Don't Mess With Old Guy's....

Back in May, as an American Airlines Flight was descending into San Francisco airport a Yemeni passenger, later identified as Rageh Al-Murisi, 28, stood up and charged the cockpit door ramming it with his shoulder, trying to burst through, while shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

A steward struggled to keep Al-Murisi away from the door protecting the plane's pilots.

However what Al- Murisi didn’t factor into his plans was that Bill Neider, 77 years of age and former 1960 Olympic Shot Put Champion and World Shot Put record holder was sitting in the first row of seats by the door. (Pictured after the incident and after winning the Gold at Rome Olympics in 1960).

As the flight steward started yelling for help Big Bill Nieder took off his seat belt, stood up and went into action.

Despite being hampered by an artificial shoulder, two artificial hips, two artificial knees and recent back surgery, there was nothing wrong with big Bill’s heart as he helped take Al-Mursi to the floor and pin him down. Retired San Mateo police Officer Larry Wright and a retired Secret Service agent also quickly responded and used plastic handcuffs and tape to bind Al-Murisi's hands and feet as he continued to shout "God is Great" in Arabic.

Authorities later said that Al-Murisi had no weapon and no known ties to any terrorist organization.

No one knew that, however, when Al-Murisi began shouting and trying to get into the cockpit just minutes before landing

Federal prosecutors say Al-Murisi is erratic and dangerous, and they charged him with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants on American Airlines Flight 1561.

"He attempted to enter the cockpit right before a critical part of the flight," Assistant U.S. Attorney Elise Becker said in prosecution arguments to withhold bail for Al-Murisi.

Despite the various artificial joints and back surgery last year, Bill Nieder remains active, and obviously able to help in a scuffle when needed.

Nieder grew up in Kansas, where he played football in high school. He had a football-career-ending injury, however, during his first game on the Kansas University team.

Nieder then switched his focus to track and field, especially shot put. He won the silver medal in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and then won the gold in the '60 Games in Rome with a throw of 64 feet, 6 3/4 inches.

Nieder said he was glad he could help subdue Al-Murisi.
"It is just fortunate we were able to take him down; that was it."

Security Pro's Employ More Brains Than Brawn...

"Elvis has left the building," is now part of today's pop culture lexicon that alludes to the end of an event or concert. But when the phrase was heard on loudspeakers in the aftermath of the King's comeback shows of the late '60s/early '70s, it usually meant Presley had been rushed into a waiting limo, cocooned inside a circle of men known as the Memphis Mafia -- a squad of childhood friends and cousins who protected the singer's every move. They remained with him from 1954 until his death in 1977.
Today, the job of protecting music celebrities has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise that embraces state-of-the-art technology and requires those involved to be highly trained professionals. The average platinum-level pop star employs a half dozen security pros around the clock, whose fees can range from $80,000 to $500,000 annually.

"It's a different age now," says James Andrea of RAD, one of the largest global music celebrity protection firms. "You have to be more in tune with technology; it's much harder, especially with cameras and phones. There's a lot you have to be on top of."

RAD, started by Norman Oosterbroek, a Dutch security expert and former bodyguard to Nelson Mandela, touts a client roster that includes pop divas Beyonce and Lady Gaga; hip-hop superstars Jay Z, Drake and Kanye West; and record executive L.A. Reid. Like most professional security firms that protect music celebrities, RAD is tight-lipped when it comes to the specifics behind its operation. In most cases, artists make their bodyguards sign a confidentiality agreement to protect against tell-all books.

"Adaptability, in physical and psychological terms, is the main characteristic that you must possess," says Julius De Boer, who was assigned by RAD to protect Beyonce and oversee logistics. "It is much more than being a human shield to your customer. You should always think three steps ahead, follow a schedule, and call ahead to destinations and so on." Originally from the Netherlands, De Boer is fluent in five languages, giving him a distinct advantage when being hired by international superstars.

Nearly all who work in the field dislike the term bodyguard, since it implies a large, physical presence with the emphasis on brawn over brains. In reality, most security pros spend less than 20% of their time doing anything physical when protecting celebrities, and boast extensive training and college degrees. The majority of their time is either spent accompanying celebrities, or planning their safe travel, arrivals and exits from public appearances, meetings, performances, or simple, every day tasks such as shopping. Most of all, they protect their music superstars from the prying annoyance of overzealous fans and paparazzi.

"You have to advance every element," says Andrea. "You have to know the precise spot where your vehicle will be parked and the best way to access or exit a building." Pop's biggest stars, such as Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and U2, almost exclusively do what is known as "a runner" at the end of their shows. As soon as they finish, they are rushed into a waiting limo and whisked away, both as a security measure and to ensure they will not get stuck in a traffic jam.

Ringo Starr is usually being ferried by limo, accompanied by a police escort, to a waiting private jet while his band is still onstage performing the final stanzas of his signature encore, the Beatles classic "With a Little Help From My Friends."

If Elvis was the first rock star to employ full-time bodyguards, the Beatles, during their touring years of 1962-66, were certainly the first group to demonstrate the need for professional security. Throughout this period, the Fab Four only had two security people, Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, who also acted as the band's roadies.

"It was a big thrill being young kids and being loved, or chased, by so many people," said George Harrison, in a 1987 interview about the years of Beatlemania. "But, it became much more than any of us had ever dreamed of. … It just got to the point where it was making us crazy, so we had to draw the line somewhere. That's when we decided to stop touring."

Ironically, Harrison and John Lennon rarely used bodyguards after the band's break-up; Harrison was nearly killed when attacked inside his home by a deranged, knife-yielding fan and Lennon was shot dead in 1980 outside the Dakota by stalker Mark David Chapman. McCartney, who still goes out in public without his bodyguards on occasion, was the target of Islamic extremists' threats while touring Israel in September 2008. In order to ensure his protection, more than 5,000 security pros were hired for his visit.

Michael Francis -- who has written a book about his years as a celebrity bodyguard for Frank Sinatra, Cher, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi and McCartney -- says quality not quantity is rule when it comes to protection: "It's an accessory now (when) you have to have four or five guys who weigh 400 pounds," he says. "The big stars should have one good one that they trust."

Francis handled incidents that included a gun being pulled on Bon Jovi in South America, and a deranged fan who entered the home of Cher at 4 a.m. wielding a samurai sword.

The rise in popularity of rap music also paralleled the rise of the modern security expert. Many of hip-hop's biggest stars cultivated rap sheets in their rise to fame, which has led to a number of violent altercations at public appearances.

Many security pros have military or police backgrounds. Others, especially in the hip-hop community, have come from the streets, such as Jeff "Stretch" Williams, who confessed that, as a youth, had run numbers in Harlem. Williams cleaned up his act, joined the NYPD, and eventually worked security for P Diddy.

Kevin Hackie, former bodyguard of the late Tupac Shakur, recently admitted he was an undercover FBI agent while working for the rapper. Because of knowledge he reports to have, Hackie has been questioned in the murder investigations of Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

A 2009 video shoot for rapper Busta Rhymes at a Brooklyn film studio ended in a hail of gunfire killing the rapper's bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, when he attempted to escort extras and hangers-on off the soundstage.

"(Carrying a gun) is not a requirement, but many in this field do," says Andrea. "Some of us are retired federal officers or police officers and they are already licensed to carry a gun. It is the preference of the client. It depends on the risk factor -- if armed personnel are required, you get armed personnel."

The topic remains timely. Warner Bros. Pictures recently announced it is doing a remake of the 1992 Kevin Coster-Whitney Houston film, "The Bodyguard." Rihanna turned down the Houston role; but Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are reportedly still in the running.

One thing remains consistent: security pros believe diplomacy and restraint, above all else, are the keys to success in their business. "Physical force is never used or is always the last resort," says Andrea. "Most of the time it is just a fan that wants to hug their superstar."

By Bruce Pilato.

The Attempted Kidnapping Of Joss Stone...

According to British authorities, singer Joss Stone was the intended target of a recent kidnapping plot, which was discovered after two men were arrested with swords, a body bag, and detailed maps of the singer’s home.
Although this incident has sent shock waves through the Entertainment Industry, Stone is only the most recent high-profile victim of such a plot.Other famous individuals who have been targeted for kidnapping in recent years include:

David Letterman became a father in 2003. Fifteen months later, a house painter at his Montana ranch was arrested for plotting to kidnap the child as well as the boy’s nanny. Kelly Frank plead guilty to lessor charges, and was sentenced to 10 years. However, he briefly escaped in 2007, before being apprehended a few days later.

During the 2001 Oscar season, Russell Crowe should have been enjoying all the attention fawned upon him over "Gladiator," but instead he was worried sick over a plot to kidnap him. At the time, the news reports seemed like a joke, but it was no laughing matter. The FBI confirmed that it was investigating a serious threat to kidnap the New Zealand-born star, and tuxedo-clad security agents accompanied a glum-looking Crowe to the awards shows for protection. This month, Crowe named Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror network as the source of the kidnap plot. In an interview published in Australia's GQ magazine, Crowe said FBI agents told him about it. "That was the first (time) I'd ever heard the phrase 'al Qaeda,' " Crowe said. "It was about -- and here's another little touch of irony -- taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as sort of a cultural destabilization plot."

