One Marine warehouseman from Combat Service Support Group 3 doesn't just kick boxes all day. At night he trades in his utility gear for some Muay Thai satin shorts and two 10-ounce kickboxing gloves.
Sergeant Monserrat Mendez, a warehouse noncommissioned officer with Organic Property Supply, has been training and fighting as an amateur kickboxer for three years.
His interest in the sport began in April 1999, six months after checking into his first duty station, Marine Air Control Squadron 1, at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The native of Long Beach, Calif., was going through personal problems when he came across an advertisement in the base newspaper for Marines interested in training and competing with the Camp Pendleton kickboxing team.
"I saw kickboxing as a way to relieve stress and frustration from family problems I had at the time," said Mendez. "It was my way to let it all out."
He then decided to attend his first practice. When he arrived, team captain Ricardo Sanders greeted him and asked about his prior martial arts experience.
Mendez had no prior experience but still replied, "I have plenty of martial arts experience."
Sanders sent Mendez into the ring for his first fight - unprepared. A very tense, but determined Mendez stepped into the ring but lost the fight.
"I went into the ring with a lot of frustration," Mendez said. "But I left stress-free and with two black eyes. After finding the stress-relief I needed, I ended the fight craving the challenge of proving to myself that I could be a successful kickboxer."
He began training twice a day, three times a week - the morning consumed with physical training, the evening with the rest of the team.
One month after beginning his training routine, Mendez competed in his first amateur tournament in Tijuana, Mexico. Out of 15 kickboxers participating in the featherweight division, Mendez placed second. He then decided to accept two exhibition fights, tying in one, losing the other.
It was a little frustrating, Mendez said, but he kept on training.
In June 2000, he participated in the International Kickboxing Federation's South-West Regional Tournament. He won his weight class and decided he felt ready to compete in the IKF U.S. Nationals in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in Aug. 2000. His extensive training placed him third in the competition.
"I felt real proud of my accomplishment," said Mendez, "especially knowing that I was one of the best at what I do."
After the Nationals, Mendez decided to take time off from competing.
"I needed to rest and recuperate from injuries that had not properly healed from prior tournaments," he said. "During my recovery I transferred to K-Bay."
After an 18-month, layoff, a conversation with his new trainer, Hanshi (grand master) Leon D. Wright, revived his interest in the sport and art of kickboxing.
"Meeting Hanshi Wright sparked an old interest, but led me to a new and valuable challenge," said Mendez. "I have been training several times a week getting ready for my next competition."
Mendez' next tournament will be a local IKF at the Neil Blaisdell Center in downtown Honolulu, slated for Dec. 12.
"I hope to see all my friends from K-Bay there," said Mendez.