Certified Executive Security Specialist – Executive Protection Training: CESS Class 81 Graduation

Hi, I’m Benji Rosenfeld. I’m one of the instructors here at Pacific West Academy. I want to thank all the friends and family who showed up and everyone watching online who’s here to support the graduates today.

So, it’s fairly straightforward. I wrote something up about all 18 of these individuals. So, it’s going to be a little bit of roast, so a couple inside jokes. Try to stick with me. And these guys put up 10 weeks of very, very hard work, including the entire application process, which can be very lengthy. And then they were subjected to me and our instructors and all of our training program. And this is a very intensive course. You’re going to have to forgive me. I always get a little bit nervous when I’m doing this thing. Reminds me that I still care.

So, I’m going to go ahead and just do what I do best and roast these guys for a little bit and hopefully send them on their way to their exciting new careers. So, I’m just going to kind of get right into it. So, the first student, this first student came in with a lot of previous experience, has a very classical background for someone pursuing this career. Ex-military, ex law enforcement, just looking for a little change of pace. His experience really showed all throughout the course from the range to the mats. This student is a true perfectionist and that led him to constantly ask questions and seek the best possible solutions for whatever situation he was in. I can really appreciate a student like this that doesn’t just accept whatever answer comes out of your mouth, who wants more depth, more explanation, more precision. Really sort of helps keep the instructors on their toes.

But because he is such a perfectionist, sometimes it’s hard for him to realize just how well he’s actually doing. I watched him beat the brakes off one of his classmates and he couldn’t even enjoy it because he got hit one time. Just couldn’t get over the fact that he got hit one time the whole time and just very disappointed with himself. We all get hit. Not me, but I mean like people, you know, like they they get hit, you know what I mean? Like it is a thing. But no, really really top performer. If he channels his perfectionist personality into his new career, he’s going to do great thing. He’s the type of student that reminds us that we have a zero fail mission. That’s another thing about our job. Is a zero fail mission. There is no level of failure that is acceptable in our job. So someone with this type of psyche can really do great things.

I also think he learned a lot about adapting to every situation while here while he was here at the academy and he has a very bright future in our industry. I’m talking about Mr. Aaron Nickolson. Where are you?

Stand over here right in front of that camera. Shake my hand. Thanks, man. Appreciate. You can say something if you want.

And he’s a man of few words when not in class. Yeah. So, I’m going to get right into this next student. The next student, another excellent performer, has a lot of the attributes that clients look for in agents. He embodies the first word of our core principles, which is quiet. You can go a long way in this industry if you’re just skilled and quiet. And he now has both of those attributes at his disposal. He also welcomed a child while here at the academy. So, one day he’ll be able to tell his child that he was training to be a ninja when his child came into the world. So, so your child will definitely think they have a cool dad. Because of his excellent background, newly minted security schools and skills and new child to take care of this student will have no issues finding himself in an excellent position in our industry. I’m talking about Mr. Alex Rodriguez.

I didn’t know you were in Alejandro. I would have made more jokes. All right, this next student is one who demonstrated real emotional control throughout the course. Tremendous ability to stay cool when things are not going his way. Pretty soft-spoken guy, so he shouldn’t have a problem upholding our first core principle of quiet. Definitely had to ask him a couple times to turn up the volume while he was speaking, but that would be the only criticism I have. He received excellent scores on the medical portion, range, and combatives. He’s one of those fellows who he’s one of those strange fellows who doesn’t sweat much. It’s kind of a crazy crazy attribute. I told him the final doesn’t end until I see him sweat and we would still be here if if I kept us to it. But that made him a great demo partner mid-final, which I took full advantage of. He has all the social intelligence in the world.

Big guy, strong guy, and definitely quiet, assertive, and in control. I’m talking about Mr. Brandon Washington.

Nice. Strong silent types. I like it. Yeah. Good. It only took me two hours to write this, so thanks for not saying anything. All right. Next student really made some big strides while here at the academy. He went from getting knocked out on the first day of sparring after I specifically asked everyone to not knock anyone out and please don’t get knocked out. Please try to keep it cool. He immediately did not keep it cool and got knocked out. But however, yesterday I saw a whole new side of him. He remained vertical the entire final which was also very impressive. And I saw that look in your in his eye and the look that I saw in all of your eyes yesterday when you’re very tired, you don’t think you can keep on going, but you bite down on that mouthpiece. And I saw him bite down on the m mouthpiece and really suck it up. And that tells me a lot about this individual’s character. He learned a lot while here at the academy.