In May 2004, Madonna canceled a series of concerts in Israel after she received letters, reportedly from some unnamed Palestinian group, in which her two young children, Rocco and Lourdes, were threatened. The material mommy, who already had one hulking bodyguard on the payroll to guard the kids, "freaked out" after reading the letters, which contained intimate details about her kids and her personal staff, and she took the danger seriously.






Director Steven Spielberg was the target of a bizarre kidnap attempt by an obsessed fan in 1997. The fan, Jonathan Norman, had reportedly been stalking Spielberg for some time when he trespassed onto the fantasy film guru's Malibu estate and was nabbed by a guard. Police later found pictures of Spielberg and his family, duct tape, curtain rods, handcuffs and a utility knife in Norman's possession, and determined that he was planning to kidnap and rape the director. Norman, as it turned out, was a paranoid schizophrenic.

Victoria Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, was the target of a 2002 kidnap-and-ransom plot that was foiled by British law enforcement, resulting in the arrest of five men. This was the second time Posh was targeted by kidnappers: another attempt to nab her, along with her son, Brooklyn, was foiled in 1999.

In 2001, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones hired ex-members of the U.S. and British special forces as bodyguards to protect their baby from a kidnapping threat. Douglas himself says that he was the intended victim in a kidnapping plot back in the 1950s, when he was just six years old. He told a British newspaper in 2001 that a couple of thugs once tried to nab him outside the New York apartment where he lived with dad Kirk Douglas, but he hid in the basement til the coast was clear.

Before the era of modern security, kidnappers actually succeeded in taking hostages once in a while-- sometimes with disastrous results.

Aviator Charles Lindbergh wasn't exactly a Hollywood star, but as the first guy to fly across the Atlantic, he was famous nonetheless, and the 1932 kidnapping of his infant son is one of the most infamous crimes in American history. The family paid the kidnappers a $70,000 ransom, but the kid was never returned as promised, and his dead body was later found about five miles from Lindbergh's New Jersey home.

Frank Sinatra Jr. was eating dinner in a Lake Tahoe hotel room when drug-crazed men kidnapped him at gunpoint, stuck him in the trunk of a car and then drove him to Los Angeles. Sinatra Sr. paid a $240,000 ransom and his son was freed, but the bumbling crooks were later caught and the money recovered. In court, the kidnappers claimed that Frank Jr. concocted the kidnap plan as a publicity stunt to boost his singing career; although the story was proven false, it dogged the son of the Chairman of the Board for years.

In 1973, 17-year-old Eugene Paul Getty II, son of billionaire Paul Getty and actress Gail Harris, was swiped by kidnappers while vacationing in Rome. At first, the boy's father refused to pay any ransom, not wanting to give in to extortionists. That changed when the crooks cut off one of the kid's ears and sent it to an Italian newspaper. Dad eventually paid an estimated $2 million ransom and the boy was returned, one ear missing.

Country music legend Tammy Wynette's kidnapping story has been doubted by even some of her fans. In 1978, Wynette was mysteriously abducted by a masked man outside a shopping center in Nashville. According to her version of events, she was locked in the trunk of her own car, driven 80 miles to some remote place, where she was beaten up and released. Some people speculate that the story was just a cover-up for a black eye that Wynette received from one of her many abusive husbands.

The Beast & Murphy's Law...

Vice President of Intelligence for STRATFOR and former protective agent Fred Burton describes what it's like in the moments something goes wrong with a VIP's motorcade as it did for U.S. President Barack Obama in Ireland.



"On his recent trip to Ireland, President Obama's limousine known as "The Beast" got stuck trying to depart the U.S. Embassy Dublin. In this week's Above the Tearline, I'm going to discuss what goes through an agent's mind working a protective detail when the unexpected happens.

I've had the opportunity to have worked for two of the best protective units in the world in my assessment, and that is the U.S. Secret Service as well as the State Department Diplomatic Security Service and spend a tremendous amount of time protecting presidents, vice presidents, visiting heads of state.

Now back to the incident when the presidential protection division known as PPD attempts to depart the U.S. Embassy Dublin. It appears that the limousine bottomed out on a apex of a little hill, in essence grounding the limousine and sticking it right on the X in between the two embassy gates. At that moment in time, you‚re stuck. You have the President of the United States or it can be any other high-value target inside the car. You know the car is a safe haven but there's going to be a few moments of chaos as you're listening to the radio traffic in your ear as the agents are trying to explain what occurred.

I think it's also important for those of you watching this video to understand that the agent inside the car also knows that he has a tremendous amount of resources in concentric rings of security: other agents, surveillance teams, counter snipers, Irish national police, Irish protection agents looking out for him.

But, there is that moment when you really don't know what occurred and it could be anything. You're worried about whether or not this could be some sort of attack unfolding and there is that brief moment in time and it may last a few seconds until you're waiting for the worse thing that could possibly occur, whether that be an attack, some sort of device that is thrown in your direction or a rocket-propelled grenade fired. In essence, you know and you feel like a sitting duck and as an agent in the car when something like that occurs, there is sheer fright for a moment until your training kicks in. You keep the VIP in the car because that's your safe haven. You realize you‚re not coming under attack. You safely move the VIP to your backup limousine and you take the secondary route of egress from the location.

From a protective security perspective, in closing, the U.S. Secret Service will diagnose what occurred here and fix it going forward. In reality, this was probably an oversight from the advance agent failing to let the driver of the limo know of the bump as you are exiting the U.S. Embassy Dublin. I know the Secret Service, who is very good at correcting these kinds of mistakes, who'll put process and protocol in place to ensure that all site advance agents will look for that going forward".

Talking H2H With Damon Paine...

A Bodyguards raison d’etre is to prevent an attack on their Principal. This may take the form of an armed or un-armed attack. Due to jurisdictional requirements, safety concerns for others, exigent circumstances or weapon malfunction, the Bodyguard may have to resort to responding with hand-to-hand combat techniques.

EP work is of course fundamentally a cerebral activity and if one does their job properly, physical violence should never be an issue. A Bodyguards main priority is not to win a fight but to avoid it in the first place. The ultimate success in protective operations is when nothing happens. Surveillance detection, counter surveillance, layered security and situational awareness all assist in the avoidance of an AOP. However if an assailant has defeated these strategies and procedures, a Bodyguards un-armed combat skill may be the last line of defense for the Principal.

There are many within the security industry that cannot see the necessity of being prepared to deal with physical violence with empty hand solutions. They think of it as archaic or unnecessary. I’ve never been one of those. Much like CPR, Hand-to-Hand self-defense techniques may be rarely implemented in EP work, but when they are, they are a matter of life or death and one had better be highly proficient in them.

A Bodyguards background often defines their ideology in relation to Protection work. LEO’s, Military personnel or martial artists usually have very defined experiences and perspectives and this often forms the basis of their philosophical approach to providing Protection.

As a former power athlete, boxer and bouncer who started my protection career under the mentorship of some very accomplished ‘street fighters’ I know I’ve always had a bias towards Protection Agents who are fit, powerful and proficient exponents of un-armed combat.

I’m sure this explains my affinity with Damon Paine.

Damon, apart from being a highly intelligent and analytical student of all matters pertaining to providing Personal Protection, has come from a background of mixed martial arts and has been a participant in countless incidents of real world physical conflict and violence.

Damon, like most fighters, has a physicality and presence that sends other men definite signals, an obvious reminder that manners and politeness can be illusory and that the ‘rule of the cave’ is still highly relevant.

As I am frequently asked what is the best form of self-defense training/techniques for EP work I thought a discussion on H2H combat with Damon would be enlightening.

Being an old school guy I’ve always made boxing the foundation of my H2H training. I believe there is simply nothing else out there that gives you the KO power, speed of hands, head defense and ability to deal with multiple attackers that boxing gives you.
Whilst not perfect I believe it’s the most important pillar in a fighter or BG’s un-armed combat skill set. However, Damon with his far more contemporary viewpoint may have a different opion…








Damon, a lot of people don’t seem to realize the difference between ‘Sports Related Violence’, Choreographed martial arts nonsense, “Hollywood Violence” and REAL world violence.

“Learning martial arts in a dojo or school is a great way of being exposed to controlled aggression in a sterile environment. You are able to learn, practice and apply techniques in a repetitive systematic approach with fully and semi compliant opponents there for the same reason, to learn. Problems begin with Instructors imparting knowledge with little or no real word application preaching it as gospel to a class full of eager students captivated but the mysticism of their ancient art. These same students then walk from their class over confidant and under skilled for a real world scenario.

