C  | Critically injured Jim Brady
Larry Bethea remembers that on March 30, 1981 it became my Longest Day in the U.S. Air Force. I was walking into the White House compound when a Soldier from my section was walking out. She said Hi, and then alerted me that there was a assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan. My first thoughts were mixed, and I asked her if she should be leaving under these circumstances. She said that she didn't know if the President was struck by a bullet but told me about others being hurt. She continued to leave as I rushed into the Duty Station to hear the Radios a buzz while the switchboard was quiet. Returning to the Radio room I heard Jerry Parr, the President's lead Agent announce that the President was coughing up blood and would reroute the President’s motorcade to the hospital.
Agent Parr was asked if the President had been struck? He looked over the President and couldn't find where. He suggested tackling the President into the Limo may have broken a rib on the transmission hump because they both landed on it. I then heard others say that ABC NEWS is already airing the Attempt and watched 2 or 3 minutes of their video before being ordered to the switchboard.
I returned to the switchboard room to find dozens of calls needing to be answered. I plugged into the board and started to patch calls; little did I know I would sit there for another 16 hours. While normally five operators could manage the switchboard, it required maybe eight on that day and sometimes calls were ringing for some time for we focused on our Emergency Procedures.
There are many untold stories around that day, Bell Atlantic technicians for instance rushed over to the Hospital and rerouted phone lines some were public phones being used by the press. They were disconnected in mid-sentence and the telco lines were routed between the White House and the Emergency Room at the Hospital.
The eight Military Personnel, including myself, were mostly in our 20's and yet only one person staggered, allowing grief to overtake her. She was pulled off the board and a few minutes later was back on the job doing her duty. She heard firsthand the Doctors report, how serious the wound was and how close it came to the President's heart. I heard a number of prayers that day, during a pause I glanced over to see one young man kneeling by the switchboard, I then realized he was praying.
The Vice President, George HW Bush was flying back to Washington DC on board Air Force II we had ground to air communications with him his entire flight. At one point he called and wanted to get a health status of the President. I patched him to the President's Doctor/spokesman and listened for quality assurance (SOP). After the call the Vice President called back asking to speak with the operator who he was just speaking with. I picked up the call, he was very concerned with me. He basically said, “I didn’t want you to pull the President's doctor away from his duties. I assured the Vice President the Doctor that he spoke to was overseeing the Doctors caring for the President. Once he realized this, he thanked me.
Another call I received was from Sarah Brady, she heard on the News her husband James Brady, the White House Press Secretary was dead. She wanted confirmation. I patched her to the Hospital, and she was told that her husband was still alive. She called back and informed me that her ailing Father-in-Law was visiting and to not upset him with any bad news that she would take all the calls. I respected her reasoned thought in such a crisis and informed everyone on the switchboard.
Agent Tim McCarthy is a large man, when he heard the first shot he turned towards the threat without moving from his spot. He took a bullet for the President and maybe the entire reason Reagan survived. A Hero! When he was loaded into an ambulance a fellow agent jumped into the front passenger seat. He informed the driver to drive to George Washington Hospital. The Driver worked for another Hospital and protested, for he feared he wouldn't get paid. The Agent assured the driver he would get paid, but the Driver continued to protest, that is until he was looking at the wrong end of a barrel. The Agent had no time for discussing payment and pulled his weapon to protect his fellow Agent. The driver then rushed over to GW Hospital.
In the Military there is a Chain of Command, from your immediate supervisor all the way to the Commander in Chief. At one point I glanced behind me to see most of my Chain of Command standing, watching us on the switchboard an Army Captain, a Marine Colonel, a Army 1 Star General, USAF General David C Jones Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.
A few weeks after my Longest Day a very nice letter came to our section from the Sec Def, Caspar Weinberger. He couldn't believe what he witnessed, what my section accomplished and shared mostly his feelings of how impressed he was with our professionalism, how we handle such a crisis with disciple and calm.
President Reagan came down to our section to personally thank us for our service, he left a crystal jar of his favorite jellybeans, but our NCOIC taped the jar closed so that the gift can be preserved for the section. I wonder what color those jellybeans are today?