He showed his true colors yesterday on the combat final, which is what it’s designed to do. If you notice yesterday during the final, I didn’t ask anyone to demonstrate anything, right? It was just a toughness test. Who are you? When things are not going your way, when you’re tired, when you can’t see, when you can’t taste, okay, then who are you? Because who you are is now who you are. When you walk in on the first day of class, you’re all dressed how you are right now and you’re trying to convey professionalism and all those things. And professionalism is a very big part of our profession. But ultimately, we all know what our clients are interested in. It’s the underlying skill set and the underlying intensity. And this person demonstrated that yesterday. If he applies the same fight and determination to his new career, he’s going to find his place in our industry and do great things. I’m talking about Mr. Christopher Chen. There it is. Thank you.

So eloquent. All right. So, I’m one of the main combatives instructors here. So, obviously, you’re going to hear me talk about combatives a lot. That’s where I really get to meet the guys. That’s what I appreciate about my position is because I feel like I get to meet the real version of you guys, the uncomfortable version. I also love that we graduate where we do combatives. I think that’s also a very cool thing that maybe went over your heads. So, this next student, another tough customer, definitely an enforcer on the mats. It’s students like him that make me feel good about not sparring the students anymore. He showed up with another level of intensity for the final yesterday and made it clear to me that everyone is leaving it on the mats today. Got himself a pretty good bloody nose. Kept on going. Didn’t want to stop.

So I kind of let it ride for a while, but it got pretty red out here, so I made him take a break, clean himself up, and went back to giving free combative lessons.

Also highly intelligent, has all of the mental and physical attributes that a lot of clients like in their agents, and also came in with a lot of good previous experience from his military days. Also apparently a very good gambler. I’m going to have to talk to him about that. I went 0 for three in Vegas the other day. You believe that? So, I’m definitely going to have to get with him. This student will be able to go in whatever direction he wants in the industry, and I hope to see him in the field one of these nights. I’m talking about Mr. Chris Ingram.

Should have made him an extra big plaque. Awesome. Want to thank God. Appreciate you guys. It’s been an awesome months. All right, this next student,

This next student has a lot of those gray man attributes. He’s not exceptional at any one thing, but he’s pretty darn good at everything. I can definitely relate. Very softspoken guy. Can’t relate with that. But, has a great sense of humor. Has a lot of intensity when it’s time to go. Definitely quiet, assertive, and in control. So, he already embodies our core principles. From what I hear, he also makes a great smoked pig, which I look forward to trying over here, in the rear. Anytime I’m in his neck of the woods out in Hawaii, I’m definitely going to drop in and say hello at his family restaurant called Mickey’s. Also came in with an excellent military background and good combative skills. Keeps a cool exterior, but I really feel like when you put him on any security team in the world, he’s going to be a true asset. I’m talking about Mr. Edgar Santiago.

I might have had too much fun with his accent, but you know, I think that’s okay. All right, this next student, I really enjoyed this student. I like to call him the lone survivor. He comes in turns out we know some people in common and he kind of looks like an insurance salesman. I was going to talk to him about getting a better rate. But just before just before our first sparring session, I was a little worried for him. Yeah, he’s a big guy. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, but I don’t know. I was a little worried, but he sure proved me wrong. I saw him consistently consistently escape bad positions, fight his way out, which he was definitely using the training, following directions. But it was something much deeper that was causing him to find out of find his way out of these bad positions that he was in and ultimately gave as good as he got.

Also an excellent performer across the board academically in the more physical phases of the academy. We have a very demanding range week. It’s seven days out there. It’s very hot. These guys aren’t getting the full heat, but they definitely got the beginning of the heat. And he really showed up every day and performed at a super super high level. And I’m very confident he’s going to be a tremendous asset. Demonstrated a no quit attitude that will take him as far as he wants to go. I like to think that we toughened him up, but I don’t know if you can actually teach toughness. But this student definitely has that. I’m talking about Mr. Gabriel Posey.