The next level of learning and applying your chosen skill set is in a combative sport setting like boxing, Muay Thai and so on. Even though this is a great platform to test not only your ability to apply your knowledge you are also able to test your endurance, ability to take punishment and heart. However In the ring you have a known quantity, the techniques that will be used, the style of your opponent, length of the fight and the knowledge that you will only be allowed to sustain so much damage before you will have the fight stopped and professional medical attention applied. This is not so when facing real world violence.

We all know that flashing lights, fast movement, big noises and shiny things attract our attention. This is the same with the fighting techniques portrayed in the movie industry with the main concern being box-office ratings and selling theatre tickets. Techniques used are choreographed, shot over and over until the director is satisfied and presented by stunt actors with decades of training in the presence of professional fight choreographers. This gives the audience the illusion of seamless technique and sensational action.

However, in real world situations, you, unlike your favorite action star are not going to be able to wear a baseball bat to the body then proceed to pull of the perfect jumping spinning back kick.

Uncontrolled violence with the threat of serious injury or even death causes the Amygdala or primal part of the brain to take charge. This has a number of physiological effects the dictate the actual techniques that you are physically able to use. Gone in most part are your fine motor skills and ability to pull of complex multi step techniques. What you are left with is a dump of adrenaline, blood rushing from all non-necessary body functions to major muscles and a primal urge to fight, flee or freeze. With training and exposure to this type of violence you are able to control and channel these effects as well as gain back some control of finer motor skills, peripheral vision and breathing thus allowing you to take advantage of all the weapons in your arsenal.

Unlike in the dojo opponents are not semi compliant, predictable or will to slow down their attack to let you get that technique of you have been dying to try. There is no referee to step, no limit to the amount physical harm you face or professional medical attention standing close by to assist. They are an unknown quantity out to inflict untold damage to you so as to achieve an objective. The only known components are you are there and have to be a participant in the events that are about to unfold so as to be able to survive and hopefully take control of the outcome”.

Those that haven’t been involved in real world violent encounters often aren’t aware of the ARIES (Autonomic Response In Extreme Stress) concept. Could you further explain the problems associated with this and ways to minimize the effect?

“The extreme stress of an imminent threat of injury or death, or the stress of being tasked with protecting another party from imminent serious injury or death, can have some profound effects on an operative. These affects are both physical and emotional, ranging in severity dependent on a number of factors. These include the operative’s perception of the seriousness of the threat, their exposure to and experience with violence as well as their confidence in their preparation to deal with it. Understanding what may occur when faced with extremely stressful situations will help combat self-doubt and more importantly recognize key indicators and not hesitate in the moment of need.
The activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) distinguishes this type of stress, resulting in an immediate discharge of stress hormones. This "mass discharge" is designed to prepare the body for fight-or-flight by directing energy and resources for action. This activation is automatic and virtually uncontrollable, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) operates below the level of consciousness controlling visceral (internal organ) functions. Therefore you can expect such responses as: Increased blood pressure and flow to larger muscles (enhanced gross motor skills) tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, loss of fine and complex motor control, irrational behaviour, the inability to think clearly and in more extreme situations the loss of bladder and bowl control.
Remember these are all ARIES and not a result of you being a coward or scared because for example you lost bladder control. It’s your ANS redirecting resources and energy from your digestive system to your muscles thus causing the bladder release. An excellent book that goes into far more depth on this subject is On Combat by LT Col Dave Grossman which I highly recommend reading.
I believe the only way to truly minimize the effects of ARIES is through conditioning and stress inoculation. You need to step out of the comfort zone and get exposed to some real world violence. How you ever noticed how paramedics remain calm and work efficiently at a horrific traffic accident when others are going into shock or have lost all ability to be useful. This is because it is their job; they constantly train for it and are exposed to the horrors of this type of carnage on a regular basis. The same can be said for EP operatives, it my job to deal with violence and threats to safety and life I need to understand it, anticipate it, and be able to operate effectively when confronted by it.
I was fortunate enough many years ago to come across a book by Geoff Thompson called “Watch My Back”. All the stories aside the one part of the book that stuck in the back of my mind was his reason for getting into bouncing. Having been humiliated in front of his children in a random act of violence and having a bleak existence he decides to fight back. He puts himself in the one place he knows he will be exposed to violence “Clubs” thus gains the experience and confidence to stand his ground. Ever since I have tried to do the same”.

In your experience what are the techniques and styles that are most effective for real world violence and also the most time efficient for an EP agent that has many different skills and disciplines to maintain?

“One of the most important skills to have in this industry is the ability to take an objective look at your abilities and build on your weaknesses. The biggest problem I see with a lot of people entering violent situations is the gap between perception and reality. Is the perception of your abilities anywhere close to the actual reality of your abilities and are you about to find out the hard way. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that fight you had with the school bully or 6 months of boxing training you had 10yrs ago is just not going to cut it. The most important skill you can have going into a violent situation is the realistic confidence in you abilities and preparation to be able to survive what you are about to endure.

I never go into a situation with the misguided notion I am going to come out of it unscathed and uninjured. I do however go in knowing I have done everything I could to face the challenge, do my job to the best of my abilities and do whatever it takes to ensure mine, and the survival of whoever I am protecting. In my experience real world violence can only effectively be faced with preparation, conditioning and the efficient use of whatever resource is at hand to cause the maximum damage with the minimum effort.

Style’s I have concentrated my training around include Muay Thai, Boxing, JiuJitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Arnis (Filipino Knife work). I have found the techniques and styles suited to my needs and body mechanics. All these styles also afford you the opportunity to spar and fight thus testing your abilities all be it in a sterile environment. I would recommend doing as many different martial arts and combinations of, taking what works for you and building upon it through constant repetition and application”.

Jeff Cooper once stated that the WILL to prevail was more important than the SKILL to prevail in combat. Do you agree?

“I agree 100%.

I have faced opponents that have had more skills, more power or the advantage of knowing the environment, strength in numbers or a combination of all of the above. My advantage has always been the will to be the last man standing using whatever I had at my disposal. Be this fitness, power, technique, speed, my surroundings or sheer dominate aggression to ensure maximum damage to my opponent in the quickest time with minimal effort. Unless you come across a seasoned street fighter, most assailants are not prepared to face the same brutality and violence as they inflict on their victim. When confronted with this most assailants are stunned or hesitate and try to process the possible consequences of continuing with their current course of action.

As reacting is never as fast as attacking, you now have the opportunity to place your assailant on the back foot launching your own attack whilst he / she is in the moment of hesitation or shock. Whether this be to facilitate an expedient retreat, buy time until backup arrives or render the assailant no longer a threat depends on you and your situation. The will to prevail is what will keep you going long after you have expended that initial adrenalin dump, used all your favorite techniques and reached the point of exhaustion”.

Over the past 20 years with the growing popularity of grappling and mixed martial arts there has been an increased emphasis on ground fighting techniques in self defense training. The rational given for this is that most fights end up on the ground. However, as most fights start while you are on your feet shouldn’t the emphasis be techniques that prevent the fight from going to the ground, especially in relation to EP work?

“I started my training with boxing and Muay Thai and up until 1993 I would have fully agreed with you on this. However since having trained and fought in Brazil and the USA against some world-class BBJ and Greco Roman wrestlers my view has changed. As an EP operative you don’t want to be rolling on the ground positioning an assailant into triangle choke as your principal is left unprotected. You do however need to understand the ground game and have some skills to be able to defend against it been used on you.

Having experience in grappling will give you the added advantage of being able to read shoots; counter hip throws and arm drags. As well as hopefully reverse any submissions or disadvantageous positions if caught unaware and fighting of your back. I personally try my best not to strike assailants while working preferring to use their momentum to facilitate a throw, takedown or if time and circumstances permits some joint manipulation and pain compliance. My clients don’t pay to watch me fight but keep the principal safe so if need be Ill shield the client and remove them from the area. There is no room in this industry for ego so if all that happens is I wear a few strikes but my client is safe and not splashed all over the media I have done my job”.

Yes, I have to admit that a throw, takedown or a slam into a wall is just as effective a fight stopper as a KO punch. In interpersonal combat, trauma is caused to the human body in two ways; crushing and cutting. Although we tend to think of crushing injuries mainly being caused by movement into contact inflicted by a strike from fists, feet, elbows, knees or cranium, a wall or floor can be even more terminally effective.
How should a 50-year-old EP agent or a less powerful agent prepare to or fight a younger or more powerful, athletic opponent?

“Although youth and strength are valuable assets in violent confrontations they are only two of many. Some of the fittest and most dangerous fighters I know are older and not as strong as myself. What they have lost in age they have gained in experience and skill. What they lack in strength they make up for in efficiency and will power. However this is not the norm, as most people get older they lose drive, power and fitness. Therefore the challenge of facing a younger, stronger assailant is a daunting task.