Most Americans have no idea how close life and death was for Ronald Reagan that day. Nancy Reagan knew and did everything she could to protect her husband hence forth.
There was a huge team of people that came together that day to save our President, some parts were small, others were huge. Each part contributed to saving our President this day in 1981.
President Reagan was rushed to George Washington University Hospital for emergency surgery, Reagan joked with doctors as he was being wheeled into the operating room: “I hope you’re all Republicans.” The President was Released 12 days later,
An early Ronald Reagan accomplishment that has gone on to shape policy was his approach to labor unions that were operating outside of the law. In Aug of 1981 he took a hard line against air-traffic controllers who were unjustly striking, setting a precedent that has been pointed to for decades.
Reagan's economic and domestic policies had a major impact on the American people and have had for many years. One of the most well-known Ronald Reagan accomplishments was his tax cuts, which were designed to benefit the middle class. These Tax cuts were just one part of Ronald Reagan's overall economic approach known as Reaganomics, which decreased unemployment and inflation and, over time, revolutionized the country's economic structure.
Ronald Reagan energized new generations of Republicans, who continued to lead and develop the party in coming decades. One of the accomplishments of Ronald Reagan that clearly influenced later leaders was his charismatic, yet casual, speaking style, which ushered in a new era for political communication. Ronald Reagan also spearheaded a campaign to re-focus the country's attention back on its own people, an idea that has again taken hold in recent years.
Columbia, The First of NASA’s Orbiter Fleet |
Commonly referred to as OV-102, for Orbiter Vehicle-102,
Columbia was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in March 1979. STS-1, Columbia’s maiden voyage, launched on April 12, 1981,
and was the inaugural flight in the Space Shuttle Program. It proved the
operational concept of a winged, reusable spaceship by successfully completing
the Orbital Flight Test Program – missions STS-1 through STS-4. The orbiter
weighed 178,000 pounds with its main engines installed. Columbia was also the
first orbiter to undergo the scheduled inspection and retrofit program. In
1991, Columbia returned to its birthplace at Rockwell International’s Palmdale,
CA, assembly plant for upgrades and improvements. Her last flight was on
January 16, 2003.
But back in 1981, none of that was assured. The space shuttle
was a revolutionary spacecraft for its time, the first reusable spaceship and
the first one designed to land on a runway like an airplane. Young and
Crippen's STS-1 flight was also the first test launch of the shuttle. Never had
NASA put astronauts on a spacecraft that hadn't been tested unmanned
first. On Columbia's maiden voyage the shuttle only had the 2 brave
men for Crew which later increased with payload specialists and robotic arm
operator. The Military used the Shuttle for installing new satellites &
repairing/updating older satellites.
The WHCA signal board is a 24-hour operation,
processing, calls 365 days per year. Most of these calls are routine in nature;
However, occasionally you do receive unusual requests.
This is a story of one of those requests handled by.
Presidential. Communicator Wm. Larry Bethea. Jr.
Hail Columbia
By Wm. Larry Bethea. Jr.
Sgt U.S. Air
Force veteran, 1978-1982.
“As an Air Force airmen assigned to the 2045th
Com. Group, I was selected for duty to the White House Communications Agency. I
reported for duty in January 1986. After months of training and testing I was
awarded the position of presidential communicator, operating the tactical
switchboard and radio network for the President, Vice President, Secret
Service, and the Senior White House staff.
I arrived early for work on the morning of April 12 1981 and
went to the break area to witness the history making first launch of the
Columbia space shuttle which occurred at 7:00.03 am EST. After watching the
liftoff, losing sight of the shuttle, seeing a streak of light racing to the
stars I was called to the morning briefing. I was assigned to the special
operator position and my duty was to respond quickly to the President, VP, and
Senior WH staff, patching calls by telephone or radio anywhere in the world. At
07:00.12 vice President George HW Bush called from his car phone and wanted to
speak to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
Instructed me that he wanted to take the call in his office
and would arrive in 10 minutes. I responded to the vice president like he had
asked me to call his chief of staff not having a clue how to make the call. How
do you call a spacecraft? I asked my supervisor and he didn’t have a clue
either. Being born and raised around Washington DC with a family working within
NASA I knew the Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt MD was a communications
tracking facility. With approval from my supervisor I called the commercial
number in the public phone book and told them who I was, what I wanted, and if
they could help. The next thing I knew I’m patched to the pilot of the space
shuttle Columbia, Robert Crippen.
