Our Team
Paul Heitz
Owner/Instructor
24 yrs US Military/16 yrs Army Special Forces/7 yrs SC Highway Patrol/ Retired 5th SFG(A)
Paul spent 4 years in the United States Navy during the Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He served at COMUSNAVCENT Bahrain as an Operations Specialist. After the United States Navy, he joined the United States Army Reserves and worked for the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office where he worked at the City Jail. After VBSO, he started working for the South Carolina Highway Patrol and was stationed in Lancaster County. During Paul’s time with SCHP, he obtained various courses including Officer Survival, Advanced DUI and Drug Detection, Advanced Accident Investigation Course and Marijuana Analysis Course. In 2005, Paul enlisted in the United States Army as an Infantryman and later attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection and was selected to be a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. Paul has been a Special Forces Green Beret for 16 years. He went on to serve at 5th Special Forces Group and deployed to multiple combat regions such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, and United Arab Emirates. He has trained U.S. and Foreign personnel in each of the locations he had deployed.
His skill set as a Green Beret advanced through the completion of the following courses:
Defense Language Institute (Arabic), Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat courses, Special Forces Advanced Special Operations Course and Techniques, Special Operations Forces Sensitive Site Exploitation Course, Special Operations Forces Technical Exploitation Course, Anti-Terrorism Driving Course, Combat Tracking Course, Army Senior Instructor Course, Army Instructor Evaluator Course, Small Group Instructor Training Course, Small Unit Tactics and Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE).
Mark Geesaman
Business Partner/Instructor
Currently Active Duty/18 yrs US Army/14 yrs Army Special Forces 10th SFG(A)
Mark enlisted in the United States Army in 2006 as an Infantryman. He was deployed with the 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. While deployed in Iraq for 14 months, Mark was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Commander’s Personal Security Detail. After Iraq, he volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). After being selected and the year and half long Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), he earned his Green Beret and was assigned as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with a language skill in French to 10th Special Forces Group.
He was a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant for 11 years where he trained and advised his Special Forces Operational Detachment-A (SFOD-A) and foreign partners in small unit tactics and the employment of various weapon systems. He is currently a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant and served as the Assistant Operations Sergeant for his SFOD-A. He was assigned to both a Mountain team (specializing in summer and winter mountain operations) and a Mobility team (specializing on the utilization of MRZRs and Polaris Snowmobiles to navigate the battlefield) and has trained extensively in both fields. He has deployed, trained, advised, and assisted countless foreign partners in Iraq, Estonia, Portugal, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Poland, and Africa.
His skill set as a Green Beret advanced through the completion of the following courses:
Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat (SFAUC) courses, Advanced Force Protection in Hostile Environment Course, SERE-C training, Evasion and Tactics for Trackers and Canines course, SOF Sensitive Site Exploitation Course, Special Operations Senior and Master Mountaineer courses, Army Basic Instructor Course, Small Group Instructor Training, Small Unit Tactics, Advanced Special Operations Level 2 course, Special Operations Combatives Program, 18B Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, 18F Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant
John Joas
Instructor/SRT Operator
11 yrs LE/9 yrs SRT
John Joas has served Chester County Sheriff's Office since 2013. He started serving in the Chester County Detention Center for almost a year and then transitioned to the patrol division as a patrol deputy. In 2020, Joas became a patrol sergeant, and at the beginning of 2023 took over the training division. He joined the SRT two years after he was hired at the Sheriff’s Office and has served in many roles such as breacher, marksman observer and an assaulter on the CCSO SRT. During his first certified SWAT course, he realized he was tactically deficient and has since invested much of his personal time and own resources to become a better marksman, tactician, and instructor.
Joas has conducted countless high-risk warrants in Chester County during his career in law enforcement. He understands that the basics are the foundation and most critical part of any tactical skill. This has allowed him to become a better student, operator, and instructor for CCT. His humble attitude and ability to think critically has greatly enhanced his capability to lead his team and teach the younger deputies the fundamentals of marksmanship and tactics of CQB. He is currently a Sergeant of the training division and an Entry Team Leader on the SRT.
Certifications:
Certified Firearms instructor through SCCJA
Certified Patrol Rifle instructor through SCCJA
DEFTECH Less Lethal, Distraction Device instructor Certified
SRTOCC levels 1, 2, and SRTOIC Certified
Gastonia Basic SWAT Certified
Gastonia Basic Sniper Course
Firearms Instructor Training Program through Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
John Flinn
Instructor/Paramedic/SRT Operator
4 yrs Marine Infantry/17 yrs EMS Paramedic/3 yrs SRT
John Flinn joined the Marine Corps Infantry in 1996 and deployed twice as a team leader with the 31st MEU, special operations capable. He was selected to attend the USMC Warfighting Labs 12 month experimental school Urban Warrior in 1999. This program selected 12 Noncommissioned Officers to help the Marine Corps develop new tactics, gear, and weapons systems to fight in future urban environments. Before his Honorable Discharge in 2003, he attended Desert Warfare training in 29 Palms, CA and Jungle Warfare training in Okinawa, Japan.
He is a former professional fighter and currently focuses on training and teaching Brazilian Jiujitsu.
In 2009, Flinn began his medic career as a firefighter paramedic in Arizona.
John is an active EMS shift commander and SWAT operator in South Carolina with his main contribution to CCT being the Tactical Emergency Medical instructor.
Certifications:
Nationally Registered Paramedic
Advanced Trauma Care
Pediatric and Neonatal
Flight Operations and Critical Care
Tactical Combat Casualty Care
SRTOCC levels 1, 2 and SRTOIC Certified
Stop the Bleed Instructor recognized by AHA and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma
Black Belt in BJJ