As an EP operative it is in you and your clients best interest that you maintain a level of fitness and skills to be able to deal with a physical confrontation if need be. It’s a numbers game 99% of the time you will never need to get physical with anyone while providing protection. However banking on the fact that it won’t happen is leaving you and your client open for embarrassment, potential injury and a worst-case scenario of death. You don’t need to be ready for a heavy weight title fight, but you do need to be confident in the knowledge you are in the best physical shape and done everything possible to deal with a violent physical situation”.

What is your usual physical training regime?

“As I am constantly traveling my physical training regime is anything but usual. I take every possible opportunity given to me to train as I may have an extended period in between sessions. All my training however is high intensity with little or no recovery time included. Most of my session range from 45 to 60min nonstop and depending on where I am include weights, running, bag work, grappling, cross fit, pack hikes or a combination of activities.

I am also a firm believer of training in what you will be working in. In say that I do not put on my best suit to do ten rounds on the heavy bag, instead I will wear clothes and a jacket equally as restrictive to movement. Grappling with an assailant takes on a whole new dimension when you not only have to be concerned with being struck but also weapon retention. Therefore I will do all my prior training using the same kit, as I will on the job”.

And what advice would you give to Female BG’s in relation to H2H combat?

“Female operatives like any male operative facing a much larger, stronger and more aggressive attacker should focus on inflicting as much damage as possible to soft tissue areas such as the eyes and throat. This can be with strikes, gouges or even biting”!

Bangkok Dangerous....

BANGKOK DANGEROUS
By Terry James

Bangkok, Thailand. 2006.


On the night of September 19th whilst working a protective assignment Hans van Beuge was closely watching his client walk along a darkened street in downtown Bangkok.
All of a sudden, several shadowy figures, all carrying AK 47’s emerged from a laneway and moved rapidly towards his client. As they started to initiate their attack he approvingly watched his Principal draw a Glock pistol, transition into a modified weaver stance and terminate the threat with several rapid, well aimed shots.

Hans was calmly observing the proceedings and not participating because his client, a well known actor, was performing in a scene for an action movie being filmed on location.
Hans was satisfied that through extensive planning and preparation his client was safe and secure.

A few minutes later the presence of many other heavily armed men on the streets of Bangkok would put this confidence to the test.

Protecting a client traveling abroad presents challenges to a security operation. When it is a third world country that is also politically unstable you are faced with additional considerations.

Hans says, “Thomas A. Taylor the author of ‘Dodging Bullets’, the definitive work on Protection methodology and philosophy, recalls in his book an interview with Lewis Merletti the former director of the United States Secret Service. Merletti was asked where the President was safest. His response was “everywhere he goes because of what we do”.
Taylor recounts that Merletti explained that although most people would expect the President to be safest at the White House, by taking a holistic approach to security the Secret Service replicated that security level wherever the President was.

This is the protective philosophy and mindset you have to bring to the planning phase of an operation says Hans. “No matter where your client goes you have to ensure that the environment around the Principal has been made safe for him to travel through.”

“Protecting a famous individual amongst crowds in a third world country does present some unique challenges” says Hans. “After conducting an initial threat assessment, our team put a lot of time into implementing ways to avoid or manage any hazard posed to our client.

In Personal Protection, the Threat/Risk Assessment is the foundation of all aspects of the protective effort. “ We are in the risk reduction business, our objective is to assess all potential risks posed to our client and implement strategies and apply tactics to negate them” says Hans.

“The Threat Assessment takes into consideration political and socio-economic factors from a current and historical context right through to terrorist threats, organized criminal activity, street crime, accommodation, transportation, health, hygiene, emergency medical facilities and the availability of essential goods.”

“We are concerned with anything that may impact the total wellbeing of our client and the smooth running of his daily routine” says Hans.
“The client’s safety is reliant on the decisions you make and the advice you give him, so it’s very important to have done your research. “

In regards to this assignment Hans was particulary concerned about the increasingly frequent terror attacks in the south of Thailand.
Since 2004, separatist in Thailand‘s south had carried out daily attacks including road side bombings and drive by shootings from motorcycles.

“We made the decision that we would definitely not be traveling to the south of Thailand due to the increase in insurgent activity” says Hans.
A decision that proved prudent when in late August, twenty-two banks were bombed in a coordinated attack in the Yala province.

‘Thailand is also regarded as a holiday spot for members of Jemaah Islamiyah. Several high ranking members have been arrested in Bangkok. We felt it would be important for our client to maintain as low a profile as possible so as not to be a target of opportunity” says Hans.


There had also been growing unrest in Bangkok against the perceived corruption of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his ruling Thai Rak Thai party.

“We assessed that given the growing dissent against the Prime Minister and considering that Thailand has had 18 Military coups d’etat (a sudden forced change of government) since 1932, military intervention seemed imminent”.

“When a coup happens there can often be a clash between opposing armed factions and violence can spill out into the community. However, in Thailand, most coups have been non-violent affairs so we felt as long as we had certain contingencies in place the risk was acceptable.”

Hans engaged the Thai Special Branch Police in the protection of his client. The hiring of Police in Thailand for private protection is an accepted part of the system there. “We had three Special Branch officers and two Police Motorcycle officers working with us around the clock. Apart from the obvious help in providing added security layers to motorcade and location security they also greatly facilitated moving us through Bangkok’s congested traffic. This not only saves an enormous amount of traveling time but also reduces the vulnerability that a stationary motorcade poses.”

Hans also developed contacts within the Thai Military Directorate of Intelligence. As in most third world countries real power tends to lie in the hands of the Military rather than the Police. The Police are a valuable asset to have but having contacts within the Military gives greater dimension to your intelligence gathering capabilities.

Hans claims that whilst traveling abroad making contact with friendly Western Embassies will also greatly assist the protective effort. Making contact with the duty officers will reward you with updates on the political situation of the country involved and developments within the region in general.

“A couple of weeks after we arrived there was an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Thaksin. We were still confident there would be no major civil unrest but we certainly increased our options to help facilitate any unscheduled departure”.

“We had obtained Sat phones so that we had communications in case of a breakdown in the telecommunication system. Arrangements had been made for the client to be immediately taken to one of several safe havens (including Embassies) if the situation warranted. We had air, land and water options on standby for an immediate evacuation if needed.

On the night of the 19th September, filming had only just started when Hans received a phone call from a Thai military contact. His contact informed him that tanks and heavy armor were moving out of their barracks and into the city which was a likely precursor to a coup.

Hans immediately briefed his client. He advised him against being out in the streets especially as they were filming scenes that involved firing weapons.

“With a large number of troops and armor descending into the city, all of whom would be apprehensive about encountering opposition, I didn’t want my client running around with a gun in his hand while stuntmen were firing full auto weapons at him .Although I was only concerned about my client’s safety, my client was more concerned about the safety of the film crew and the other actors.”

The client requested that the production cease work for the evening and instructed the crew to return to the safety of their homes.

“After my client was satisfied that the crew were going to be safe, I managed to finally evacuate him back to his accommodation.”

Hans had been utilizing both vehicular and boat transportation whilst in Bangkok, varying the means for security and convenience.

As their Hotel fronted onto the main river in Bangkok, anytime the film set happened to be near a waterway they had a boat on standby as an additional option.
“We were filming on streets adjacent to the river that night so we utilized the boat to avoid the military presence on the streets.”

After consultations with the duty officers at several embassies Hans decided it was prudent for his client to leave the country. Less than three hours after the tanks rolled into Bangkok the client and his family was safely on their way to a politically stable neighboring country.
Hans determined the risk of civil unrest to be low but had other factors to consider including the possible disruption to the client’s and his families future schedule.
We had to consider the possibility of the Military junta shutting down airspace and as my client had commitments in Europe in the next fortnight
it was imperative to have his travel options under our control


As events unfolded over the next 24 hours it seemed that General Sonthi’s coup would be bloodless.
The highly revered constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave his blessing to the military junta.
“The Kings word carries the weight of divine mandate as far as the Thai people are concerned”, says Hans.’’ Once he endorsed the actions of the coup leaders the chance of violence happening was extremely remote.”

Hans advised his client that it would be safe and convenient to return to Thailand and for the production to resume work. Filming finished uneventfully four weeks later.

Hans advises that a Threat Assessment is not static. It has to be a fluid entity changing and evolving as more information comes to hand and as situations change.

“When in a foreign country it is essential for a protective agent to take the time to cultivate local contacts. The ongoing intelligence gathering and liaison building with local authorities really pay’s off. Good, on the ground human intelligence greatly assists you with monitoring and predicting potential problems within the local environment.”

“As my colleague Paul Jordan, one of the worlds most experienced HRE specialists always emphasizes, when faced with any obstacle, you must adapt and overcome”. Comprehensive planning makes it easier to adapt to any event as you have already anticipated it happening.

Prepare, prevent and protect it’s as simple as that”, say’s Hans

Adaptive Mental Health Theory...

The Tomorrow Man Theory.

Today, you are who you are.

Tomorrow you will be who you will be.

Each and every night we lay down to die, and each and every morning we arise, reborn.

