Andy McCutcheonForeword - by Kay Danes
July 5th 2007 00:07
Foreword
Over the years, there have been many names reserved for those who put their lives on the line or in harms way to professionally protect another from personal assault, kidnapping, assassination, loss of confidential information or other threats.
One word that is synonymous with this industry - Bodyguard.
In 69 AD Emperor Galba appointed Piso Licinianus Deputy Roman Emperor. This upset a rival contender, Marcus Salvius Otho, who later conspired to assassinate Galba and Piso and seize power. Otho and a company of renegade Praetorian Guards ambushed the Royal convoy. Praetorian guards were supposed to be the loyal protectors of the Emperor but under Otho’s instructions, they had become his assassins. Fortunately for Piso, his bodyguard Sempronius Densus bought him time enough to escape. It was recorded in history by a Greek historian, that Sempronius gave his life defending both Galba and Piso. He single-handedly defended them from scores of armed assassins, while all his comrades either fled or joined the enemy against him.
This story effectively epitomizes the role of a Bodyguard even in those very early days – to protect the client at all costs. But in keeping with reality, sometimes the unexpected happens. Unfortunately, Sempronius defended his charge as long as he could until finally he was killed, cut down at the knees. The assassins hacked his and the Emperor’s corpse to pieces and paraded Galba’s severed head on a pole. Two assassins sought out Piso and dragged him from his sanctuary, the Temple of Vesta, where they killed him.
Although Sempronius failed in his duty as a bodyguard, to protect the life of his charge, that fatal day is recorded by historians as being the only heroic act done in Rome that day. It is hard to imagine that any sane person would willingly accept this kind of position but a bodyguard will lay down their life to protect others. They are motivated by a desire to protect the rights of those in their care. Many examples of this same dedication is recorded years later in the days of the Bushido, the Samurai, an elite group of warriors in Japan who, like Sempronius, were bound by a strict code of honor that demanded they live and die to protect their charge.
Over the years, we see that same tradition continuing. In 1890, Walter Henry Thompson was born and throughout his manhood faithfully served for eighteen years as bodyguard to the then UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Real-life Bodyguards are generally quiet, unassuming grey men. They lead inconspicuous lives for the most part, until circumstances around them change and force some to become highly recognizable; such as Mr. T, a well known American actor starring in the 1980 television series The A-Team. He was a rather flamboyant personality who later became a bodyguard to Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. His business card famously read, "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I."
And who in the industry could ever forget Trevor Rees-Jones, the bodyguard of Dodi Al-Fayed, son of the Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. Rees-Jones was the only survivor of a car crash in Paris that killed its driver, Fayed and Diana, Princess of Wales. His face was plastered all over the tabloids with a promise that he would never work a single covert operation again as a result.
In more modern times, bodyguards have been fictionalised in movies like The Bodyguard, a 1992 film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Again In the Line of Fire, a 1993 film about a pyschopath who seeks to assassinate the President of the United States and the US Secret Service agent who tracks him down.
Though there have been many name changes to the profession over the centuries from Centurion to Samurai, Bodyguard to Minder, and finally - Close Protection Officer, all share those same traits that define the person undertaking this unique and challenging role; integrity, loyalty, honor, courage, ability, capability and complete focus.
Bodyguards play an important function in our society and require a high level of skill, confidence and professionalism to be effective. They are not easily ruffled when things come up unexpectedly because they are trained to quickly adapt to change, and to expect the unexpected. They generally have good instincts and are in tune with their intuition. Most have some affiliation or former service with the protection industry; Law enforcement officers, ex-military personnel, Special Forces Operators, Weapons Specialists, Martial artists and even fitness trainers have become some of the world’s most highly sought after Bodyguards.
All have a determination to be the best that they can be in their line of service, a strong will to succeed and are not afraid of sacrifice.
As a former Director of an International Company providing VIP Protective Services to Executive Personnel working across SE Asia, I have witnessed first hand the dangers of the business and even, incredibly, spent almost a year of my life as a hostage in a communist state, in service to a client. I have also had the extreme pleasure of working with a variety of unique individuals who, through their professionalism, often made an otherwise hostile environment seemingly less so. I have worked with and employed bodyguards, who just like Andy McCutcheon, began their journey from elite military service to the corporate world of Close Personal Protection. Their adventurous lives could fill the pages of many chapters of numerous books and still would barely scratch the surface of all they have seen, endured and overcome. I am honored to write the foreword of "SAVIOUR" and to reiterate a pivotal point; it is unlikely that another book like this one will ever legitimately surface because of the non-confidentiality agreements that gagged all of us who ever worked in the Close Protection Industry.
Andy’s adventures as a Bodyguard are truly incredible as is his commitment to the code; protect the client at all costs, don’t judge them, just make them feel safe. Andy gives valuable insight into the professional realm of Close Personal Protection and in particular, a purist perspective on celebrity life. The Limousine Chronicles will take you in and out of the lives of extraordinary people, providing you with an insight into their triumphs and tragedies.
Kay Danes
Former Director and Bodyguard
Pacific Security Services Limited
‘Providing VIP Protective Services to
Executive Personnel working across SE Asia’
International Best Selling Author of ‘Nightmare in Laos’
‘The True Story of a Woman imprisoned in a communist gulag’
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