Major Pain's Home Front Mission
April 5 -- There are other wars taking place involving America today. Iraq may be dominating the political landscape, but it is not the only conflict worth monitoring.
Here at home, there are domestic battles placing civilians in precarious positions — the war on drugs, on poverty, and most daunting, the war to keep kids living in poor areas away from drugs and the related violence.
The casualties are huge and growing. Many kids wind up as victims in this war almost before they are born. And who is fighting this war for these kids? There is no army, certainly nothing as mighty as the one overseas devouring Saddam Hussein's regime. There are people and groups, though, that throw themselves and their energies into this war for the lives of a generation of kids.
Part Drill Sergeant, Part WWE Cartoon
One man, who has the heart of a warrior and the spirit to take on the enemy, is one of those waging a tireless campaign. His name is Tyrone Lamar. He is known on the streets in impoverished areas of Miami as Major Pain. He is a former Marine private who grew weary, working at a funeral home and seeing body after body of victims of the war on the streets; the war for drugs and respect and money and death.
One day at the funeral home, he said he saw a face that would change his life — a young girl, who had been raped and died of AIDS. "I stood in front of that girl's casket and I couldn't stand it. I thought about my 6-year-old daughter and I broke down and I said, "Somebody! Got to do something! To help these children.
He decided to create a character for kids to aspire to — a military man, who would command respect when projecting a street-tough demeanor. Lamar honed this skill during a lifetime of being a street kid himself.
It works like this: Lamar goes to the projects, asking if anyone is having a problem with their kid. Parents and kids pour out of the doors, and Lamar starts yelling. Part drill sergeant, part World Wrestling Entertainment cartoon, Major Pain starts yelling and screaming, poking kids in the chest and commanding push-up drills.
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