Yes, sir. Praise God. That’s right. All right. So, the next student, another top performer, but I think we’ll be remembering his very unique sense of humor that he brought here. We also appreciate a good laugh, especially on some of these longer academy days. Very intelligent, physically talented guy who came in with an excellent background that really helped him push through. Also has an amateur Muay Thai fight coming up, which I hope to attend. I know here this right here in our area. And I know he’s the he’s going to be the one standing at the end of it. Very talented guy. Made big strides on the range. Executed everything that asked of him at a high level. I hope you give your opponent the PWA treatment when you see him over there when you meet him. And just as he’s going to succeed in the ring, he’s going to be very successful in our industry. I’m talking about Mr. Hilton Pham. Yes, sir. There we go.

All right, next student. An overachiever who excelled definitely has the right mindset and disposition for this profession. Really think he reached another level while here at the academy. Meticulous attention to detail. Never gets too hot or too cold. His mind is constantly on what he has in front of him. He has single-minded determination when what’s in front of him needs immediate attention. Not easily distracted or frazzled, which are key attributes. Also has excellent social intelligence and can fight. And like I told you guys, I think those are the two main attributes. Your social intelligence and can you fight? Can I have you around my kids? Can I have you in my inner circle? And when it’s time to go, can you go? I truly believe that those are the top two attributes that clients are interested in. Would any of you hire a bodyguard who lacked those two attributes? I mean, you can just ask yourself that question right there.

I don’t think you would. And this individual has enough of both to have an excellent career in our security industry. I’m talking about Mr. Jason Branch II.

Thank you everybody for coming. Thank you my boys here and special thank you to the instructors. Thank you.

All right. All right. This next student came in with some pretty high level experience. Was a referral from my, buddy Dalton who’s in attendance today. Came in with very high level experience in the field and it showed. Had an excellent base entering the academy and I think we helped him refine some of those skills that needed some cleaning up. He took a pretty decent injury mid-final yesterday, taped up his arm and went straight back to work. Like I said, I still wonder if toughness is something that can be taught. Either way, toughness is not something that I had to spend much time on with this individual. Made big strides on the range. Like I said, you know, it’s it’s very difficult. It’s very physical. It’s also very technical. Our shooting instructors are very technical.

So, when you’re out there and you’re hot and you’re tired and you’re still having to perform these very technical things out on the range, that’s a very difficult thing to do. Was also excellent on the mats. Had very good combative skills. Started to see some of those kicks come out when Taco came to give us a visit and I was like, “Oh.” I was like, “Didn’t know about those. I’m glad I do now.” He already has a lot of connections and opportunities in the industry, and I think with the skills that he learned here at the academy, he’ll be an even greater asset to whatever security team he chooses to be on. Tell about Mr. Joey Lopez.

Man, I start preaching a little bit if I could. I start crying. So, be a mess. I love you guys. This is the coolest thing I’ ever done in my life. That’s a cool thing. And this has been nothing like it, you know. So, keep fighting, boys. I’ll be out there.

All right, man. I must be nervous. So, this next student, very impressive student, interesting guy for sure. Might be a bit of an acquired taste for some, but there’s no doubt that this is a highly skilled individual who came in with a wealth of knowledge both tactically, physically, and even academically. And it really showed at every phase of the academy. Also came in with some excellent Muay Thai that would show up sometimes while we were boxing. While we were boxing, right? But excellent Mai while we’re boxing, right? But nobody’s perfect. He came in excellent physical condition with a strong desire to learn and pick up everything that was coming his way. Another guy that never gets too hot or too cold. Saw him in some tough spots yesterday and all throughout the academy and he simply keeps looking for the solution no matter how deep he must go down the rabbit hole.

Going down the rabbit hole in combatives can be a very very scary thing to do. Most people will never feel close closer to death than when they’re on the mats and when they can’t breathe and they have Ingram’s forearm on their throat and they want to give up but they know I’m watching so they keep going down till they find the light. Sometimes when you’re too deep going deeper is the only way out. I know this student won’t give up. I know he’ll make himself a great career in our industry. I’m talking about John Lamprinakos. Show us a flashlight.

Come here. Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

All right, next student really stood out to me. Very strong body, strong minded. I really like that he’s able to lighten up when it’s time to lighten up, but he’s quite a character with a great sense of humor. Unless you got to spar grapple the guy. That’s when you meet the real him. As I said all throughout the course, he’s got that dog in him. He’s already received some excellent employment offers and was a real top performer across the board. But make make no mistake about it. When this guy locks it up, you definitely want him around. Sky’s is the limit for this young man. I’m talking about Mr. Johnathan Williams. Yeah. He locks it up good, doesn’t he? Yeah. No speech.

