The Adventurer’s Club
Jim Wagner
On February 15, 2008 I received an email from Paul T. Isley III who is the Program Chairman of The Adventurer’s Club of Los Angeles. He invited me to give a speech for his organization; a private men’s club which has been around since 1922. Paul said that my life’s work was just the kind of story that the club members wanted to hear; people who have taken risks and living their lives “off the beaten path.” He wanted me to speak on how the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system came about, and what kind of adventures I had had in various countries teaching my system. Paul told me that many great men had given speeches at the club such as John Goddard who was the ultimate American adventurer, Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle who led the first bombing raid over Tokyo Japan in World War II, Astronaut Gordon Cooper, Walter Ehlers the last living Congressional Medal of Honor winner from World War II, Norway’s Raoul Amundsen who won the race to the South Pole, and recently Russia’s Anatoly Sagalevich who designed the submersibles that were used to film the Titanic, and Bob Gilliland who was the test pilot for the SR-71 Black Bird and flew every one of them built.
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John told me that every member that would attend my speech would be an extraordinary man in his own right including test pilots, men who have climbed Mount Everest, several who have stepped foot on the North Pole, great African hunters, and those who have gone to the deepest parts of the sea in submarines like himself. John said in his email to me, “We would love to learn from the common sense approach to self-defense for which you have become renowned.”
Once I took a look at their website I was hooked and accepted the invitation. I wanted to meet some of these daring men. Plus, how many private men’s club are there left anymore in America with political correctness invading almost every nook and cranny of society? This was something I wanted to experience, plus it gave me the opportunity to talk about my Reality-Based concepts and system.
On Thursday, their normal meeting day, August 7 at 6 pm I had dinner with the boys. The stories around my table were incredible. We had and underwater photographer, a submersible explorer, a mountain climber, and a test pilot who was celebrating his 94th birthday. At 8 pm I gave my speech until 9 pm; the longest formal speech I had ever given in my life, and I used to compete in speech contests back when I was and advertising executive. Then from 9:30 pm to 10:00 pm it was Question and Answer time. Finally, I ended the night signing my latest book. To my surprise I was awarded a certificate that read:
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Expressing grateful appreciation to Jim Wagner for the interesting, informative, and entertaining program “Reality Based Combat” the evening of August 7, 2008, thus furthering the objectives of promoting the exchange and dissemination of knowledge between those who have had adventures “off the beaten path.”
Then they gave me a shoulder patch and a small plaque with my name and a bronze logo of the club mounted on it.
The entire experience was fantastic, and it was an honor being there. I have always loved adventures, and now I am officially recognized as one.
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