Client Testimonials

I just wanted to write and thank you again for an excellent training last week.  I had heard great things about the Centurion training, but my experience definitely surpassed my expectations.  You all did a fantastic job building rapport, focusing on the essentials, and making the training applicable and meaningful for all of us.  I hope I never have to employ most of what I learned(!) but I feel confident in my ability to do so thanks entirely to you.  Cheers, and very best wishes.

My name is Yannis Behrakis and I'm a Reuters photographer based in Athens.  I did the first course of Reuters journalists a few years ago with my friend Kurt Schork...

Kurt was killed in an ambush in the jungle of Sierra Leone on May 24, 2000 along with APTN cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno.  It was me, Kurt, Miguel, and Reuters TV cameraman Mark Chisholm, and 8 Sierra Leone soldiers traveling in two civilian vehicles in no-man's land some 100-km northeast of Freetown when we were ambushed by RUF rebels...

Kurt, Miguel, and the 8 soldiers died in the 30 or more minutes of gun battle.  Only me and Mark (injured) survived.  I hid for more than three hours in the jungle using all my survival skills, but one of the things I remembered well when I started crawling away from the ambush was the day in a forest in England.  When walking through a path, one of us triggered a booby trap.  I also remembered the small anti-personnel mines (in the demonstration).  Then I decided to move through the most difficult path to avoid possible traps, thinking that if there were traps they would be placed on a path used by humans … it was a good day on the course and a horrific day in the jungle.  Thanks for that day.  Cheers Yannis.

As a Vietnam veteran (US Army) and correspondent who’s covered wars or conflict in S. Korea, Central America, Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia and Albania/Kosovo, I thought I knew something about covering conflict.  This course taught me immeasurable lessons for both past reflection and evaluation and future use.  I intend to apply them soon in Iraq where I’ll spend six weeks with McClatchy...

The five Centurion trainers we had were first-rate, top-drawer, memorable and hilarious.  Many thanks and my best regards to any of the Fab 5—Peter, Keith, Al, Paul and Taff—whose path you cross.

Let me tell you, the course was worth every penny, even those I could not afford myself...

I and a colleague attended your company's HEFAT course in Virginia during March of last year prior to embedding with the Canadian Forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  I've been meaning to drop you a line to let you know the high regard I have for the course and its instructors based on my experience.  Speaking to a room full of journalists is not a task I envy - I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis.  The instructors professionally addressed all inquiries and the first aid instruction is by far the best and most thorough I've received.

I was expecting the course to concentrate more on things military.  In fact, in my course review I wrote something about the course not being more specifically tailored to somebody preparing to embed with a military organization.  Specifically, I was expecting some sort of magic 'You do this in this situation and you do that in that situation'.  Following my experience in Afghanistan, I can confidently say that my assessment in that regard was not at all on the mark.  In fact, the most important bit of information I took with me was to simply be more aware and observant of my surroundings.  It would be pointless for your instructors to talk at length about soldiering since it's a skill that takes years of training to hone and, quite frankly, not my job.

Your instructors alluded to a lack of fire discipline among some American troops.  Without going into specifics, they must have different ROE than every other army in theatre.  I strongly urge you to continue emphasizing this point in your courses.