It happened so fast that we had five minutes to spare so I asked NASA and the pilot if they could hold the line for 5 min. NASA responded by saying Sure no problem. With that pilot Crippen asked me if I could patch some music up to them while they waited, I said sure and patched country music up to the space shuttle. On an earlier trip with the President to Cleveland Ohio I discovered a radio station with country music that you could dial into and get their broadcast. I’m sure that was a first. Anyway when the Vice President picked up his office phone I
had to drop the music patch, answer the Vice President, and introduce the space
shuttle crew. Easy, huh, not when making the introductions. The pilot
interrupted, thanking me for the music, and the VP is wondering, what music? I
didn't respond to the pilot Robert Crippin but instead re-introduced the crew.
and assured the Vice President the crew was on the line. The vice president
spoke to the crew, congratulated them for a successful launch, and wish them
Godspeed. (From one veteran pilot to another in my humble opinion).
In my first 20 minutes of my shift, I made communications
history by making the first phone call to a space. Shuttle for the Vice
President of the United States and providing music for the space shuttle crew.”
President Nixon talked to the Apollo 11 astronauts on the
moon in 1969 but that was a highly planned and coordinated call.  | | Space Shuttle Columbia launched on April 12, 1981 |
Signal Switchboard, Crown Radio, and Echo Fox Radio Console
In January of 1981 the Signal Switchboard moved from the East Wing basement to the new a new area in the basement of the Old Executive Office Building, room 015. The old Western Electric WE 555 was removed and the Western Electric 608-D was installed in the OEOB, it was the only L shaped WE 608 in the world.
 | President Reagan visits the Signal Switchboard
|
The switchboard was "L" shaped. The two positions on the left in the photo above were "SAO"s Special Assistance Operators who handled Presidential calls. Pres. Reagan is saying in the photo above "... and you do this job with equipment this old?
 | | The "Crash" notification system for group notifications of Presidential movements etc. |
 | The Nationwide Console (Echo Foxtrot) for SAM Aircraft Communications
|
 | The Washington Area System Radio Console (WAS)
The Washington Area System (FM and UHF Radios) was used for all of the mobile communications to handheld radios and vehicles. I forget how many frequencies there were but there were a lot of them.
The Western Electric 608-D was switched over to the Dimension (System 85) in late 1989.
Edwin Meese by Scott Downey
I remember when RR's White House Counsellor Edwin Meese would come down to WH Signal on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings and shake hands with those working on the holiday. To my knowledge he is the only person who did that during that era. Taught me an important lesson about leadership. He had been an Army Artillery Officer on active duty before joining the reserves. He retired as an O-6 in 1984, right around the time I met him. He went on to be US Attorney General during RR's second term.
I've got a story... by Diane Felts
It happened my first week at Signal, March 1983...
I had asked some of my cohorts on the Swbd what I could do during my lunch break. Someone suggested I take a walk across the street to Lafayette Park; they'd heard that Lorne Greene was there promoting a movie. Being a Bonanza fan, I headed over.
Once there, yes! Lorne Greene was standing in the park next to a horse. And he was being filmed and interviewed. I was totally awestruck. Then, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and when I looked at him, he pointed to the ground... I was standing in horses**t...
I tried to wipe off what I could off of my shoes (platform heels), and went back onto the 18 acres. All I could think of was getting to a ladies room so that I could clean off my shoes.
As I walked up through the arch to the EOB, I heard someone behind me yell, 'stand to the side'. I kept walking to the door, it wasn't very far to the door, I was totally focused on making it to the door, lol. Again I hear, 'stand to the side'. I had no idea what was going on, didn't know what it meant. I was so close to the door.
