Warrior for Peace Maurice“Termite” Watkins started the Iraqi Olympic boxing team against all odds.
Bio
Meaning of Warrior
Improving relations between ME and West.
On communicating with Iraqis
Why Iraq?
Key Obstacles
What should Americans know?
Getting connected
Bio
Maurice “Termite” Watkins always loved a good fight. At age sixteen, Termite became the nation’s youngest national Golden Gloves champion. He was an astounding amateur, with 128 wins and only ten losses. Termite turned pro his senior year in high school, and set his sights on a world title. His 58 professional wins included 48 knock-outs. In 1980, he fought in Caesar’s Palace for the coveted world title in a double main event that featured Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes. In a fifteen-round brutal fight, Termite lost to champion Saoul Mamby.
Retired from boxing and enjoying a successful sales career, Termite was settled into a suburban life with his family in Deer Park, Texas until the events on 9/11 changed his life. Termite felt an overwhelming desire – he believed it was a calling of God – to serve his country. He asked what he could do for his country. The surprising answer was pest control, the business he’d learned as a child from his father. The coalition needed someone to go into Iraq to rid military camps of snakes, scorpions and bugs. Over his family’s strong objections, Termite headed to Iraq.
Termite’s patriotic service soon spread beyond vipers and flies – he offered boxing classes to soldiers, officers, and aid workers. News spread of this high-energy boxer with the infectious “can-do” attitude. Visionary coalition leader Mike Gfoeller presented an amazing challenge to the Texan: build an Iraqi Olympic boxing team in the middle of war and get them into the Olympics in Athens. Ousted for the unspeakable crimes against its athletes, Iraq had not been in the Olympics in decades. “It was a slim-to-nothing chance, maybe one in a million,” Termite said.
Meeting his team of forgotten, rusty athletes in Baghdad, Termite was unimpressed with their skills but amazed by the hearts of these twenty-four Iraqis. Some arrived without shoes; none had headgear or mouthpieces. “It took tremendous courage for these men to show up on that soccer field to meet an American,” said Termite.
He fell in love with them and put his life at risk every day to help them reach their Olympic dreams. Termite’s incredible perseverance and total devotion to a goal was called upon to overcome daunting obstacles. The quest of this unlikely team and their colorfully charismatic coach inspired the world. At a time of tanks and the toppling of Hussein statues, Termite’s team sent the message of hope and freedom in a war-torn nation. (bio used with permission from website termitewatkins.com)
What does a Warrior for Peace mean to you?
When I think of warriors for peace, I think of taking a stand, of someone who has backbone. We need people who will be strong enough to take a stand in life.
How did you improve the relationship between the Middle East and West in your own way?
My way of building bridges was to show them I cared and to show them love! That’s just who I am. When you first meet me, you’re going to get a big hug, no matter if you’re male, female, black, white, Christian or Muslim! When you smile, everybody else almost always smiles. When you show people love and that you’re concerned about them, they automatically care back.
When I was in Iraq, it was not about “me”. At home in America, it’s so easy to think everything’s about me, me me! When I was in Iraq, all of a sudden, it was about them. And I came home with a different attitude in life. When I put their needs first, all my needs were met as well.
How were you able to communicate with Iraqis?
Even though we didn’t speak the same language, we communicated through the language of humanity and caring. When I saw that they greeted each other by kissing on the cheek, I also greeted them right away with a kiss and a hug. They were surprised, but from that moment on, they knew we were brothers.
Love will break down all barriers and walls. My love for the Iraqi people is true. I hope to go back and I’d love to take a trip from one side of the country to the other and hold a series of town hall meetings. I want to tell the people the same thing I told my boxing team…that we’re all the same. We all want the same thing. We all want freedom. I care about them and believe in them. When I told my team this and they knew I believed it, there was not anything they would not do for me. For example, at several events, the team circled around me because they had heard there were threats on my life. They told me, “If they’re going to kill you, then they’re going to have to kill us first.” These guys were willing to lay down their lives for me. And I have to say honestly, I believe I would also lay down my life for them.
What inspired you to go to Iraq?
When the idea first came to me to go work in Iraq, I thought it was crazy. I had a good job and good salary right here in Texas! But the next day, I truly believe God spoke to me, telling me that it was my time to do my part, that it was my time to be a servant. The message brought me to tears. My wife was skeptical at first when I told her about it. She pointed out that in every business I’ve been involved in, people were catering to me, not the other way around—in my boxing career, and in the auto business. And true to that intuition, I served–and in a very humbling way. When I first got to Iraq, I was a pest inspector, which meant that I not only got rid of bugs, but I had to clean toilets and clean floors. I did all this with a service heart. It got me to thinking, “What if we all had a servant’s heart? What difference would that make in the world?”
So, I went over there with the intent to be a servant. But that doesn’t mean you have to be meek and lowly. At one point, I took a stand against the Commanding General at the base where I was stationed, and in so doing, won his respect, which opened up the way for me to train an Iraqi boxing team.
Suddenly, my challenge was much bigger and broader. It was, “Get an Iraqi team to the Olympics!” The General believed sports was a great way to build unity and help Iraq by building confidence and pride in their country. I trained the boxing team and became an advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sport. I didn’t know how I would get the team to the Olympics, but I knew I had to. I convinced the International Olympic Committee to agree that if I put together a team, then we could field a group for the Olympics. This would be the first time Iraqis would have competed in over 30 years! We organized a box-off in Karbala, Iraq, and the winners made the Olympic team. It was so exciting.
What were some of the key obstacles you faced in your experience?
A big challenge for me was when my close friend, Fern Holland, was assassinated. Fern worked tirelessly on Iraqi women’s issues and was passionate about her cause and about the Iraqi people. Very soon before she killed in an ambush, she turned to me with a concerned look, and said, “Termite, I wonder who’s going to go first, you or me. We both have such a passion for helping the Iraqi people and it’s going to get us killed.” Not long after that, we were informed we were no longer able to have a security detail, but we knew that we couldn’t do our job if we could not leave our compound and be amongst the Iraqi people, so we made the conscious decision to go out anyway. And unfortunately, Fern was killed shortly after.
What is one of the most important things you wished Americans knew about Iraq or Iraqis?
The biggest thing Americans should know is that Iraqis are just normal people, like you or me. They want hope; they’re looking for opportunity and freedom. We can’t lump them all together and label them as “bad”. Probably only ten percent fall into that category, and heck, we have about that number here in America. We shouldn’t judge all Iraqis or Muslims by the bad ones. Just like we shouldn’t judge Christians by the televangelists on TV. Just give people a chance.
Another message I long to give America is to take our focus off of ourselves. If we would put our focus on other people, it’s amazing what can happen. We should be thinking, “What can we do for somebody else?” Forget about us. What can we do to help them?
How can Americans get more connected, learn more, and promote peace?
The easiest way to do that is by showing love. Love conquers all! Also, it’s so easy to connect. I am a devout Christian, and have very, very strong Christian beliefs, but even so, I went to a mosque in Colorado and prayed with them. I was in a Muslim country and prayed with Muslims together in the same room. They prayed in their way and I prayed in mine. We can have different beliefs and still coexist.
