Tallmadge High School
Class of 1966
Donald Ray Bendell
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1966
Don
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TodaySubmitted 12/3/03 Right after graduation, I enlisted in the army and volunteered for Vietnam. I became a green beret and also attended Infantry OCS and became an officer. I served with the 3rd, 6th, and 7th Special Forces Groups at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was the XO of a green beret A-Team in Vietnam with the 5th SF Group in 1968 and 1969, and lived and fought with the Montagnard tribespeople. I was medically-evacuated back to the States in early 1969, and I got out of the army in 1970 as a captain, became a disc jockey, other jobs, and a sales executive. I returned to Fort Bragg in the mid-seventies and opened a tae kwon do, judo, jujitsu school and also taught the martial arts at the Fort Bragg Boxing Club. I returned to Akron in the late seventies and raised the money, wrote, produced, co-starred in, and directed a low budget action/karate motion picture entitled THE INSTRUCTOR in 1980. There was a lot of publicity about it, and it was sold in 184 countries around the world.
I moved to southern Colorado in 1982 and became a cowboy. In 1984/85 I was a licensed Colorado big game guide, but I have always had karate schools, no matter what. My first book was published and released worldwide in 1990, and now it is 21 books and over one and a half million in print later. Last year, I directed and starred in a television pilot entitled COWBOY, and my wife produced and edited it, and we are hoping a series will be picked up out of it. 
We also own a couple karate schools in Colorado and live on the side of a tree-covered mountain on a 200-acre ranch overlooking Canon City, Colorado. My first marriage ended in divorce after 11 years, but Shirley and I married in 1981 and are going strong. I have four sons and two daughters, one grandson, and one grand daughter, and just lost a grand-daughter. My horse's name is Eagle, and he might be ugly, but he's stupid. I now have two grand-daughters. Update 4/3/05 My two youngest sons are now (US Army Special Forces) Green Beret sergeants and left for Iraq together in April, 2008 I'm not proud. Yeah, right! Update 8/25/05 I have a new book coming out from Berkely (PENGUIN). It will be released worldwide in December and is called CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DETACHMENT. I have attached the front/back cover.Update 11/8/05 I now have two granddaughters and two grandsons. Update 7/15/06 Gave you incorrect number about sales of film to foreign countries. It was “164” not “184” (I’m really old you know) I now have 3 grandsons and 2 grand-daughters. My new novel BROKEN BORDERS (Berkley-Penguin) is a sequel to the current one and is being released worldwide this fall or winter.
Blessings,
Don or Shirley Bendell |
