Marshall Gagne

Marshall Gagne also known as Marshall P. Gagne (Pronounced: “Gonyea”)), is ranked 8th Dan Black Belt in hapkido and is considered a grandmaster in the martial art. Taught how to box by his father whom boxed while in the United States Marine Corps) from an early age he quickly got into other physical activities such as wrestling. Later serving in the United States Army in the 82nd Airborne, he would become a Golden Knight and served with honor and distinction. Later he would go on to become the first American Hapkido grandmaster and later to develop his own martial art forms known as Wonkido and Wonkumdo.
Early life
Born on the 15 January 1949 in Detroit, Michigan; Marshall P. Gagne (Pronounced: “Gonyea”) is the child of Daisy and Edward Gagne. Raised in a Catholic family in Gibraltar, Michigan and is the middle child of three sons. Taught how to box by his father whom boxed while in the United States Marine Corps) from an early age he quickly got into other physical activities such as wrestling. Gibraltar at the time was a very small town in the United States largely consisting of five islands in the middle of a swamp right off Lake Erie between Michigan and Canada. This would go on to affect Marshall P. Gagne by providing access to many outdoor activities ranging from fishing and hunting to riding motorcycles and sailboats. Other activities that would occupy his time were usually associated with fishing with a bow (and arrows) and trapping muskrat in the swamps to later sell to Sears and Roebucks. During the Fall and Winter months he would hunt ducks and ice fish; largely considered his youth to be a great time growing up. Starting his airplane jump career in 1966 he would later graduate Carlson High School in 1967.
Inspiration
Older brother was a big influence a big inspiration for Marshall P. Gagne, and was considered way ahead of his time. Starting Marshall P. Gagne in skydiving (1966) his brother raced in motorcycles at the local drag strip and later would race road racers at the Daytona 500. Scuba diving together with his older brother early on eventually leads to a life of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Later while he was still in military training, Marshall P. Gagne would have to watch his brother leave for Vietnam as part of the 101st Airborne in 1968. Marshall P. Gagne largely considers his brother not only an early life inspiration but an enduring inspiration. Unfortunately his brother was injured during a firefight as he stepped on a landmine that blew his leg off. All told Marshall P. Gagne’s brother would be shot 27 times in Vietnam, later getting two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, CIB and Jump Wings. Between his older brother and his father who would later go on to die of a service-connected disability, Marshall P. Gagne was inspired to the aspects of honorable service and would go to enlist in the United States Army. While never being stationed in a combat zone, Marshall P. Gagne served honorably; inspired by the many members of his family and the legacy of service they passed on to him.
Military service
Joining the United States Army in 1967 after graduating high school, Marshall P. Gagne would go into training in unarmed and armed hand-to-hand combat and later be assigned to train as a paratrooper. Granted his Jump Wings he would go on to serve on the Green Beret Sky Diving Team and be inducted as a proud member of the United States Army Parachute Team, also known as the “Golden Knights.” In 1969 while stationed in South Korea he would begin learning the martial art known as hapkido.
Martial arts career
After a honorable discharge from the United States Army, Marshall P. Gagne would continue his training in hapkido, hankido and hankumdo which would later develop into a martial art training career that spanned the globe. Creating a hapkido, hankido, and hankumdo martial art school in the United States, he successfully taught members of the U.S. Armed Forces, Secret Service, Law Enforcement, and many more. From young children to healthy women and men to older disabled members of society, he taught a large variety of people in not only the martial aspect of Hapkido/Hankido/Hankumdo but also the philosophy and art of what it meant to be a practitioner. Passing on the inspiration that others had given him early in life, Marshall P. Gagne taught many successful students who would do more than compete and be competent in the martial art but also successful in life due to the philosophy and way of living he coupled with his martial training. Passing on his school to a successor, Marshall P. Gagne resides as an American grandmaster in hapkido (8th Dan Black Belt). Possessing a 5th Dan Black Sash in hankido, 5th Dan Black Sash in hankumdo, and a 3rd Dan in taekwondo (Retired); he assists and oversees several martial art schools and a world-wide education program that helps even those who lack traditional access to a martial art school to learn.
Development of an art
Over the years as a grandmaster in hapkido, Marshall P. Gagne saw a need to develop the martial art further then its traditional boundaries and developed the additions called Wonkido and Wonkumdo. Both are derived from the traditional forms of hankido and hankumdo but where the traditional forms call for twenty-four techniques; Wonkido ("Full Circle of the Energy") and Wonkumdo ("Full Circle of the Sword") double each of the techniques from twenty-four to fourty-eight. Respecting the original traditional formats, Marshall P. Gagne developed extensions which were named similar but different so as to expand from the original concept in which the traditional formats were made in the spirit of without disrespecting the original art.

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