All right. Next student. A young man was another high performer and has just the right just has just the right combination of off of Officer Winslow and Derrick Lewis. All right. Just the right combination. Man, sometimes I got to slow down when I write these things, but it’s all right. Can be the most professional, well spoken guy you know, or your very own personal nightmare. Yesterday during the final, he took a training knife to the eye by accident. And I can attest to exactly how painful that is. To give you an example, we’ve seen the heavyweight, the UFC heavyweight champion of the world quit to an eye poke for millions of dollars on the line. He gets poked in the eye, he quits, which is what we know. He took it, stood back up, ready to go almost immediately. It was only because I made him take a minute that he took a minute. If not for me, he would have jumped right back in.

Once again, I don’t know if that ability and mindset can be taught, but whatever it is that causes people to jump right back up, he’s got that thing. We’re also both followers of Dave Ramsey, so he’s already thinking about his future and his financial go goals, which we all need to be educated on. Security makes better and better money every year, but there are no pensions. So, we need that financial education, and he’s well on his way. Highly determined and intelligent. There’s nothing he can’t do in this game, and I know that he’ll do great things in the industry. I’m talking about Mr. Joshua Mack. Roommate. Oh yeah, I got right here.

I just want to say, you know, thank the Lord Almighty. I want to thank the entire staff of PWA. I want to thank my wife and my family for supporting me through the whole thing. Appreciate your love and support, baby. I love you. I want to thank a gentleman named Sincere Seals who introduced me to the course and helped me get into the course. And also, I wanted to shout out a friend of mine named Emanuel Effong. He was class 58. He recently passed away this year, but he thinking about him made me want to really get through this course. So, I also did it for him. But, thank you guys. It’s been an honor. Yeah, I remember F. Young. He was a good dude. So, this next student, real Jedi, ninja knight, absolutely ice cold when it comes to security decision-making. There’s nothing you can do to separate this man from his mind.

He could be completely exhausted fighting King Kong while wrestling Godzilla and he’s going to stay inside his mind and body and look for the best possible solution, which is what you expect from a man with his experience level and background. Definitely a natural leader with tremend with tremendous focus and determination who’s going to be a tremendous asset on any security team in the world that he finds himself in. And it was a real pleasure for me to train this individual. I’m talking about Mr. Kingsley Nwosu.

Yeah, I got something to say too. First, I want to give honor to God because you know without him I wouldn’t be here. My my wife for taking care of our family in Virginia while I was on quoteunquote from her vacation. The great instructors here. I did a lot of schools in my my career. Definitely got some top-of-the-line instructors here. And you know, also for my best friend that’s here all the way from Houston. He lives out here. I know I talked to him about it with y’all. But thank y’all for showing up and everybody that took their time out to come out here. Thank you.

All right, this next student didn’t come in with a heavy military or security background, but that was news to me because he really showed up and showed out at every phase of the academy. Came in with excellent boxing and overall combative skills. Another guy who just never gets too hot or too cold. Is always able to keep his wits and perform at a high level. Very sp well spoken with the correct demeanor that clients really appreciate. Definitely quite assertive and in control. Now, with the training that he received at the academy, he’ll be a very attractive candidate for high-level EP, and I definitely hope to see him in the field one of these nights. I’m talking about Mr. Nicholas Buggs. And he’s a senator from Krypton.

Few words. Well, what else? That just went to crap. But anyway, I just wanted to say thank you guys for well actually the first thing I wanted to say I was intimidated by you military vets just because y’all had the experience of you know being out there in the field intense training the mindset. So I came in just kind of just just observing everyone and I like how everybody had different personalities, different experiences, definitely show me something different. Definitely learned from different people. And we all supposed to be here. So, I definitely appreciate the comfort of everybody and Benji being the realest instructor,

The realest instructor I’ve ever been instructed by. Even my instructor, Matt in the back, very technically sound when it comes to his pistols. He he knows his stuff, so I definitely learned a lot. Thank you.

