Master Dane Stewart Harden began his martial art training in Western Maryland in 1969. His first instructor was an Aikidoist named John Willett. Sensei Willett was teaching a local recreation program summer class at Frostburg State College. This initial exposure triggered a life long quest and love of the martial arts. Harden would go on to train with the Jhoon Rhee Institute in Cumberland, Md. He eventually earned his Black Belt in 1976. He would over the next twenty years train with martial arts notables like Sensei Jeff Smith, Sensei Joe Lewis, Grand Master Francisco Conde, Master Ed Parker, and military special operations and warfare instructors “Speedy” Wilson and Micheal Echanois (Green Beret Hand to Hand systems).
Master Harden competed on both the national circuit and regional circuits in the 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s. He was nationally rated by Karate Illustrated Magazine in the Top Ten for Region 10 on numerous occasions. To his tournament credit he has won forms events at the Battle of Atlanta, Diamond Nationals, and hundreds of tournaments throughout the mid-atlantic region. He also fought numerous full-contact bouts with the Professional Karate Association (PKA). Of his 28 full contact bouts lost only one. That was to Demetrius Havanas who would go on to be a World Champion. In his wanderings Master Harden eventually founded the Western Masters Karate System in 1979. There are currently more then one hundred Black Belts who trace their lineage to Master Harden.
Master Harden has traveled to Canada and trained under the Chodokai Aikido International Federation’s head Instructor, Master Kevin Blok. While at the Chudokan hombu dojo, Master Harden’s Dan rank in Aikido was fully recognized and he earned his Aikido Instructor’s Certificate. This means Master Harden’s status is fully recognized by the Yoshinkan Aikido Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.
Also, Master Harden is still on active duty with the military and has served our country for more than twenty years. Colonel in the Army National Guard where he has serves as a Senior Flight Surgeon. LTC Harden’s military experiences include combat deployments to Estonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and recently hurricane Katrina. Some of his military accolades include submissions for the Combat Air Medal, the Bronze Star, NATO Service ribbon, and the Combat field Medical Badge. His military resume is extensive. He is an active martial arts instructor and has taught combative’s at Camp Comanache Bosnia-Herzegovina, Camp Buehring Kuwait, and Bagram Air Base Afghanistan.
Mr. Harden is married to Dr. Sherry Harden and they have one son Joshua. They currently reside in Abingdon, Virginia. Their hobbies include wilderness medicine, painting, woodwork, and alpine climbing. Mr. Harden has climbed peaks in the Rockies, Cascades, Marble Head Mountains, and the Alp’s in Germany and Austria. Some more noted summits include: Mt. Shasta, Lone Peak, Grand Teton, Maroon Bells, Zugspitze, Draitorspitze, and numerous others.
Master Harden’s wife and son Joshua are both martial artists and train locally in Shorin-Ryu Japanese hard style karate and Tae Kwon Do.