Next I felt a hand on my shoulder and was turned around to face a huge Secret Service agent (okay, he was huge to me, I'm only 5'2", weighed about 115). He then told me that he'd been yelling for me to move to the side... I started stammering (blubbering more like it) about being new, my first week, Lorne Greene at Lafayette Park, horses**t, I'm new...
Then the Boss and another agent walk up... President Reagan asked me if I was okay (was it that obvious?), and I started blubbering again... new, first week, Lorne Greene, horses**t... He asked me again if I was okay, I took a deep breath, and said I was, thank you for asking... He turned to one of the agents, and said, 'I think she's okay, besides, she's wearing my favorite perfume'.
They walked through another door, I went into the building, found a ladies room and cleaned my shoes. When I got down to Signal (in the basement), I sat down for a few minutes, composed myself, and never said a word about it... I was too embarrassed about stepping in horses**t....
“Tip” Two of my favorite Irishmen… by Marty Williams Sometimes our “Wallpaper History” involves other notables more so than our principal. One of my favorites involved Speaker Tip O'Neil. It was September 1983, and I was still in DC on the switchboard. We got a call that President Reagan was going to make a critical call to the Speaker as soon as he got on Air Force-1 (AF-1) for the flight out of Columbia SC.
A special assistance operator had the AF-1 operator on the line and the powers that be (or were) wanted an officer and a switchie to go to a DC hotel (I don't recall which one) where Tip was speaking at a dinner. I was to find a quiet, secure area in the hotel for the call to be taken and the officer (sorry don't remember who) was to go into the hall and when I gave him the high sign that the boss was arriving at the airport, he would bring the speaker out to be on the line. All went well (to start) I had a nice office space with a desk and a phone, right across from the hall from the event. The call was up from the hotel "holding room" through Signal switchboard to AF-1. I was on the call, waiting for word that the limo had arrived at AF-1.
 Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil with President Reagan
Word came that the boss had entered the airport, so I went out and signaled the officer in the event. He got the Speaker’s attention, who started off the stage. I ran back to the hold and the call and confirmed the call was still there. It was. But as soon as Tip started across the auditorium, the entire hotel phone system crashed!! (That's why we always had our own lines!) I ran out of the room and there in a narrow hallway between two ballrooms, both with large events, and across from the elevators and restrooms, was a bank of payphones. I called Signal, explained the situation, just as Tip walked into the hall! I quickly pointed out the phone and told him the president was about to come on the line. Well, the look I got was not happy. Lol.
But the best was yet to come. As soon as they were talking, both events let out with hundreds of folks passing through to the elevators, restrooms, AND payphones (no cells yet!). And they were not quiet!... But the call went well, and the budget eventually got passed. Tip thanked me and gave a nod.... And the pucker factor subsided...
In front of a camera Tip O'Neal was a die-hard Democrat, but get him one on one with President Reagan or on a phone call and they'd compromise and work out a deal. One time Tip would get credit, Reagan would get credit the next time. Real old school WWII leadership and a President looking out for his nation.
WH Cell Phone Service By Richard LePere
Think back to the dawn of the age of cellphones about 1983or1984 in the DC area. President Reagans Chief of Staff Donald Regan would take his boat out, and down the Potomac River. At the time there was limited cellphone coverage, not like today. He was warned ahead of time, where the limit was on the map. Nonetheless, he filed numerous complaints about failed cellphone calls, from his boat, that were placed outside the coverage area. In the end, additional cellphone towers were installed to create an overlapping footprint coverage area, just to support Don Regan. Which led to increasing WHCA’s annual operating budget. Which led to the Signal Switchboard’s System 85 adding a dedicated port expansion network, which then provided dedicated WH trunk access capability for all WH cellphone users.
When you went off hook on your cellphone you had an immediate WH dial tone. Which led to many additional meetings with Congress to justify the new technology and the added expense. As I look back at what those initial brick cellphones has led to, in today’s telecommunications capabilities, networks, and SIP trunking is amazing. but WHCA no longer taxes the technology and telecommunications sectors to create or engineer new technologies specific to WHCA or its mission, like it did back in the 60s thru 90s.