All right, thank you. This next student truly exceptional. Came in tremendous shape. Excellent combative and tactical skills that really showed all throughout the course. Also quiet, assertive, and in control. Definitely a bit of a natural and an excellent example to his fellow classmates. Also came with a great military background, which in addition to his training here at the academy, will take him far. Definitely has the correct social intelligence and combative ability that make him attractive to clients and security companies. He’s also received some excellent offers in the industry. Sky is definitely going to be the limits. Sky is definitely the limit for this individual. I’m talking about Mr. Pedro Ramos.

Exactly what everyone say. Rangers lead the way.

All right. This next student is going to go down as a real legend. Greeted me every morning with a nice loud shalom. So, so he definitely stood out for that. But aside from the humor, he also performed at a high level across the board. I also definitely think he caught the combaters bug while here at the academy. Has all the intangibles. Definitely a big, strong guy. Very smart. We do have to get him away from that whole Napoleon Dynamite look he’s going for. Okay. Hey, but if the ladies like it, they like it. But but maybe we should go for another look. Just a suggestion. Aside from that, he would definitely excel in a close protection position or low pro, even make a great advance guy was actually my own preference these days. Either way, it won’t be difficult for this young man to find his place in the industry where I’m confident he’s going to do great things. Talking about Mr. Ryan.

Shalom. Shalom. Thank you all. It was an honor to laugh and to learn with you all.

All right, last but not least, this next student was another phenomenal student. He actually already owns a successful growing security company that is already making a lot of noise in the industry. It is no small feat to run a company and still have near-perfect attendance at a demanding academy such as this one. We push our students to the limit and we leave no stone unturned. So to handle all those responsibilities and still have enough in the tank to go all out really speaks to this individual’s character. I think we could all learn something about character from this individual. He himself has also become a very experienced agent and it’s always a treat for me to work with and train already experienced guys and maybe show them something new or reinforce what is already known.

Either way, it was really from an instructing standpoint a real pleasure to work and train with this individual and I look forward to seeing him and his company rise to new heights. I’m talking about Mr. Sam Jones. And an excellent suit. Thank you. First first off, I just want to point out how impressive I am with the instructors that are here. Top-notch. You know, I’ve been in the game for 12 years. So, you know, I came in here with an open mind and was like, “All right, show me what these guys got.” And they definitely got stuff. It’s impressive. So, also it was an honor to get to know all you guys. Thank you for stepping up when, I had work and we had, details that we needed to fill. You guys stepped up, showed up, and made excellent impressions, awesome impressions that has actually led to more opportunities for my company. So, thank you for representing us. Thank you for stepping up. And, guys, I just wish you guys the best.

Know that you have an open door. I have an open door for all of you guys. You have questions. You guys need some you know references or you want to use me as a reference, please feel free to to do so. And just know that I’m wishing the best for you guys. I love you guys. And man, it’s been one hell of a 10 weeks, guys. Thank you. I got to point out my wife. Yeah, you do that. Nice and loud. Straight up. Like talk about being a man with a hus with a wife and two kids at home. And I was like, “Hun, are you sure you’re okay with me doing this?” And she was like, “Yeah, I got this. Go ahead.” And I was like, “Okay, if you say so.” And she killed it. She ran the company. She She pulled off some impossible defeats and she’s just amazing and beautiful. And I wanted to let her know that I love her with all my heart. Thank you.

All right, gentlemen. That concludes the roast. This is going to be the last time I address you as a class. It was a real pleasure training you guys, getting to know you guys. Please stay in touch. Anything you guys need. You let us know. You all have my number. You can hit me up anytime for anything. Always remember you’re you’re a graduate of Pacific West Academy and that only means something if you make it mean something. We got guys out in the field making it mean something every day. You guys making it mean something. That is not something that we can buy. We can buy all the social media ads in the world. Okay. What separates this place is the performance of the individuals who come here and enter the industry and do tremendous things. And we have guys doing amazing amazing things in the field all the time.

Head on a swivel, loading ceremony before every shift, making sure everything is ready to go and show them what separates people that went to Pacific West Academy versus people who did not. You will receive more opportunities because of those things. You have new duties now. You don’t swear on a Bible when you go and do this job, but you do have a duty. When things go bad, you’re going to hear things like this. Security. Security. Security. That’s what you’re going to hear. They’re talking about you and what you do in that moment. Those will be some of the most important moments of your life. What you do in those moments when you hear people screaming for security. So, make them thank God that they had a PWA graduate there that day. Thank you very much.

