Bodyguard

If and when the threat comes, you must stop it. By stopping the attacker, or if all else fails, taking the knife, or the bullet, yourself.

You’re retained by the Sultan of (X), for the OPEC conference. You dress as the billionaires all dress, to blend in. You wear a sharp suit of dark cloth. A gold Rolex.

And the $2000 suit is deftly tailored so that your shoulder holster makes no armpit bulge. The Sig P225 has a single-stack mag, narrow profile, and if seven rounds isn’t enough, fourteen wouldn’t help anyway.

The Rolex on your wrist was a gift. One of the sultan’s aides brought out a gold gray on your arrival. A dozen different styles of Rolexes on the tray. You were invited to pick one. your welcome gift. All the bodyguards were given their choice. This is your sixth time and your six watch.

You move in the swim like a fish in a school. But you are an individual power— invisible in the human mass, and on high alert.

Nobody notices how you stay in your defensive zone, keeping between the man whose life you are determined to protect, and any face you do n to know— including journalists, other bodyguards, anyone who could kill.

You trust no one. You are a Bodyguard.

How did you become such a person ? How did you rise through the ranks to such heights of service and salary?

You were trained in a large police force, and you paid your street dues. You served in an elite military unit, and learned your skills there. Then you worked with a seasoned bodyguard and learned how to act and how to react and how to read crowds and how to keep protective layers between client and potential threats.

You went to college and learned history, and languages. You know the political situations involved and are fluent in the language of both client and human threat vectors. You know the customs, and you know how to show respect, and how to blend in. And you know how to protect, and how to kill, if you must.

Most of all, you know how to avoid violence— that is your ultimate goal— prevention.

And the mundane issues— you’ve earned licenser and certification. Yes, it’s not required in many parts of the world. Your repuation is your license.

But in the USA, most states require that any type of guard be licensed. To be licensed as a guard, individuals must usually be at least 18 years old, pass a background check, and complete classroom training in such subjects as property rights, emergency procedures, and detention of suspected criminals.

Drug testing often is required and may be ongoing and random. Guards who carry weapons must be licensed by the appropriate government authority, and some receive further certification as special police officers, allowing them to make limited types of arrests while on duty. Armed guard positions also have more stringent background checks and entry requirements than those of unarmed guards.

You’ll be subjected to deep-screening programs that peel back your background. Criminal records and fingerprint checks are the norm for bodyguards. Also, character references, no serious police record, and excellent health— beyond that, you need to be fit and look fit. You must be mentally alert, emotionally stable, and physically fit to cope with emergencies. Guards who have frequent contact with the public should have good communication skills.

Other qualifications? Passports and driver’s licenses, wherever you work.

What screens will there be? Rigorous hiring and screening programs consisting of background, criminal record, and fingerprint checks are becoming the norm in the occupation. Applicants are expected to have good character references, no serious police record, and good health.

Superb observation skills and excellent verbal abilities are as essential as quick reflexes.

Your work leaves no room for second chances. It is a matter of life and death.

That’s why the pay is so high, for the top rank of world-class bodyguards.

For ex-military and police vets, ASIS International offers the “Certified Protection Professional” for a transferrable validation of your knowledge and skills. Check it out at: http://www.asisonline.org/

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