else. Thus he becomes the unwitting subject of this week’s photo highlight. Needless to say, without Mr.

Pictured here is the main gate of the Shaolin Monastery in Henan, China. The Shaolin Temple is the seed of the Karate Institute of America. From this revered iconic structure, the art of kenpō—meaning “fist law or fist rule”—was born. From kenpō, the KIA curriculum was developed and expanded to create its artistic and technical breadth, depth, and diversity.

Matt Emig is not a KIA student, but he is one hot nunchacku expert. Check out his double nunchaku kata at the 2007 Twin Towers Classic. It’s fun to watch. For those of you who are nunchacku experts, check out the small number of chain links and the width of the chuck handles. These are the reasons for the speed of the weapons in his routine.