Ty Ritter

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Regular shoppers at La Caņada Trader Joe's know Ty Ritter. He is a checker there and someone who is easily recognizable. Ritter is a soft-spoken gentleman who sports a diamond earring in his left earlobe. He greets customers in a friendly manner, chatting briefly as he puts purchases in the bag. He is a gentle giant from all external appearances. But what customers don't know is that Ty Ritter is a man on a mission.

Since he was a teenager, Ritter has been obsessed with fighting injustice but, unlike most of us who share this feeling, Ritter has backed up his strong convictions with action as well as words. He has been in the business of protection since his service in the U.S Marine Corps where he was a bodyguard to officers, politicians, dignitaries and couriers.

After completing his military career, he formed a company which privately contracted with the United States government to conduct high-risk special operations in foreign countries. His work took him around the world from Israel and Europe to Asia and South America. Ritter later worked for a Las Vegas syndicate boss and casino owner where he was given extensive bodyguard training. He specialized in high-risk cases for clients subjected to death threats and attempted assassinations and eventually opened a successful body guarding school in Orange County.

When the daughter of the owner of the Golden Horseshoe in Las Vegas was kidnapped and held for $1 million ransom, Ritter was given $50,000 to "buy information about her abduction on the street." He found the girl and recovered her unharmed. This was his introduction to the international underground network of child pornographers and sexual slavery of children.

Today, Ritter specializes in kidnap recovery and kidnap prevention. He and his team of experts have recovered more than 30 kidnapped victims from countries all over the world. Over half of these victims were children who were taken by strangers and sold into sexual slavery.

Child pornography is big business and is second only to drug trafficking. Many of the major operations are located in Central and South America. Brazil is considered by some as the satanic capital of the world, heavily involved in child pornography and the selling of children to pedophiles that use them as sexual slaves. These children are constantly drugged-mostly with morphine-and tortured until they are no longer desirable than they are sold into prostitution or used in black market "snuff films."

Many of these pornography organizations operate as "legitimate businesses" such as comic book stores, children's apparel shops or even toy stores, usually something that is related in some way to children and youths. For example, an orphanage in Sao Paolo, Brazil, is surrounded by four fences with armed guards patrolling around the clock. A reporter saw photos taken of this particular location. Of course, it seemed a bit odd for a legitimate orphanage to have so much protection, but Brazil is riddled with violence and corruption so keeping the children safe might make sense. In the photographs taken through the fences, there was a beautiful garden, and a colorful yard with the latest playground equipment but Ritter said children housed in this "orphanage" never see the garden or the playground. They are warehoused away from this attractive location. Some live chained to their beds until they can be drugged and photographed for distribution via the Internet to thousands of anxiously awaiting pedophiles who are willing to spend big money to purchase these children for their sexual perversion.

One hundred to 150 children a week are sent from this orphanage to be photographed for Internet distribution purposes, said Ritter while showing photographs of children that were undoubtedly posted on the websites catering to pedophiles. "A blond, blue-eyed child is sold on today's market for $100,000 or more," he said. "Two brothers that I know sold their fishing boat to make a purchase of a child. In Brazil, $100 will support a family of four for one month and $20 will buy you anything you want."

"In the greater Los Angeles area, I discovered that approximately 400 children disappear without a trace each year. The FBI once reported this figure but later denied it so I investigated county by county to determine the truth of this statistic."

Ritter works and trains with a team of experts who are specially qualified for kidnap recovery operations. Each member of his team paid $5,000 of the total cost of $20,000 for the privilege of receiving this specialized training for the rescue of kidnapped children. They are extremely dedicated to the cause.

"It is 100 percent a group effort," Ritter said. "It is very dangerous work. We always try to purchase the child first and use force as a secondary measure, which is much safer for the children involved. Our motto is 'Never leave a child behind' and we all take this pledge and honor it: 'If necessary I will give all my tomorrows for one child's today.'

"I have had eight gunshot wounds and a major machete wound. Why do I do this? I do this because I know how to do it. I have learned that those who do not know fear are not brave, for courage is the capacity to confront evil. For the purpose of life is to matter, to count, to stand for something, to make a difference that I lived at all. When I am on a recovery and it is successful that's when I really feel alive," Ritter added.

Ritter has written a book, "My Body Is My Own - A Parental Guide" that is a complete child protection handbook. This book gives parents the vital information needed to protect their children from two atrocities: child kidnapping and child sexual abuse.

In his book, Ritter discusses prevention and protection of children from predators. He also describes what to do if something does happen and what to expect from governmental agencies.

Ritter has received the prestigious Lifetime Appreciation Award from the City of Hope for his devotion to the safety and recovery of children. He also received an award of appreciation from former President Ronald Reagan for his dedication and work for the protection of children.

George Orwell said, "People sleep peacefully in their beds only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Ty Ritter is one of those men, battling for the safety of children all over the world.