My Uncle Phil Messina is a decorated retired NYPD. He is the first and only man to have won the Susan B. Anthony award for community service.
I AM VERY PROUD OF HIM!
PRESS RELEASES
New York, November 1, 2005:
Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Recognizes 20 Years of Service
Ø Phil Messina and Elizabeth Kennedy both honored as First Civilian Awardees by the Prestigious Foundation
Philip Messina, President of Modern Warrior® Inc, and Elizabeth Kennedy, Vice President, were both honored to be awarded the Civilian Service Award at a ceremony on October 27, where former President Clinton followed as the keynote speaker. Dignitaries and luminaries in both government and business were present at the luncheon where the awardees presented in front of the dais, and where their “commitment to excellence and dedication” to the Law Enforcement Community was noted.
Vice Admiral John Cotton, presenter of the Annual Awards, noted about the Awardees, "These people are the Best of the Best." He talked about how important it is to remember to honor those who "fight the home game" to protect the homeland while our brothers and sisters fight the "away game" overseas.
The Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, which presented the awards, is a nonprofit organization that recognizes the accomplishments of federal law enforcement officers. This is the first time in the organization’s 18 year history that a retired law enforcement officer (Messina is retired from NYPD) and a civilian (Kennedy) have been recipients of an award from the foundation.
Through their business Modern Warrior®, a school which provides training to law enforcement and civilians, both at their facility in NY and on the road, Messina and Kennedy have given over one hundred thousand dollars worth of scholarships over the years to persons who needed training, but couldn’t afford it. Their selfless commitment and dedication to their community is well known locally. This award demonstrates that their hard work has not gone unnoticed by the greater law enforcement community.
“It is quite an unexpected honor,” stated Kennedy. “I hope that this award will encourage others to show their appreciation for the law enforcers who put their lives on the line for us everyday!”
Messina is more pragmatic. “When you care about cops, they know it. When you care about keeping honest citizens safe, they sense it. And when you teach others to do the same, it creates a ripple that makes a difference.”
For more information on Phil Messina, Elizabeth Kennedy, or Modern Warrior® Inc., visit www.ModernWarrior.com or call 631-226-8383
Philip J. Messina is President of Modern Warrior Defensive Tactics Institute in Lindenhurst, NY and was highly decorated in the N.Y.P.D in both plainclothes and uniformed assignments. Mr. Messina had the highest arrest productivity in the 1977 anti-crime experiment (A.C.E.) averaging better than one felony arrest for each patrol day, and was the first training officer for the largest community oriented patrol program in the USA (C.P.O.P.) He is currently certified as an instructor or instructor trainer in over a dozen defensive tactics and self defense systems. He has taught defensive tactics for over 20 years, has a martial arts background of over 38 years, and has written numerous articles on martial arts, defensive tactics, and self defense training, both nationally and internationally.
Phil has been featured numerous times on national and international TV, radio and in newspapers and magazines. He presently holds over 300 decorations, community service awards and letters of commendation, including the Award for Moral Courage, presented by the National Institute of Ethics in May, 2000. Since retiring in July 1987 from the Research and Development section of Police Commissioner's Office, N.Y.P.D. (where he served as a training officer and supervisor) Phil Messina has conducted training seminars for police trainers and officers from all over the U.S. and abroad. Messina is currently an active member of the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, as well as the Illinois Tactical Officers Association. He is proud to serve on the Advisory Board of ILEETA.
An active member of the American Women's Self Defense Association, Phil Messina was appointed as Strategy and Tactics Consultant for the non-profit organization after developing and certifying the Free Rape Prevention Course currently offered by A.W.S.D.A. as a community service. He is the first male recipient of the prestigious Susan B. Anthony Award.
Messina has been a staff instructor for the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, Illinois Tactical Officer’s Association, the Canadian Use of Force Conference, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice and numerous other local, state and federal law enforcement organizations and agencies. He has been an expert witness on several important criminal and civil cases and is a staff consultant for FYSD Associates, civilian and law enforcement training specialists.
In 1989 Messina was honored to be the first American martial artist invited to demonstrate his training techniques at the Shoalin Temple Wu Shu Training Center in Henan Province, Mainland China. He has since been featured both on Chinese and Japanese public television on several occasions, as well as Australian television.
In 1996, after serving as Chairman of its Integrity Support Program, Mr. Messina was elected to the Board of Directors of C.A.P.P., the Concerned Alliance for Professional Policing.
Mr. Messina’s unique research and methodology has led to the development of key concepts now being used in defensive tactics training including Goal Oriented Training™, Time Framing™, Combat Stress Conditioning™, Environmental Stress Conditioning™, and Physio-kinetic Control Tactics™.
