You Win Some, You Lose One
Dad, on the boxing team
For UW Madison,
Didn’t realize he
Was in training for combat.
He wasn’t huge, but he
Proved one tough local kid.
Growing up, his nickname
Was Beanpole, so you know he
Must have been quite thin.
But he punched like someone
Twice his size. He bulked up some with
Training there, but not like
The muscle he put on
After he was drafted by
The Army for service
In World War II. Between
Basic training and time spent
In paratrooper school,
He came out in the best
Shape of his life, the weight he
Put on then, solid muscle.
This served him well fighting
Not only in combat against
The Nazi’s, but with men
He served with, he said.
Being the lone Asian in the
82nd Airborne
Resulted in racial
Animosity enough with
Caucasians to keep him
In great fist fighting shape,
But worse yet, as a Staff Sergeant
He drew even more ire
From some serving under
Him, resulting more fistfights.
Aware my dad never
Lost, his Lieutenant once said
Whatever plane Lee flies on, you
Can be sure everyone will
Jump, because if some won’t
Hank Lee will kick them out the door.
And dad had to sometimes.
If having to use his
Boxing skills during the war
Wasn’t enough, Dad said,
He had even more fights
After the war when he returned
To finish his B.S.,
The attitude toward
Asians had decidedly turned
Ugly, every one seen
As a Jap to beat up.
But, Dad said, it was never
Worse than when he studied
At SMU for his
Executive MBA. If
He thought racism
Racist attacks were bad
In Madison, Dad said, ‘let me
Tell you in Texas it
Felt like I had more fights
Than in the war and Madison
Combined. I’m lucky I
Got out of there alive.
My dad was not someone given
To exaggeration.
When he taught me to box
My dad gave me three pieces
Of advice I carry
With me until today:
One, untrained fighters will often
Swing wide, so get inside
As quickly as you can,
Thus limiting their punching
Power while pummeling them.
Two, if more than one comes
At you, knock down the biggest guy
First. This usually
Will end the fight right then.
Three, practice boxing as a righty
And as a southpaw.
In a street fight you
Won’t know until it happens what
The guy’s weak side is,
So be strong from both sides.
A good teacher who never lost,
I idolized my dad.
One fight, however, I
Know he lost had nothing to do
With any fistfight.
I think. My dad wanted
To name my Jeffrey Lynn after
His best friend in the war.
My mom wanted to name me
For Lanning Budd, her favorite
Upton Sinclair hero,
And Christophersen, her
Maiden name. So, you know who
Won that little battle.
Lanning Lee 