Phil Torney enlisted in the Air Force in December 1968. After being trained in Aircraft navigation equipment, Phil was sent to Ubon, RTAF base in Thailand. After seeing a few Chinese Kung Fu movies, Phil got the bug to join an authentic Thai Karate class. He lived with a Thai girl there and she told him about Mr. Precha and his class. Phil joined LOTUS in the summer of 1972.  In 1973 the LOTUS class moved to the new dojo.

 When it was time for Phil to take the black belt test, August 11, Ajarn decided to have the entire test in just one day. All the pushups, sit ups, katas as well as the techniques. "I am not a big guy, so that was extremely hard. I felt a little slighted by this since all the previous tests were over a two or three day period. I passed and got my black gee and belt. Just before I left in October, I got the (famous black belt) ring. I did not teach very much and I felt that I did not have the character for teaching. Since I was thin and speckled, opening a class in the states was a reach since most karate instructors at the time were big and brawny."