Well, here goes my first blog!

byMartinC2

57 followers

5 months ago

Life in Close Protection

When people hear names like ‘A’ Section, the Secret Service, or Shin Bet, they picture shadowy agents, tense operations, and a world veiled in secrecy. And honestly, they’re not far off. These names represent elite Close Protection units governments’ last line of defense for their most important people. Their job? Stay invisible. And you only notice them when things go wrong.

For over twenty years, that was my world.

Being a bodyguard isn’t as glamorous as the movies would have you believe. Yes, there are moments of pure adrenaline the kind that makes your heart pound and your instincts take over. But for every moment like that, there are days, weeks even, of mind-numbing boredom. You stand, you wait, you scan. And then, sometimes in seconds, everything you've trained for is tested.

What most people don’t see is the toll it takes. The hyper-vigilance that never switches off. I’ve been retired for a while now, but I still catch myself reading people’s faces as they walk past. I still choose restaurant tables where I can see the door. I still look for a quick exit when I park my car. Old habits. Constant tension. The job cost me every serious relationship I’ve ever had, yet I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I was part of one of the most highly trained units in the world. That sense of purpose? It stays with you.

I started my career at a time when the world and the threats within it were shifting dramatically. After World War II, the major threats to global security were easy to name: Soviet Russia, Communist China. Big, visible dangers. But by the 1970s, everything began to change. Terrorism started making politics personal, bringing violence to doorsteps, markets, airports. And with the fall of the Iron Curtain came a new kind of chaos where terrorism, organised crime, and political fanaticism blurred into one another, often linked by money and weapons.

Now, threats come in all shapes: a lone gunman with a grudge, a sophisticated IED placed by a trained extremist, or a kid on a scooter with a pistol. Today’s public figures face danger that’s unpredictable, sometimes professional, sometimes terrifyingly random. And Close Protection? It’s no longer just about shielding someone from a sniper or guarding an aircraft. It’s about watching for the unthinkable in the most ordinary places: a hotel lobby, a shopping mall, the walk to the car.

We haven’t seen another global war like in the 20th century—but make no mistake, conflict is still very much alive. Only now, the frontlines are different. They’re in the places we once considered safe. And the soldiers? They’re people like I once was Close Protection professionals, standing quietly in the background, eyes always scanning, ready for anything.

It’s a life most people never see. But it’s one I’ll never forget!