Yeah. Sorry, there’s something wrong, guys. Hey guys, I’m Edgar. I know some of you guys knew about my situation and stuff. I just want to let you guys know that I beat it. I don’t have lymphoma anymore. So, it’s a good day. I’m really going to miss you guys. This was the best 10 weeks of my life. And that’s my wife over there. I want to thank her for being here as well. And she took care of my kids and stuff. But yeah, everyone wants to talk about their wife. I’m going to talk about my wife, too. But

But thank you. Guys. I’m cancer free. Amen. Thank you. God.

We beat it right out of Morning fellas. How we doing? We good? All right, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning. My name is Matt Cheun. I’ve had the privilege of being one of the instructors for the past 10 weeks for these guys. I also have the privilege of being able to give you guys your scores today. So, ultimately, for one, I just want to say thank you to you guys. You guys continue to show up every single day and put in the work. That’s the biggest thing. And in turn, when you instruct for a while, you start to run into a couple of different types of people that show up to different courses like this. You run into one, the people that show up here and want to show you how good they are, or you run into the ones where they want to actually progress and grow and care about their skill set. And I think that’s one of the important things.

It’s very rare that we get a class that is full of people with tons of experience that want to progress in their skill set. And I think that’s one of the most beneficial things about your guys’ class is that you guys were able to hold each other accountable for your guys’ attendance and the effort that you put into your training. And in turn has evened out to where the awards that we have came down to mere percentages where I input one grade and it changes the entire scale. So with that, we are an academy and we do have grades as you guys know. Everything goes through the whole classroom and all that stuff. And since you’ve been here, you’ve been constantly assessed on your attendance, your performance, your willingness to learn. Every single task that you’ve done here has been graded and assessed by not only myself, but the rest of your instructors, including our contracted instructors. So we have three awards.

We have our greyman award which is somebody that we feel can sit within that baseline and still operate at a very high level. It doesn’t always turn out to be the third overall when it comes to GPA, but it just so happened that today it is. From there, we have our second overall award as the person with the second highest GPA out of the entire class. And then we have our Top Gun award. And the Top Gun Award is going to receive a couple different things. We’ll talk about that when I get to that. And I know you guys were aware of the Top Gun Award and everybody’s fighting for it. And when I tell you it came close, So, with that, we’re going to go ahead and start with our Greyman Award. So, this student really showed up, constantly put in the work, and constantly made sure that things were taken care of. Was a huge asset to the instructors as well.

One of the biggest things that helps us as the instructors is if you guys hold yourselves accountable and you guys keep yourselves in check. The reason being is because now we can focus on giving you guys the best types of instruction that we possibly can as opposed to worrying about other things. So, this student was a huge help for the instructors. I honestly think that any team that this particular student is on is going to be an asset to that team. So, for the Greyman Award, they are going to receive a goodie bag with some things in here. Frank put these together. You’ll be able to go ahead and open these up and take a look. But for our Greyman is going to be Mr. Kingsley Nwosu.

Thank you. All right, the second overall at a 93.96%. This student is a very well-rounded individual. I got to see him on the range. I got to see him on the mats. I got to see him perform and was constantly asking questions. I think that he’s going to be an asset to any team that he’s on and I think he can go very far in this industry and I hope that he does. Our second overall is going to be Mr. Pedro Ramos.

All right. So, our Top Gun Award, they’re going to receive a couple different things. Number one, they’re going to receive a Suunto Core watch. I’ve used these in the military. I’ve jumped, I’ve dived, I’ve done all kinds of things with this watch in the military, and, it’s still rocking and rolling today. So, they’re going to receive a Suunto Core watch as well as a plaque with their name on it that states they are the top gun for CESS class 80 that they can take a picture of every year and just talk about how they beat the rest of you guys. So, all in all, this does not mean that you guys were not all performers because all of you were. When I tell you it came down to mere percentages, the Top Gun Award with a 94.47% is going to be Mr. John Lamprinakos.

Have you on this side for anything? I’m good. I’m sick dog. You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll say weird stuff after I’ll make sure I’m gone for that.