Those who are in good spirits with strong mental health, they look out for their Tomorrow Man.

They eat right today, they drink right today, they go to sleep early today, all for Tomorrow Man, so when he awakes in his bed reborn as Today Man, he thanks Yesterday Man.
He looks upon him fondly as a child might a good parent.
He knows that someone – himself – was looking out for him.
He feels cared for and respected. Loved. And now he has a legacy to pass on to his subsequent selves.

But those who are in a bad way, with poor mental health, they constantly leave messes for Tomorrow Man to clean up. They eat whatever they want, drink like the night will never end and then fall asleep to forget.. They don’t respect Tomorrow Man because they don’t think through the fact that Tomorrow Man will be them. So then they wake up new Today Man, groaning at the disrespect Yesterday Man showed them. Wondering why does that guy – myself – keep punishing me? But they never learn and instead come to settle for that behavior, learning to ask and expect nothing of themselves. They pass along these same bad traits tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and it becomes psychologically genetic, like a curse. They are constantly trying to fix what Yesterday Man did to them but you can’t fix the mistakes of Yesterday Man. Yesterday Man is dead, he’s gone forever, and blame and atonement aren’t worth a damn. What you can do is help yourself today. Eat fresh food, drink plenty of water, exercise, meditate and go to bed early. Leave Tomorrow man with something more than a headache and a jam-packed colon.

Do for Tomorrow Man what you would have wanted Yesterday Man do for you!

Courtesy to Chuck Hogan.

Post Traumatic Stress V's Post Traumatic Growth...

One of my favorite affirmations has always been Nietzsche’s well-known quote,” That which does not kill us makes us stronger”.

One cannot deny that life-threatening experiences may lead to psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
However, psychopathology only occurs to some of those exposed to such events and although this condition was denied and ignored up until the early 1970’s,I believe in the past 20 years or so Psychiatrists/Psychologists etc. have viewed those who haven’t developed PTSD after a traumatic incidence as slightly sociopathic.

Now at last Mental Health Professionals are agreeing with Nietzsche that positive psychological changes (such as: improved relationships with others, openness to new possibilities, greater appreciation of life, enhanced personal strength and spiritual development etc.) are more likely to happen following potentially traumatic events.

I think the study and expectation of this ‘Posttraumatic Growth Syndrome’ is more interesting and positive than dwelling on PTSD.

To me the most interesting question is whether the exposure to and experiencing of life threatening situations develops positive character traits, or whether some individuals are just ‘hard wired’ to be more resilient and positive.

Below are a couple of interesting articles on the subject.

Why do some suffer PTSD, others don’t?

By Gretel C. Kovach, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Saturday, April 10, 2010.


When Sgt. Michael Blair awoke from a drug-induced coma four years ago, doctors gave him a choice.

Blair’s legs had been blasted by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The physicians could amputate both limbs, or they could try to save them through a series of grueling medical procedures. More than 60 surgeries later, the Marine, formerly stationed at Twentynine Palms, still struggles with chronic pain as he continues his care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

With the help of a cane, though, Blair walked amid the cherry blossoms at the White House this week with his wife and 4-year-old daughter. He has piloted his first solo flight, kayaked through the Grand Canyon, used a hand cycle to finish several marathons and dreamed of opening a therapeutic recreation center for wounded troops.

Blair relies on a strong support network that includes his family, sports organizations and the Marine Corps. But he also may be genetically predisposed to withstand physical and mental trauma.

“I am just so freakin’ grateful to be alive,” said Blair, 35, who will be a featured speaker next month at the Naval Center for Combat & Operational Stress Control’s conference in San Diego.

Researchers are just starting to understand what gives some service members the mental hardiness, or resilience, to fend off post-traumatic stress disorder. Is it innate, a matter of training or a complex interaction between the two?

The answers could help inoculate both combat veterans and civilians against potentially debilitating bouts of trauma-induced stress.

“It’s a really exciting time. This idea of resilience — we are just starting to scratch the surface,” said Steven Thorp from the Post-traumatic Stress Disorders Clinical Team at the San Diego VA Healthcare System and a research psychologist with the University of California San Diego.

The new focus on resilience comes as about 17,000 troops from Camp Pendleton and supporting bases are deploying to Afghanistan between now and fall.

As many as one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffers from PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD. High suicide rates among service members also are causing deep concern among Pentagon leaders and commanders at bases nationwide. The number of suicides among combat-experienced Marines doubled from 2006 to 2007, the Navy reported, and a record number of Marines and soldiers took their lives in 2008.

Scientists have developed some treatments for PTSD, which was once called shell shock or battle fatigue. The condition was recognized as a disorder in 1980, largely because of attention paid to affected Vietnam War veterans.

Last year, researchers published one of the first studies — by Robert H. Pietrzak and colleagues — about resilience against PTSD among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

The biggest unknown is “what’s trainable and what’s hard-wired,” said Chris Johnson, a clinical and research psychologist in the Warfighter Performance Department at the San Diego-based Naval Health Research Center.

The center’s staff is using computerized rehabilitation environments and neuro-imaging to study how the brain functions under stress. It’s also evaluating the mental effects of immersive, or simulation-based, combat training at Camp Pendleton.

“We know a lot about effective treatments, how units function and how important biology and behavior are in terms of responding to it,” Johnson said. “But there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of prevention.”

Thorp focuses on “post-traumatic growth,” the phenomenon where some walk away from a traumatic experience — such as a car accident or deadly firefight — with better attitudes and behaviors.

“There is a point where just about any of us would get PTSD given a traumatic event,” he said. “But when exposed to combat, some get PTSD, some don’t, and some have an enhanced life. They value life even more.”

While resilience research gestates, controversy over the use of psychotropic medications to treat combat stress is being debated in Congress.

Bart Billings, a retired military medical officer from Carlsbad and founder of the longest-running combat-stress conference in the nation, submitted testimony for a Feb. 24 hearing on the issue by the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Billings said he was troubled by “a surge in the number of suicides among service members and their family members that appears to correlate directly with the increased use of psychiatric medication.”

“Would you want your daughter or son who is carrying a loaded weapon in battle to be given a medication where the first warning on the label is suicidality?” he asked in an interview.

But Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, a doctor and director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, testified that the Pentagon supports psychopharmacological treatments as a key component of mental health care.

“Scientific evidence over the past several decades points to the role of medications in limiting the severity and duration of illness, as well as for preventing relapses and recurrences,” she said.

The Marine Corps and Navy will present a new doctrine about combat and operational stress during the Navy conference in San Diego next month. Commanders have already rolled out the program, which teaches troops to identify signs of stress among their ranks, intervene before a crisis and reach out to a sailor or Marine overwhelmed with stress, for instance when a fighter under attack freezes.

The goal is to codify operational stress management, but “this is what a really good leader already does instinctively,” said Capt. Paul Hammer, a former enlisted Marine and a Navy-trained psychiatrist. He directs the Naval Center for Combat & Operational Stress Control, which began operating about two years ago at San Diego Naval Medical Center.

“I don’t think anybody thinks we are going to completely prevent everybody from getting PTSD,” Hammer said. “But we can minimize the impact. It is much like how we have better helmets, better surgical procedures.”

Once home from the war, Blair, the wounded sergeant, was buoyed by camaraderie among wounded Marines, the aviation community, kayakers and many others. He agreed to speak at the upcoming conference because he hopes his experiences will inspire others nursing physical and mental wounds.

“It is easy for guys to fall through the cracks, but you don’t have to sit around in your room,” he said. “You can get out and do things.”

Blair recently took a ride in a vintage Russian propeller plane. The pilot treated him to barrel rolls, half-Cubans and upside-down loop-the-loops.

For someone who still has trouble walking, soaring in the skies was a rush.

“It is great for the mind, body and spirit,” Blair said. “It is nice being up there, close to God.”


Psychiatric Times. Vol. 21 No. 4

Posttraumatic Growth: A New Perspective on Psychotraumatology.
By Richard G. Tedeschi, Ph.D., and Lawrence Calhoun, Ph.D. | 1 April 2004.

Dr. Tedeschi is professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Calhoun is professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Both authors have written three books and numerous articles on posttraumatic growth.

There is a long tradition in psychiatry, reaching at least back to World War I, of studying the response of people who are faced with traumatic circumstances and devising ways to restore them to psychological health. The main focus of this work has been on the ways in which traumatic events are precursors to psychological and physical problems. This negative focus is understandable and appropriate to the requirements of these contexts. However, only a minority of people exposed to traumatic events develop long-standing psychiatric disorders.

Although not prevalent in either clinical or research settings, there has been a very long tradition of viewing human suffering as offering the possibility for the origin of significant good. A central theme of much philosophical inquiry--and the work of novelists, dramatists and poets--has included attempts to understand and discover the meaning of human suffering (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1995). In the 20th century, several clinicians and scientists have addressed the ways in which critical life crises offered possibilities for positive personal change (e.g., Caplan, 1964; Frankl, 1963; Maslow, 1970; Yalom and Lieberman, 1991). However, the widespread assumption that trauma will often result in disorder should not be replaced with expectations that growth is an inevitable result. Instead, continuing personal distress and growth often coexist (Cadell et al., 2003).

