Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Chuck Norris is not dead, despite many false reports on the net. This is not a living eulogy, just my reflection on one of my childhood movie heroes.

As an 80s kid, I was a huge Chuck and Bruce Lee fan. They were pioneers of the martial arts professional turned actor.

Chuck Norris made his acting debut in the 1969 film The Wrecking Crew. He met and befriended Bruce Lee while competing in martial arts tournaments.

Long before the SEAL community sold its soul to Hollywood with the SOCOM Navy SEALs video game, Spike Lee navy recruiting videos, and A-listers parading through the compound (…and this was long before me and the guys started writing books) there was a Norris movie called The Delta Force. Then came, “Delta Force 2!”

It would appear that Army Special Ops had a love affair with Los Angeles before the Navy SEALs did. Everything cycles in life, markets go up, they come down, and certain military units are in the spotlight one day and in the gutter the next.

But I’m sure Chuck got quite a few candidates to join up from that movie. The cool thing about Hollywood is that great war movies drive recruiting (look at Top Gun!) and why the military routinely cooperates with the industry.

But not always…

I remember talking to Oliver Stone at a small Lower East Side Manhattan Italian joint and he said the military didn’t cooperate when he made Platoon. They didn’t like that he wanted to put the military in an honest light with what really happened in Vietnam.

I would LOVE to make or see a movie that depicts the real Afghanistan. The dark soft underbelly of that war. Americans are ready for it.

Movie making is a tricky business. When we were shopping for the film rights to Steel Fear, a big Hollywood director wanted us to tone down the narrative to make it a more “rah-rah” military movie. John and I were both opposed to this and we rejected the idea.

The problem America faces today is that there are too few heroes for the younger generation. People that truly hold themselves to a higher standard because of their celebrity.

Am I right?

I would hardly classify the Bieber train wreck or the plastic Kardashians as role models but plenty of people young and old are enthralled by their fame. Chuck Norris is a stand-up guy. A true action movie hero.

I’m glad Chuck Norris is not dead but still alive and kicking butt in his 80s.

My favorite Chuck Norris flick? It has to be the 80s masterpiece, Missing in Action. The plot is simple: The government leaves his buddies to waste away in a prisoner of war camp, and along comes Chuck to right a wrong. Sounds a bit like the Benghazi debacle. If you’re interested, a collector’s edition of the film has come out which you can buy here.

Which is your favorite Chuck Norris movie?

One thing that’s not up for debate….the world needs more Chuck Norris types.

As the lyric goes, “Where have all the cowboys (ahem real heroes) gone?”

-Brandon

PS-Want the best calisthenics workout? Check out my Navy SEAL workout here.