According to the Kontei Judo Website, Jack Albert Stern served overseas in the Korean war and garnered his martial arts training while stationed there. Below is a quote from the website's lineage page
"Jackie Albert Stern, affectionately known as "Papasan," he
started his Martial Arts career in 1947 while in the US Military in Chinhae,
Korea, in Korean Yudo under Sensei Tae Ju Chung. After one year, Stern's unit
was moved to Northern Luzon in the Philippines where he trained under Berabe
Paragas in “Stick Fighting” for 2 years. Then he was transferred again, this
time to Okinawa and Japan where he trained under O'Sensei Yamaguchi Gogen in
Goju Ryu Karate for 8 months. In Japan, he also trained at the Kodokan under
Mifune Kyuzo and earned his black belt in Judo, as well as trained in
Kyokushinkai Karate under Grandmaster Mas Oyama at the main Hombu in Tokyo. In
1956, he was discharged from the military and stayed in Japan, living with the
Otani Family while continuing his studies in the arts."
The problem with the above statement is that Stern NEVER served overseas in the military. The following statement pertaining to Stern's military calims can be found here; https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/jackie-stern-man-bought-wore-medal-honor-didnt-earn.html
“When the Broward County Sheriff’s Department began questioning Stern about his military career and his path to the Medal of Honor, Stern fessed up, and his entire story fell apart. Not only did Stern not earn an official medal and its recognition, but the former soldier admitted that he’d never even left the U.S. during a conflict.”
Stern never served overseas and obviously didn't train at the kodokan or anywhere else that is stated on the website.
Jack Stern was exposed as a fraud back in 1996, it was indeed quite the story back then. Stern admitted to the Broward County detectives amidst his uncontrollable sobbing that he held no judo/yudo rank. He also stated that he had lied not to hurt anyone but because he didn't want people to think he was a loser.
The Kontejudo website displays several judo credentials from various organizations that were supposedly Jack Stern's. A total of seven cards from various judo organizations and a single Armed Forces Judo Association rank certificate that are supposedly Stern's displayed on Konteijudo.com. Several of these cards shown on the website have ID numbers as well as dates.... all of which can help in the verification process with the different judo entities. However not one of these judo credentials checked out.
KODOKAN CARD
The first one that caught my attention was Stern’s supposed
Kodokan Member card. An email was sent along with a screen cap of the card and
the Kodokan responded with that there was no record of a Jack Stern nor could the member card be verified. No corresponding data could be found by name or birth date or card ID number.
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Also a picture is posted supposedly of Jack Stern sitting next to Kyuzo Mifune at the Kodokan. Despite what is claimed on the Kontei Judo website the kodokan has verified that they have no record of Stern ever training at the Kodokan. The man circled in the picture on the Kontei Judo website which is identical to the one below on the left is actually of judoka Hal Sharpe. Sharpe did indeed live for a time in Japan during the 50s and trained at the Kodokan and also with Mifune along with many other top Judoka at the Kodokan. This has been verified.
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| 1st picture: In 1954, Hal Sharpe (circled) won the title as “Japan Foreigner Judo Champion”. The tournament was conducted by Kyuzo Mifune (3rd from left), 10th Dan. Center picture: Chu Kawakami, 9th Dan, and his son Rei Kawakami, 4th Dan, and Hal Sharp (circled), 3rd Dan and Captain of Kawakami’s dojo team. 3rd picture: Shinzo Takagaki and Hal Sharpe (circled). |
THE ARMED FORCES
JUDO ASSOCIATION MEMBER CARD AND RANK CERTIFICATE
There 2 documents from the Armed forces Judo Association, a member card and a rank Certificate that are supposedly Jack Sterns shown on the site. The USJA was formerly The Armed forces Judo Association (AFJA). The AFJA changed its name in the late 60’s to The United States Judo Association (USJA).
According to the USJA there was no record of
Stern holding any rank or even being a member of The AFJA or The USJA. The only
record of Stern is in 2006 when he submitted falsified Korean documents for
judo rank. The submission of these fake documents subsequently resulted in Stern
being banned for life from the USJA (See email below).