In the developing literature on posttraumatic growth, we have found that reports of growth experiences in the aftermath of traumatic events far outnumber reports of psychiatric disorders (Quarantelli, 1985; Tedeschi, 1999). This is despite the fact that we are concerned with truly traumatic circumstances rather than everyday stressors. Reports of posttraumatic growth have been found in people who have experienced bereavement, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV infection, cancer, bone marrow transplantation, heart attacks, coping with the medical problems of children, transportation accidents, house fires, sexual assault and sexual abuse, combat, refugee experiences, and being taken hostage (Tedeschi and Calhoun, in press).

The Domains of Posttraumatic Growth
The kinds of positive changes individuals experience in their struggles with trauma are reflected in models of posttraumatic growth that we have been building (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 1998) and in a measure of posttraumatic growth that we developed based on interviews with many trauma survivors (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1996). These changes include improved relationships, new possibilities for one's life, a greater appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal strength and spiritual development. There appears to be a basic paradox apprehended by trauma survivors who report these aspects of posttraumatic growth: Their losses have produced valuable gains.

We also find that other paradoxes are involved. For example: "I am more vulnerable, yet stronger." Individuals who experience traumatic life events tend to report--not surprisingly--an increased sense of vulnerability, congruent with the experience of suffering in ways they may not have been able to control or prevent. However, these same people also may report an increased sense of their own capacities to survive and prevail (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 1999). Another experience often reported by trauma survivors is a need to talk about the traumatic events, which sets into motion tests of interpersonal relationships--some pass, others fail. They also may find themselves becoming more comfortable with intimacy and having a greater sense of compassion for others who experience life difficulties.

Individuals who face trauma may be more likely to become cognitively engaged with fundamental existential questions about death and the purpose of life. A commonly reported change is for the individual to value the smaller things in life more and also to consider important changes in the religious, spiritual and existential components of philosophies of life. The specific content varies, of course, contingent on the individual's initial belief system and the cultural contexts within which the struggle with a life crisis occurs. A common theme, however, is that after a spiritual or existential quest, philosophies of life can become more fully developed, satisfying and meaningful. It appears that for many trauma survivors, a period of questioning their beliefs is ushered in because existential or spiritual issues have become more salient and less abstract. Although firm answers to the questions raised by trauma--why do traumatic events happen, what is the point to my life now that this trauma has occurred, why should I continue to struggle--are not necessarily found, grappling with these issues often produces a satisfaction in trauma survivors so that they are experiencing life at a deeper level of awareness. It should be clear by now that the reflections on one's traumas and their aftermath are often unpleasant, although necessary in reconstructing the life narrative and establishing a wiser perspective on living that accommodates these difficult circumstances. Therefore, posttraumatic growth does not necessarily yield less emotional distress.

Cognitive Engagement and Growth
A central theme of the life challenges that are the focus here is their seismic nature (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 1998). Much like earthquakes can impact the physical environment, traumatic circumstances, characterized by their unusual, uncontrollable, potentially irreversible and threatening qualities, can produce an upheaval in trauma survivors' major assumptions about the world, their place in it and how they make sense of their daily lives. In reconsidering these assumptions, there are the seeds for new perspectives on all these matters and a sense that valuable--although painful--lessons have been learned.


As the individual comes to recognize some goals as no longer attainable and that some components of the assumptive world can not assimilate the reality of the aftermath of the trauma, it is possible for the individual to begin to formulate new goals and to revise major components of the assumptive world in ways that acknowledge their changed life circumstances. The individual's cognitive engagement with and cognitive processing of trauma may be assisted by the disclosure of that internal process to others in socially supportive environments. At some point, trauma survivors may be able to engage in a sort of meta-cognition or reflection on their own processing of their life events, seeing themselves as having spent time making a major alteration of their understanding of themselves and their lives. This becomes part of the life narrative and includes an appreciation for new, more sophisticated ways of grappling with life events (McAdams, 1993).

Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth
The changes that trauma produces are experiential, not merely intellectual, and that is what makes them so powerful for many trauma survivors. This is the same for posttraumatic growth--there is a compelling affective or experiential flavor to it that is important for the clinician to honor. Therefore, the clinician's role is often subtle in this facilitation. The clinician must be well-attuned to the patient when the patient may be in the process of reconstructing schemas, thinking dialectically, recognizing paradox and generating a revised life narrative. What follows are some general guidelines for this process. More extensive discussion and case examples can be found in Calhoun and Tedeschi (1999).

Attention to elements of posttraumatic growth is compatible with a wide variety of approaches that are currently utilized to help people who are dealing with trauma. Initially, clinicians should address high levels of emotional distress, providing the kind of support that can help make this distress manageable (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1995). Allowing a distressed patient to regain the ability to cognitively engage the aftermath of the trauma in a rather deliberate fashion will promote the possibility for posttraumatic growth.

Clinicians must feel comfortable and be willing to help their patients process their cognitive engagements with existential or spiritual matters and generally respect and work within the existential framework that patients have developed or are trying to rebuild in the aftermath of a trauma. Further-more, although individual patients may need additional specific interventions designed to alleviate crisis-related psychological symptoms, listening--without necessarily trying to solve--tends to allow patients to process trauma into growth (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 1999). In fact, one way of insuring that clinicians practice this sort of approach is to relate to the trauma survivor's story in a personal manner. Being changed oneself as a result of listening to the story of the trauma and its aftermath communicates the highest degree of respect for the patient and encourages them to see the value in their own experience. This acknowledged value is a short step away from posttraumatic growth.

The immediate aftermath of tragedy is a time during which clinicians must be particularly sensitive to the psychological needs of the patient. Never engage in the insensitive introduction of didactic information or trite comments about growth coming from suffering. This is not to say that systematic treatment programs designed for trauma survivors should not include growth-related components, because these may indeed be helpful (Antoni et al., 2001). A posttraumatic growth perspective can be used even in critical incident stress management (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 2000). However, even as part of a systematic intervention program, matters related to growth are best addressed after the individual has had a sufficient amount of time to adapt to the aftermath of the trauma.

Caveats About Posttraumatic Growth
In order to clarify the clinical perspective on posttraumatic growth, we offer these reminders. First, posttraumatic growth occurs in the context of suffering and significant psychological struggle, and a focus on this growth should not come at the expense of empathy for the pain and suffering of trauma survivors. For most trauma survivors, posttraumatic growth and distress will coexist, and the growth emerges from the struggle with coping, not from the trauma itself. Second, trauma is not necessary for growth. Individuals can mature and develop in meaningful ways without experiencing tragedy or trauma. Third, in no way are we suggesting that trauma is "good." We regard life crises, loss and trauma as undesirable, and our wish would be that nobody would have to experience such life events. Fourth, posttraumatic growth is neither universal nor inevitable. Although a majority of individuals experiencing a wide array of highly challenging life circumstances experience posttraumatic growth, there are also a significant number of people who experience little or no growth in their struggle with trauma. This sort of outcome is quite acceptable--we are not raising the bar on trauma survivors, so that they are to be expected to show posttraumatic growth before being considered recovered.


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References
1. Antoni MH, Lehman JM, Kilbourn KM et al. (2001), Cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention decreases the prevalence of depression and enhances benefit finding among women under treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Health Psychol 20(1):20-32 [see comment].
2. Cadell S, Regehr C, Hemsworth D (2003), Factors contributing to posttraumatic growth: a proposed structural equation model. Am J Orthopsychiatry 73(3):279-287.
3. Calhoun LG, Tedeschi RG (1998), Posttraumatic growth: future directions. In: Posttraumatic Growth: Positive Changes in the Aftermath of Crisis, Tedeschi RG, Park CL, Calhoun LG, eds. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, pp215-238.
4. Calhoun LG, Tedeschi RG (1999), Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth: A Clinician's Guide. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
5. Calhoun LG, Tedeschi RG (2000), Early posttraumatic interventions: facilitating possibilities for growth. In: Posttraumatic Stress Intervention: Challenges, Issues, and Perspectives, Violanti JM, Paton D, Dunning C, eds. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas Publishers, pp135-152.
6. Caplan G (1964), Principles of Preventive Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books.
7. Frankl VE (1963), Man's Search for Meaning; An Introduction to Logotherapy, Lasch I, trans. Boston: Beacon Press.
8. Maslow AH (1970), Motivation and Personality, 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row.
9. McAdams DP (1993), The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self. New York: W. Morrow.
10. Quarantelli EL (1985), An assessment of conflicting views on mental health: the consequences of traumatic events. In: Trauma and Its Wake: The Study and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, vol. 1b, Figley CR, ed. New York: Brunner-Mazel, pp173-218.
11. Tedeschi RG (1999), Violence transformed: posttraumatic growth in survivors and their societies. Aggression and Violent Behavior 4(3):319-341.
12. Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG (1995), Trauma & Transformation: Growing in the Aftermath of Suffering. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
13. Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG (1996), The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: measuring the positive legacy of trauma. J Trauma Stress 9(3):455-471.
14. Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG (in press), Posttraumatic growth: conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psych Inquiry.
15.Yalom ID, Lieberman MA (1991), Bereavement and heightened existential awareness. Psychiatry 54(4):334-345.
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Dealing with the Ultimate Bad Boy's...

