The explosion of practice mortars sent Army Spc. Kade Williams into panic attacks, and nightmares plagued his sleep. The ravages of post-traumatic stress had left the veteran of the war in Afghanistan vulnerable, and he was desperate for help. But sitting silently on the floor with his eyes closed while listening to a soft-spoken instructor tell him to find a focal point by pressing on his lower stomach as guitar music hums in the background? That seemed a bit far-out. Until he tried it. "I will be the first one to admit that I was wrong," Williams said. Warriors have long used such practices to improve concentration and relaxation - dating back more than 1,000 years to the techniques of the samurai. Here at Camp Lejeune and a few other U.S. military bases, such meditation now comes with a name: Warrior Mind Training.

Long thought to be some of the greatest individual warriors in history, the samurai never went to battle without being fully prepared. This included not only training the body for the rigors of combat, but also training the mind. The oriental martial arts see the mind as the warriors greatest weapon. By using this weapon a warrior could not only be a better fighter but was also able to remove himself from the battle after the battle was over. In an age where we are distracted by so many instruments and incidents going on around us being able to focus can save the life of our soldiers. Should this be required of all troops before they are sent to battle?

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