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THE JUDO BLACK
BELT FEDERATION NEW YORK YUDANSHAKAI AND SHUFU YUDNSHAKAI CARDS
There are three other Judo member cards that are shown on
the website that are supposedly Stern’s as well; The Judo Black Belt Federation,
New York Yudanshakai and the Shufu Yudnshakai
The United States Judo Federation was formerly the Judo Black Belt Federation (JBBF). The JBBF was organized around regional/local Yudanshakai (black belt associations) two of these regional orgs was the Shufu Yudanshakai and the New York Yudnashakai. The purpose of these regional Yudanshakai was/is to promote judo in their own area. In the 1960s entry into the JBBF was restricted to only Black belt judoka, regional Yudanshakai recognized black belts.
The regional Yudanshukai and the USJF formerly the JBBF keep extensive records of its black belts, members and former members since the inception of the JBBF.
The Hudson Yudanshukai formerly the New York Yudanshukai has no records of a Jack Stern.
The USJF formerly the JBBF also confirmed that no records of rank or even membership can be found on Stern. See emails below.
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KOREAN YUDO ASSOCIATION
The Broward County Sheriff’s dept had verified Sterns Korean Judo/yudo claims and his Korean rank documentation were false in 1996. By 2006, Stern tried to submit falsified Korean judo documentation for rank to the National Goerning bodies for Judo in the U.S. the NGBs banned Stern from ever being able to join.
I don't think that the NGBs or the Broward county Sheriff's dept are lying. These two sources alone verify Stern held no ranks in Judo or Yudo that were recognized by the Korean Yudo Association.
There is also a claim that Stern Started the Korean Yudo Association. This also appears to be false. Jack Stern did not start The Korean Yudo Association (American branch) as stated online. The Korean Yudo association was the American affiliated branch of the Korean Judo Association, which is run by the Korean Judo Association. Bong yul Shin created the American branch of the Korean Yudo Association and since it's inception it has always been run by Korean alumni graduates from the Korean Judo College.
It seems Stern may have trained with Mr. Shin but only to a very limited extent….. Not long enough to earn any rank from Shin. In the 1960s, Mr. Shin was mainly doing seminars and not teaching regular classes. Taking a seminar doesn't actually qualify as training under someone.
Because of Bong Yul Shin’s extremely high rank internationally in judo and taekwondo, it is not surprising that some would latch on and claim to be a “former student” or to have "trained under" to try and claim a heritage/lineage. The three things that are verified are;
1.) Shin started the Korean Yudo Association – USA, NOT Jack Stern.
2.) Stern received no rank from Shin.
3.) Did not train under Shin and may have only attended a seminar or demonstration.
An email was also sent to the Korean Judo Association via the International Judo Federation with the picture from the Kontei Judo website of the Korean judo Association member cards that are supposedly Jack Sterns. They also stated they had no records of the card or Jack Stern.
The above information pertaining the Korean Yudo Association parses with what the Broward County Sheriff's detectives found out during their investigation and what Stern confessed in 1996; that Stern held no rank in Korean yudo/judo nor did he start the American branch of KYA. stern was a fraud and any rank he issued was fraudulent and worthless. It was just a lie Stern told his own students.
Not one of the eight old judo rank documents and cards that are supposedly Stern's checked out either by name, card number or member number with ANY of the organizational entities that supposedly issued them. Not single one had any records of jack Stern as a black belt or even a member. The only record from the NGBs pertaining to Stern was the lifetime ban he received in 2006 when he submitted falsified documentation in an attempt to get judo rank from the NGBs.
Final Conclusion
ALL the judo member cards and the Armed Forces Judo rank certificate appear to be fabricated. Stern certainly had a history of fabricating and submitting fake documentation. By 2000 Stern was already in his 70's I don't see him being tech savy enough at that age to use photoshop. It's possible someone else fabricated these documents either for Stern or quite possibly they were fabricated after Jack Stern's death for the sole purpose to build a fake judo/martial arts resume.
There is no reason to think that anything submitted on Jack Stern judo claims wouldn't be anything but falsified, made up, fabricated....FAKE! Any rank issued by Stern would therefore be fraudulent and worthless. There is no reason to believe anything issued by Stern or carried on by others is any thing other than fake. There is no reason to believe anything that is perpetuated by others is anything other than lies.
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