Southern Father, Leatherneck Son

Kenneth Strawn was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from Charlotte public schools, served in Viet Nam as a helicopter door gunner, where he received a purple heart, briefly attended Wake Forest University and participated in freshman Football. Dropping out of college, he hitchhiked to California, where he spent several years involved in the counterculture before working for ten years for a computer corporation in San Jose. After a two year sojourn in Portland, Oregon, he returned to North Carolina, achieved a B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, began teaching middle school and coaching football and girls' soccer. While living in California, he began practicing Kendo, a martial art based on Japanese fencing, which he continues to this day.KENDO TRAINING