Recently reflecting on what have been some of our more challenging assignments, we unanimously agreed that protecting a client for several months who was working on a project a few hundred kilometers up the East Alligator River in Arnham Land (tropical far north Australia) would be at the top of the list.

This assignment was conducted on the crocodile infested water ways of a very inhospitable, unforgiving environment.

Although it was a relief not to have the usual rogue’s gallery of innapropriate/obssessed/emotionally disturbed fans, stalkerazzi and politically/financially motivated criminals to consider, we had to deal with a far more experienced and lethal predator who is indisputably at the apex of the food chain.


Crocodiles are believed to be about 200 million years old, other dinosaurs became extinct only 65 million years ago which give you an idea on not only how long crocodiles have been able to refine their predatory skills but how good they are at it to have survived the great extinction events.

Unlike sharks which are predators of opportunity crocodiles are the ultimate stalker assassins. Because of their size, an adult male will be up to 20 foot long and weigh around 3000 pounds, they conserve their energy and only assault after careful surveillance of their target.

They study patterns of behavior and then lie in ambush, patiently waiting for their target to be where they calculated them to eventually appear. To repeat any activity in the same vicinity of the river/flood plains in Croc territory is inviting an attack. They are the masters of concealment and stealth movement, being completely invisible and undetectable in as little as three feet of the muddy waters of the rivers of far north Australia.

Crocodiles can hold their breath for an incredible period of time, so rarely are air bubbles detectable and can slow their heart rates down to three beats per minute. From this state they can, with incendiary speed, launch an attack and pull a full grown steer into the water and death roll them.

They are heavily armour plated and could be described as an amphibious Abrams tank!



On our assignment, we had protect our client for several months whilst daily, they and we, were in small aluminum boats with a very low draught line to the water amongst numerous 14 to 18 foot Croc’s. Because of the remoteness of the location, the boats had to be launched and beached, boarded and un-boarded directly from the river banks.

As with mitigating the threat posed by any other assailant, applying the time proven strategies and tactics of surveillance detection, anti surveillance measures, evasiveness, speed of movement, respect for your opponents capabilities, understanding their SOP's,eternal vigilance and superior firepower carried they day !

DANGEROUS PLACES....

Baghdad and Kabul are well known Hostile Environments but there are also equally if not more dangerous lesser known Capitols of Violence...



Grozny, Chechnya.

Law enforcement agencies are unable to cope with rampant crime in Russia. The epicenter of the crime epidemic is Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
Grozny, the capital of Chechnya has for many years been regarded by K&R experts as the worst place in the world in regards to not only the number of kidnappings but also for the brutality of the kidnappers.
Unexploded mines and munitions are widespread, frequent militant violence, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption all fuel the ongoing violence.




Caracas, Venezuela.

Venezuela’s official murder rate has soared by 67 per cent since Mr Chavez took control in 1998 and Caracas’s true homicide rate is estimated to be about 160 per 100,000 residents.Caracas has become far more dangerous in recent years than any South American city, even beating out the once notorious Colombian drug capital, Bogotá.




Cape Town, South Africa.

Any nation described as the ‘rape capital of the world’ should be one to take extra special care in. Although rape had shown a declining trend to 113.7 in 2004, it increased in 2005 to 118.3 per 100 000. Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. Most crime is confined to poor areas but it hasn’t stopped gated communities springing up all over South Africa and armed guards protecting wealthy tourist groups. Farming in South Africa has become one of the most dangerous professions in the world. The murder rate for farmers is 313 per 100 000 – about 8 times the national average. And like anywhere, sex can be very dangerous in South Africa, where more than 10 million people are infected with HIV.





Karachi, Pakistan.

Karachi is one of Asia’s lowest scoring destinations for personal safety. Repeated terror attacks and have hit Pakistan’s financial capitol in recent years. In February more than 30 people lost their lives in a dual bomb attack




Juarez, Mexico.

At the traffic lights in this city, only the killers look at other cars. Everyone else looks straight ahead, afraid of ticking off potential assailants. By nightfall, vehicles disappear from the roads. In Juárez, Mexico, crime is so pervasive that the people are leaving, cowering, avoiding the streets -- or getting kidnapped and killed.
Already this year, 686 people have been murdered here. Residents hunker in trepidation. Most answer cell phone calls only from people they know to avoid random extortion attempts. Instead of going out on the town, they hold private parties -- and only with close friends.
Crime in Juárez also threatens to bleed across the border. Criminal gangs working for drug cartels already operate on both sides of the border, and in a sign of the growing risks, on March 13 gunmen killed three people linked to the U.S. consulate in Juárez. The sky-high murder rate is driven by two rival groups -- the Juárez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel -- and their battle for control of drug smuggling into the U.S.
Murder is only one of Juárez's problems. Ambitious cartel underlings have diversified into extortion, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery. When President Felipe Calderon sent 10,000 soldiers to Juárez in March 2008 to bolster security after a purge of corrupt police, the army largely ignored other crimes to focus on the cartels, and crime has taken off.




Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Port Moresby, with 54 murders per 100,000 population, might seem a surprising inclusion, but in August last year the entire city police force was confined to barracks for three months because officers were believed to be behind a wave of deadly bank robberies and killings
Gangs called ‘Rascals’ control the city centre, while the island nation's unemployment rate of 89 per cent, and the emergence of Chinese crime syndicates make things worse.




Mogadishu, Somalia.

Somalia is a failed state known for its anarchy, corruption, lack of government, and starvation. Travelers are warned against entering Somalia, the self-proclaimed “independent Republic of Somaliland” or even sailing near the Horn Of Africa. Pirates patrol these waters armed with AK-47s and will seize craft and hold crews to ransom. Inter-clan fighting has claimed thousands of lives in the north of the country, while territorial control in the capital, Mogadishu is carved up between many clans and warlords.
Pervasive and violent crime is an extension of the general state of insecurity in Somalia. Serious, brutal, and often fatal crimes are very common. Kidnapping and robbery are a particular problem in Mogadishu and other areas of the south.




Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rates of crime have also soared in recent years in Rio de Janeiro. Street crime is rampant and whilst many victims are left unharmed, having a broken bottle put to your throat for your bracelet is not pleasant. The incidences of “quicknappings” has risen in major cities throughout Brazil. This involves being abducted and taken to an ATM to pay your ransom. If you can’t pay, thanks to mobile technology, your family is only a call away. Along with street crime, organized criminal groups have waged wars against police and public institutions that were unable to be bribed. Drugs dealers and narco-terrorism claim civilian casualties as well.

Are The Paparrazi Becoming Too Dangerous??

Are the Paparazzi Becoming Too Dangerous?
An article that appeared in 'The Circuit' Magazine.2009.

By Hans Van Beuge & Elijah Shaw
NABA Members.

Celebrity worship seems to be the fastest growing religion in the world. In our secular society it seems the need for traditional worship has been displaced and replaced with an obsession for idolizing celebrities.

Publications, TV programs and internet sites such as People, The Star, The National Enquirer, The Globe, US Weekly, OK!, In Touch, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Access Hollywood, TMZ, Hollywood. TV, Splash and about another 1,200 celebrity news sites in the US alone, all feed our insatiable addiction for celebrity culture.

And if keeping with the religious allegory then the apostles of celebrity worship -- ones that fuel this aggressive, global, billion dollar industry-- are the Paparazzi; The freelance photographers who relentlessly and intrusively pursue the famous, record their every move, and supply the avalanche of banal and insignificant details to the media outlets.

Roaming worldwide, the paparazzi have had few legal restraints imposed upon them. They justify their often-illegal activities by citing the rights of freedom of the press and free speech. Rights guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States by the First Amendment as well as similar laws (or lack thereof) in other nations.

The paparazzi first gained notoriety in those La Dolce Vita days (the term paparazzi originated in this famous Fellini film) of the late 1950’s when Italian snappers were racing around Rome’s Via Veneto on Lambretta motor scooters, photographing the rich and famous.

These early paparazzi soon discovered that provoking a celebrity and having a colleague take a photo of the celebrity’s reaction was worth more money than the traditionally posed glamour shots. The concept of the more invasive paparazzi photographers replacing the old school photojournalists soon followed in the US, UK and France.

