Dan’s Narrative.
My name is Dan and I am a graduate of the class of 2002. I was a former Force Recon Marine and found that civilian life didn’t agree with me much so the Center was the obvious choice. My class had 5 students. I got thrown off the course on the 3rd week, and was told not to come back. I wasn’t exactly the greatest student they ever had. To make a long story short, I had a very heavy conversation with Shawn, who was the primary instructor, and was finally allowed to continue for the final 10 days. I decided it was time to get serious and I gave my absolute best and was able to number myself in the 3 who graduated with employment endorsements.
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Jon’s Narrative
Too often, students forget that the instructors were students once also, so I was asked to document my story viewed from the student side.I was in US Special Forces training when I broke my back on a parachute jump and was medically discharged. Desiring the same field of employment, after a lot of research, I chose the Center and attended it way back in 2001. It was both more challenging than I anticipated, and more fun. Among my classmates were a quiet, low level of experience American and a mad Scotsman. Another attendee was from the Republic of Georgia but he failed the final exam because he didn’t take it seriously enough. Continue...
Take a look at our Graduates and their stories down the page.
Any organization is only as good as the people who compose it.
We have been extraordinarily lucky at the Center because we have been able, year after year, to attract the top few percent of the available gene pool of applicants.
Our success stories would require a page 20 times larger than this one. Some have gone on to work for themselves while other graduates were employed by us or were placed by us with other organizations.
The handful of stories here are the norm rather than the exception. In other words, this is a fairly routine gathering of students, who hail from all walks of life with widely diverse backgrounds. Pay attention to the photos……for you may very well see instructors deployed with students. We are the only company in the world to do this and it was one of the best decisions we ever made.2010: The Most Recent Employment by CASS.
The Afghanistan Dozen.
CASS has been able to successfully place no less than a dozen graduates into Afghanistan in the closing months of this year. Due to the sensitive nature of the assignment, no photos can accompany this graduate block or any lengthy comments. Of the group, about 60% have former military experience and others do not. Mike, one of our instructors, has been tasked as the informal leader and overall the group is continuing to exceed expectations. So to (callsigns in alphabetical order) Boxhead, Chief, Gant, Hamster , Metro, Mojo, Pong, Ralphie, Sandbag, Smiley, and Woobie we extend our sincerest congratulations and our best wishes for a safe and worthwhile deployment.
Upon your return we hope to expand the graduate’s corner to provide a more comprehensive explanation of what you were doing during your deployment to assist the National Command Authority in Afghanistan. Well done to all.NEW: Read some of the newest success stories of 2011 on the bottom of the graduate's page.
Pierre's Narrative.
I am writing to give a brief history of my career since having completed the training course at the Centre for advanced Security Studies (CASS). I remember graduation well, because about a week later I was called upon, with adozen other CASS members to provide security at a function which was important enough that the US Government had the property declared a federal no fly zone for 2 hours. I also had the privelege of escorting Mrs. Colin Powell, alone, for a evening stroll along the beach.
The importance of that first assignment was something I carry with me every day.
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Chris's Narrative.
Hi. My name is Chris and I am from Poland. My background is Polish Special Forces, starting with the Air Assault Battalions and from there I moved forward into a unit called GROM, which is the equivalent of Delta Force.
Although I had the necessary military experience as a Major in the army, I opted to attend the course based on the reputation it has acquired here in Eastern Europe. One would think that having a military background is all one needs for work in this career field. That is not the case as I found out.
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Barry's Narrative.
I attended The Center for Advanced Security Studies in 2007 at the age of 35.
I had been a civilian working in a healthcare profession my entire professional life.
I came here because I was looking not only for another career but a different way of life. Many people think this program is only for those with military or law enforcement experience. Not true.
I was a little intimidated by the prospect of training at the Center, but showing up is the first step. So, I prepared as much as I could physically and mentally. I read everything I could find on executive protection and surveillance.
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I was hesitant at first when I realized I wanted to apply to CASS. I was a Canadian business executive with no previous military or police background and a criminal history (to include time served in a Federal Prison) as the result of a reckless youth.
I was concerned that this might keep me from being both accepted into the program and employable upon graduation.
When I talked to the instructors I quickly realized that their “we don’t care who you were, we care who you are now” attitude was confirmation I had found the right school and that I was dealing with “real” people.
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"Jose" 's Narrative.
My name is "Jose" (not my real name) and I reside in the Pacific Northwest in Washington State.
I have graduated CASS in 2011.
To be honest, I was denied entry the first time because the cadre felt I was too heavy and would be unable to pass the course. I took them at their word, lost 50 pounds, and reapplied successfully.
I thought I knew what I was getting into.
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Gabriel's Narrative.
I found CASS after searching through the clutter of Security Companies that flood the web. I found Shawn to be the only instructor who responded personally to my inquiries. After several conversations I decided to go through the course, so I started reading and training.
I arrived at the ranch in September of 2010, not knowing what to expect. I was especially worried because I did not have any US military experience. The instructors didn’t care, all they cared about was what I could do from now on, and how could they make a tactical operator out of me.
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Blake's Narrative.
I write this for those in that complex position I was in before joining CASS. I had so many questions and doubts about what I was even trying to do. Searching for a security type of school was overwhelming when you search it on the Internet. I was inundated with promises and guaranteed employment at each school I looked at. Just as long as I attended those schools and paid the ridiculous tuition there would be no problem. It just didn't seem right...and it wasn't. CASS was the only school that gave you every bit of information you could need to make this decision.
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Frank's Narrative.
I attended the course about three years ago. My background is a Navy diver so it is quite a jump to PSD type operations.
I actually had a difficult time cracking into the industry post graduation. In retrospect, it was just one of those things. It wasn’t that the Center didn’t support me, because they did. Shawn flew up to my home once just to spend a week reviewing all the options. So the bottom line is that it took a bit longer than we all thought it would. The lesson here is to never quit trying, because since I got my first assignment I feel like I have been living on afterburner ever since.
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