Dermot O’Neill was born in 1905 in County Cork, Ireland. As a teenager he traveled to China and settled in Shanghai. In 1925, at the age of twenty, he joined the Shanghai Municipal Police. This police force made up of 9000 active and reserve officers was tasked with bringing law and order to the International Accord.
While in Shanghai, O’Neill immersed himself in the study of Asian martial arts. He was a devoted practitioner of Japanese judo, as well as various forms of “Chinese boxing,” including Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing Yi, and Pa Kua.
O’Neill rose through the ranks of the SMP and was promoted to Detective Sergeant and served as a member and instructor of the famed SMP Riot and Shock Police Task Force. He was also considered by many to be the protégé of William Ewart Fairbairn.
In 1938, O’Neill left Shanghai and traveled to Tokyo, Japan, as head of security for the British embassy legation there. During this period, O’Neill was awarded the Godan, fifth degree black belt by the Kodokan, in addition to increasing his martial arts skills by practicing the Japanese “Kempo” style. He left Japan shortly before the Pearl Harbor bombing and headed for Australia.
O’Neill came to the United States at the urging and recommendation of WE Fairbairn, who at the time was involved with the OSS. O’Neill was scheduled to work for the OSS, but was sent to serve as an instructor with the First Special Service Force, a joint Canadian-American command unit known as the “Devil’s Brigade.” When the first SSF was sent into action, O’Neill refused to stay behind and stated that since he trained these guys, he would fucking fight alongside them. He held the rank of Captain and one of his duties included the task of being General Fredericks’ bodyguard. After his stay in Europe ended, O’Neill was entrusted with the position of Provost Marshal over Monte Carlo.
When the war with Japan ended, O’Neill was sent to Okinawa as a liaison officer. After the war, O’Neill served as a police and security consultant for various federal agencies, including the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency. In the mid-1960s, O’Neill settled in the Washington, DC area and began working with the International Police Academy there. This organization was funded by the Agency for International Development and was a front for paramilitary operations and CIA-led training. Hearings of the Church Committee on Intelligence Activities closed this academy in the early 1970s.
O’Neill was considered a very tough man in his day and had a reputation for never backing down from anyone. His judo skill was highly praised even at the Kodokan. O’Neill had studied with Uchijima, a renowned Kodokan judo instructor. O’Neill was especially known for his grip skills. The close combat methods he devised and taught were very effective and were thus proven in actual battles on numerous occasions. O’Neill had a great influence on hand-to-hand combat for both the US Army and the Marine Corps.
Dermot O’Neill had been married briefly and had a daughter. He died on August 11, 1985
Origins of the O’Neill method
The “O’Neill” method is a constant source of debate and speculation.
Due to the fact that most people have only been exposed to limited information on this method, many “false” opinions have been expressed about its value and / or efficacy.
Army manuals 21-150 offer little in the way of a “complete” method, and the USMC’s “proposed” manual adds some information, but certainly does not come close to the complete “picture.”
Aside from nonfiction works on the First Special Service Force that add bits and pieces to the puzzle, there are other “technical” sources.
Besides DM O’Neill’s fairly well-documented judo background and his service with the SMP and as a WEF “protégé”, little else is actually known about the elements that understood his method.
Quotes like this: “……… the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) improved version of kick and shove judo. This method of unarmed hand-to-hand combat was developed and taught by a former police inspector from Shanghai, British embassy security expert and contract employee of OSS named Dermot Michael “Pat” O’Neill “. Offer more information on the man and the method.
The system that O’Neill “developed” was born during his stay in Shanghai. Charlie Nelson relates that his introduction to O’Neill’s method was through a sergeant. Kelly, who learned this method from O’Neill during Kelly’s tour of duty in China. Since we know that O’Neill left for Japan in 1938, the “training” between Kelly and O’Neill must have occurred before that. Therefore, we can assume that the O’Neill method became a reality sometime in the mid-1930s.
Many reference sources that contain information on the O’Neills method, as recalled by the Forcemen of the 1st SSF, refer to phrases similar to the one cited above. Terms such as “jab and kick”, “gouge and kick”, “push and kick” are constantly used when describing this method. We now KNOW what the elements of the “Fairbairn” system are (although even here there are many misconceptions too) and when it would be difficult to describe the WEF approach as “kick and shove”.
Although the O’Neill method may have included elements of the Fairbairn system (although there is documentation to the contrary), it is clear that the O’Neill method is materially different. The difference in hand-to-hand combat “needs” between front-line rapid assault “shock” troops such as the “Devil’s Brigade” and the nature of clandestine special operations carried out by the OSS and SOE largely explains the dissimilarity in choice of method.
Chinese foot fights or Chinese boxing are mentioned in various manuals attributed to O’Neill. CHI-CHI SHU another reference to Chinese militants is also mentioned in the AID / IPA manual. Existing material from the WWII era mentions this specifically. Charlie Nelson always said that this method was based on Chinese guerrilla warfare.
So where does the O’Neill method originate from? What can be the original source of this system?
To fully understand the possible connections to Chinese boxing, we must FULLY understand the entire original syllabus of this method.
We will begin to discuss that aspect in Part II. Hopefully, we will also dispel “misinformed” opinions about the validity and combat effectiveness of O’Neill’s “method.”
P.S. Watch the S2- O’Neill System video: www.selfdefenseseminar.com
Copyright 2003 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©
By Ralph Grasso and Carl Cestari