In 1997 the authorities and the general public finally realized how out of control the paparazzi had become. Although cleared of culpability, the paparazzi were clearly complicit in the fatal car accident that caused the death of Princess Diana. This incident also affected the public perception of protection agents and divided members of our community on how it could have been prevented.
As Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, poignantly expressed the day after her death,” I always believed the press would kill her in the end, but not even I could imagine they’d take such a direct hand in her death, as seems to be the case. It would appear that every proprietor and editor of every publication that has paid for intrusive and exploitative photographs of her, encouraging greedy and ruthless individuals to risk everything in pursuit of Diana’s image, has blood on his hands to-day.”

After Princess Diana’s death, limited laws protecting the rights to privacy for individuals were enacted in France and Germany. The tabloids and the paparazzi avoided controversy for a while at least until the outcry over Diana’s death passed.
However, over the past few years a new breed of aggressive and intrusive paparazzo has evolved, and they are responsible for escalating the degree of danger into the duel between celebrities and those who photograph them for profit.
Technology, competition, profits and a lack of industry regulation are the reasons why the paparazzi started to behave like something out of the Wild West.
With the new generation of digital cameras and video recorders literally any one can take a professional shot. The photographic skills of the older generation of paparazzi became redundant.

In the past few years the number of paparazzi has increased enormously. Los Angeles for instance had a couple of dozen consistently working paparazzi about five years ago. Now there are be over two hundred. The tabloids are willing to pay six figure pay-offs for a “unique” shot. By “unique” they mean something that portrays the celebrity negatively such as having a car accident, appearing drunk, overweight, angry, unattractive or disheveled.

The lucrative money resulted in an increase in the numbers chasing the big payday, which in turn made it more competitive. To succeed now as a paparazzi you need to be far more aggressive, not just in pursuing your subject but in also in beating the competition. With no licensing or accreditation necessary to operate, we have seen an increase in the number of people with violent criminal records working as paparazzi.

In the US one particular paparazzi agency is named after an L.A. street gang the owner of the agency belonged to as a teenager. He trains other ‘reformed’ gang members in the business. Other agencies use foreigners working on questionable visas. Photographers are hired less for their camera skills than their ability to navigate the rough-and-tumble of the celebrity chase.

A much more accurate term to describe the newer breed of paparazzi is ‘stalkerazzi’. They usually work in teams and will stay hunting their celebrity targets 24/7. Often driving rental cars, obscuring their license plates or using aliases to hide their identities or connections to the big agencies that control much of the market, these stalkerazzi are willing to run red lights or force celebrities off the road to get a photo, with a total disregard for public safety.

It seems as if the lesson of Princess Diana’s death has been forgotten.
The vehicular pursuit of celebrities, which are called ‘follows’ often devolve into dangerous high speed convoys and are certainly the most reprehensible activity the paparazzi commit. Follows become especially dangerous when competing teams are after the same quarry. Often there can be up to thirty SUV’s (the vehicle of choice) involved, all jockeying for the best position. The desire to get the money shot leads to a flagrant disregard for any road rules including speed limits, red lights and driving on the wrong side of the street. When they have followed their target to the destination, they generally discard their vehicles on the roadway and swarm all over the target vehicle ‘hosing’ down the target with cameras on full auto. The rights of passage are denied to both the target and any passers by and they will frequently start fighting amongst themselves like sharks in a feeding frenzy.
When this ‘hosing’ is done at night in conjunction with a camera flash, the effect is like having 30 Surefire flashlights shined in your eyes. It’s painful and you completely lose your night vision and it is obviously extremely dangerous to the driver, passengers and any other vehicle or person near the vehicle they have surrounded.
(The term ‘hosing’ is one the paparazzi proudly use and is deliberately meant to convey the sense of indignity and helplessness a naked prisoner feels when they are hit by a high-pressure hose.)

Recently in Los Angles, the paparazzi have been involved in several car accidents with celebrities including Nicole Ritchie, Brad Pitt and the late Michael Jackson’s family whilst on the ‘follow’. They were also implicated in providing information to a gang that was burglarizing celebrity’s homes and one paparazzo got into a punch up with Mike Tyson at LAX after he was harassing Tyson’s family.

Meanwhile in Italy, the owner of paparazzi agency was put on trial for blackmailing politicians and celebrities with the photos his agency took.
It’s obvious that the Paparazzi industry is completely incapable of self-regulation or establishing an effective code of ethics. Authorities need to enact legislation to protect the safety and privacy of both the public and famous individuals from their irresponsible behavior. The question of how to balance freedom of the press versus the basic right to a reasonable degree of privacy needs to be addressed and defined.

There needs to be a clearer definition of what is ‘newsworthy’ and what is just intrusive gossip. Virtually all paparazzi photographs and video are of high profile people doing very mundane, everyday activities – taking the children to the park, shopping, eating, walking or driving. None of which could be reasonably defined as newsworthy or having social value.

Last month, California Governor Schwarzenegger signed a new law, Assembly Bill 524, to discourage paparazzi misconduct by allowing tabloid or other publishers to be sued for using images or sound recordings that they knew were obtained violently or illegally.
California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who proposed the new law, was quoted as saying, "Out-of-control paparazzi are an increasing threat, not only to the celebrities they stalk but to the public at large if they happen to get in their way."

The following are quotes from the text of the new law:
“The Legislature finds and declares all of the following,
*Individuals and their families have been harassed and endangered by being persistantly followed or chased in a manner that puts them in a reasonable fear of bodily injury,and in danger of serious bodily injury or even death, by photographers, videographers, and audio recorders attempting to capture images or other reproductions of their private lives for commercial purposes.
*The ligitimate privacy interests of individuals and their families have been violated by photographers, videographers, and audio recorders who physically tresspass in order to capture images or other reproductions of their private lives for commercial purposes…
*Such harassment and tresspass threaten not only professional public persons and their families, but also private persons and families for whom personal tragedies or circumstances beyond their control create media interest.
*There is no right, under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution, to persistently follow or chase another in a manner that creates a reasonable fear of bodily injury, to trespass, or to constructively trespass through the use of intrusive visual or auditory enhancement devices.
*The right to privacy and respect for private lives of individuals and their families must be balanced against the right of the media to gather and report news.


The right of a free press to report details of an individual’s private life must be weighed against the rights of the individual to enjoy liberty and privacy.
Opponents of the bill say that it violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, the law does not target the content of free speech; rather, it targets the conduct used to gather information when performed in an illegal manner.

This law is certainly a positive step in curtailing the illegal and intruisive activities of the paparazzi. One that with positive support might lead other States and indeed Nations to enact similar legislation.

The drafting of legislation, or establishing legal precedent as to a persons legal right to where their likeness can be used is the most effective way to curtail the power of the paparazzi.This already exists in commercial law where the right to use someones likeness for commercial purpose must be granted by that individual.

Tabloids only publish photo’s of famous individuals in their magazines so they can sell them for monetary gain so commercial law should be applicable.
Legislation needs to ensure that:

*No photos or videos of children should be taken or broadcasted without the written consent of the parent.
*No photos or videos of individuals clearly participating in a non newsworthy private matter such as a vacation, exercise, eating, at school, at home, at a funeral or wedding should be taken or broadcast without the written consent of the individual involved.
*There should be ‘no go’ areas for paparazzi around certain instititutions where reasonable privacy should be expected. This would include but not be limited to schools, hospitals, cemeteries,residences and places of worship.

Other methods that could be implemented to bring the paparazzi under control include forcing them to be licenced by reputable agencies with uniform standards and Codes of Conduct in the State or Country they are operating in.The Code of Conduct should be enforceable by law or a public entity.

To be accredited would entail having a background check to ensure no serious criminal convictions, proof of proper legal documentation and insurance to cover public liability.

They should also have to wear official accredition/licence whilst working and provide such identification to any member of the public when requested and all vehicle’s they are in whilst working must have number plates attached.
Ironically, providing services that protect famous individuals from aggressive media intrusions and protecting them from the pathalogically fixated individuals whose fantasies are fueled by their products,is a major source of revenue for those of us in the private protection sector.

With that said, many an encounter with the paparazzi,-- and the actions taken from security personel to shield the VIP has resulted in even more negative attention being produced for said celebrity.
A YouTube search for “… versus paparazzi” will yeild you a laundry list of videos, with over half of them invoving close protection staff who often use approaches that, were they off camera, might just be a control tactic, but under the harsh glare of the photo lenze or edited down to a 20 second clip make the bodyguard look thugish and unprofessioinal.

Bad press and public perception aside, what happens when the protection agent has comitted all his resources to “paparazzi watch” on behalf of his client, when our mandate should be protection of the client from any and all threats? Does that narrow our focus so much that at the moment of truth our attention is on a money hungry cameraman that we miss the knife of the assalant in the crowd? One hopes the answer is no, but unfortunatlly the current state of affairs the likelyhood of that increases exponentially.

In the end, security professionals have a duty of care for our clients and in a broader sense, the public. Advocating restrictions being placed on the way the paparazzi industry operates to ensure public safety and a more civilised society helps stengthen our circle of client protection.