Olathe — One Kansas teen-ager is looking forward to taking on a personal role in the fight against terrorism.
Travis Boggs, 19, normally teaches martial arts to children and adults as head instructor at Boggs' Kenukan Academy of Self-Defense in Olathe. Soon, he'll be teaching flight attendants and frequent fliers, who in larger numbers are taking up self defense since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Boggs is one of six people in the country who in November took part in the two-day training course for instructors of a new program called America In Defense. The program is designed to teach flight attendants and frequent fliers how to combat terrorism in the skies.
"Basically, when we heard about the attacks on Sept. 11, we knew since we were martial artists, we had a big, untapped resource for airline personnel," Boggs said.
The program was started by World Black Belt Inc. shortly after the attacks. During the California training session, some questioned if Boggs could effectively lead others through the program because of his age, he said.
"He said, 'You're looking at a 19-year-old who's ready to defend the borders of the United States and our friendly skies,"' said Bob Boggs, Travis' father. "He said the right things.
Travis Boggs, who has had 17 years of martial arts training, graduated at the top of the first America In Defense class and will be the director of the program in the Kansas City area.
Directors were personally selected by Bob Wall and the founders of World Black Belt.
For his courses in the Kansas City area, Boggs soon will receive some airplane mock-ups, similar to ones used in the film industry.
"There's nothing like teaching the flight attendants in their actual environment," he said. "When those get out here I'll have the resources I'll need to start pulling in people to work with them."
Boggs soon will be screening black belts in the Kansas City area to attend training in California to qualify as America In Defense instructors.
In his courses, Boggs anticipates working with 20 people a day up to six days a week. He said it was gratifying to know that what he teaches his students could possibly save lives.
"Whenever I teach, I'm always aware of the fact that what I teach could save lives," he said. "With this A.I.D. thing, it just brings this to a whole new level."
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