Since 2010, USMC Sergeant Major (ret.) E. L. Mayfield along with military personnel, veterans, and supporters make an annual pilgrimage from North Carolina to various war memorials throughout Washington, D.C. In his full dress blues, SgtMaj (ret.) Mayfield ceremoniously pays tribute to the fallen military servicemen and servicewomen, active duty personnel, veterans, their families and supporters, and first-responders.
In the frigid temperatures, sleet, freezing rain, and snow of March 1, 2015 the SgtMaj and members of the Military Outreach Judo & Ju Jitsu Organization, Inc. (MOJJJO, Inc.) paid honorable tribute in full USMC regalia. At each of their three stops — Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and United States Marine Corps War Memorial — they performed a sacred Ceremony of the Ashes.
Ceremony of the Ashes
With great respect, a ceremonial processional march is performed to their destination with an urn containing consecrated ashes. The ashes were once pieces of papers bearing the names of military service members, intentions, and hopes. At each stop, a portion of those ashes are scattered to the wind after a brief, meditative pause. The ceremony ends with a salute and recessional. I was impacted by the deep, meditative respect in their eyes — the gravity of their thoughts, memories, and intentions — that penetrated their precise, disciplined movements.
By the end of their tribute, the three Marines in full USMC regalia were soaked through and freezing. Only at the very end, when we were shaking hands and exchanging gratitude did they mention being cold and soaked. You’d never know it by looking at them.
MOJJJO, Inc.
MOJJJO is a non-profit organization based out of Jacksonville, NC that serves the military and civilian communities to facilitate mutual welfare and maximum reward for effort via the Japanese martial art of Judo. MOJJJO also helps combat veterans battle the effects of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) — a “hidden wound” — through martial arts training. SgtMaj (ret.) Mayfield is a Vietnam veteran who has an intimate understanding of the effects close-quarters combat has on soldiers as well as the effectiveness of judo to preserve one’s life when in extreme danger, “It works.”
Judo isn’t just about effective combat and self-defense techniques, but it is really about self-cultivation through the discipline and community of the martial art. Through judo training, the practitioner quickly realizes that he/she must be in control of themselves before being effective. This along with the partner-centric training — you can’t really do Judo without a willing partner — instills a sense of mutual benefit. PTSD is a condition where the sufferer feels a loss of control and often times feels isolated. Judo is a direct contradiction to those problems and why it is at the core of MOJJJO.
OUTSTANDING! Thank you for your service. Most individuals would have begged off under the extreme weather conditions that we had to endure. However, those in battle may complain but they held the lines and accomplished the missions. MOJJJO Salutes you, Mr. Sone. The Mayfields & the MOJJJO Family