Jets, it’s been fun. It’s It’s been fun. The biggest thing that I talk about all the time, you guys have heard me say this day in day out, that I appreciate the relationships that I make in this industry so much more than the money. The reason being is because at the end of the day, the beauty of this job is that I get to see you guys on how you first showed up with the information that you had and how you presented yourselves to what you end up being. I told you guys in the beginning that I do not care about your backgrounds. I don’t care if you’re a special operations. I don’t care if you’re a cop. I don’t care if you were SWAT. I don’t care about those things. I care about who you are today. Because at the end of the day, the person that you are today is going to shape who you are tomorrow. It’s very easy for us to sit on a throne of experience based off of the amount of training that we’ve received.

It’s very easy for us to think that we’re specialists in something and that we don’t have to learn anymore. Something I urge you guys to do is if we look at the actual program name, so it’s certified executive security specialist. It’s kind of an interesting word there at the end. I think the majority of the world when they look at the word specialist, people think, “Oh, well that person’s a specialist. He doesn’t have to learn anymore.” Or that person thinks, “I’m a specialist. I don’t have to learn anymore.” I urge you to kind of change your mindset a little bit. For me, to view myself as a specialist on the range, on the mats, or any of these things, how much more do I have to learn to continue viewing myself as a specialist? So again, don’t sit on a throne of experience. Do not let your training end here. Take the time. I hope this is just the beginning of the training. Continuously train.

Continuously make yourself an asset, not a liability. Because at the end of the day, we are protectors first. And for the people that are around us, I want people to know that I can protect them based off of the skill set I’ve developed, not just because I’m a man. So continue to progress your skill set. I hope you guys continuously train. Yes, physical fitness is part of it. Continue the skill set. Go to the range. Go fight in a gym. Develop your medical skills. Continuously build yourself as an asset because you are protectors first. Gentlemen, I want to say congratulations to you guys. I hope you guys had fun. And for you guys, I hope you guys continue to train and continuously grow. Thank you guys. Now, I’ve said a lot of great things about you guys, but let’s be real. It’s the people who are behind you guys that have actually helped you guys really push as hard as you guys did.

So, for the family that’s here and for the family that’s watching, I want to say thank you to you guys because ultimately, if things aren’t good at home, things can’t be good here. And so, you guys holding it down back at the rear, making sure that you support these guys, you guys are just as much of an asset as these guys are an asset to us. So, I want to say thank you to the friends and family that are watching and that are here. Thank you for all your support for these guys. Next, all the staff. You guys are what makes this place go around. So, big thank you to Omer and Oded for ensuring that we have this facility and things are are as they should. They put a lot of work in and ultimately they’re the reasons why you guys are here. So, thank you to those guys. Next, want to say thank you to Chris and Dre. You guys essentially, they become like your guys’ mama bear while you’re here.

They take care of a lot of things behind the scenes for you guys. They ensure that compliance is good. They ensure your licenses are good, and they essentially answer any questions that you guys have to ensure that you’re taken care of, not just while you’re here, but also when you are gone. So, thank you to those

And next thank you is going to be to the instructors outside of myself. I think that you guys are the background the the backbone of this community. I think you guys are the backbone of the academy. The reason why is because you can have a great facility, but if you have bad instructors, it’s never going to work out. And ultimately for all the instructors, you guys are continuously putting in the work to constantly progress in your skill sets the same way that we harp on these guys to grow their skill sets. Benji’s constantly in the gym. Benji’s constantly doing jiu-jitsu, boxing, all these different things. He’s constantly fighting in the gym. For me, I’m constantly on the range learning medical, also fighting in the gym. Matt’s on the range all the time. Frank is constantly training during EP and all of these things. All of your instructors are continuously training. Why?

Because at the end of the day, as we saw, the skill set is perishable. So, at the end of the day, thank you to all the instructors for all the hard work that you guys put in. I know these guys appreciate it.

Final thank you for you guys, man. You guys make this job fun. You guys make it to where all the instructors, we get to show up and just put the work in with you guys. And the more work that you guys put in, the more it helps us continuously push training towards you guys. I said it earlier, I’m not going to beat a dead horse, but I hope you guys continuously train. Do not sit on your throne of experience. Continue being an asset, not a liability. Guys, I hope to see you guys in the industry. If you guys need anything whatsoever, you know how to find me. Congratulations, guys. With that being said, CESS 81, you guys have officially graduated Pacific West Academy.