As an example, the engineers at AT&T and Lucent Technologies created software modifications to the PBX's that were geared specifically for WH use. The same technology wasn't released to the general public for, in some cases, 3 years. Instead, they're using whatever technology is being introduced to the general public, and having it modified to meet or exceed the security protocols required by WHCA and WHMO. Back in the day, WHCA had dedicated AT&T and Lucent Technology engineers and technicians that were on site at the OEOB. They all had clearances to be on site at the OEOB, and Anacostia to install, repair, and upgrade the PBX's in DC as well as our travel switches.
What's next? The development of new technology, to be used for everything from the military to education, was a key part of Ronald Reagan's platform.
1983 Augusta National Course by Marty Williams Ike was a member of Augusta National where the Masters tourney is played. There's a hole on that course that has a huge tree that Ike's ball hit with regularity. So, the management of the course named it Ike's tree. lol
Back in Oct. of 1983 RWR went to play golf at the Augusta National Course, while he was spending a few days as the guest of Sec State George Schultz.
Tom Pike comments President Reagan and Sec. of State George Schultz were
playing golf at the Augusta National golf course.
There was a back gate to the course that local PD were supposed to be guarding
and they weren't. But one strange thing that happened during his stay was that
a good ole boy who seemed to be a theme for a country western song, lost his
job, his wife left, he got drunk, and got into his pickup and rammed a side
gate at the club because he wanted to talk to the president. He got into the pro
shop waving a gun around and said, "I want to talk to the president"
A couple of the staff were in there at the time. Lanny Wiles who was on the
advance staff and Dave Fischer, Reagan's personal assistant. Fisher said, “I'm
his personal aide, I'll go get him.” and left. leaving the club staff and Wiles
alone inside.
Jeff Muenstermann
comments I will never forget that
Trip. Lt. Zimmerman was held hostage in the Club House. I brought the radio to
the Club House for the gunman and handed it to the Lt. I then was told to
escort Bud McFarlane back to his cabin and stay with him. It was a very intense
time. It was before DES radios and I remember the Military Aide hearing my last
name across the radio telling me at first he thought it was some code word he
didn’t recognize...which was funny. It was also the most hardware I’ve ever seen displayed
by the Secret Service in a public setting.
Tom Pike comments that WHCA had its trip board tied into the
golf course's dimension 400. An employee in the pro shop called through the tie
line and I answered the call. I put them through to the USSS command post. They
took the President and Sec. Shultz to the Holiday Inn where we were set up.
Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Schultz had been shopping, IIRC in Charleston, SC or
Savannah, GA. They brought them back to the hotel as well. I don't think it was
diversionary. I recall the limo and follow up came to the Holiday Inn where we
were set up. They put the president and Sec State in a room above the WHCA
Signal board. Marty
Williams continued The USSS parked the Presidents limo on the course and put
the president inside. He then proceeded to try and place a Y/Z call to the
hostage taker. I caught the radio call. We put him through to the pro shop
house phone and announced the call. The president started talking "This is
the president. Who is this?" The guy cursed and hung up. I said "Mr.
President, it appears the gentleman has hung up the phone, we will re-initiate
the call" "Re-a-who?" "We'll get him right back on the line."
“Oh, Ok” Which we did. The president called out a few times saying it was the
president and for the guy to talk to him. The guy cursed again and ripped the
phone off the wall. Good times. Eventually, Lanny Wiles convinced the guy to go
out with him and get a bottle. The USSS nabbed him right away and that part of
the weekend was over.
We had
launched the Helos, had a fake diversionary motorcade and basically played with
all the other bells and whistles. The best part was that back then, Y/Z (and
all the frequencies for that matter) were not secure. The newsies had a scanner
and were recording and broadcasting it in real time. The WHCA commander was
standing in the switchboard and turned to the T.O. and said “we’re going secure
and we’re going secure tomorrow!”
But this one
happened during the craziness that was that night. The Marine Barracks in
Beirut was bombed and this is how a “switchie” saw it. We were on the night
shift, quite early in the morning, watching one of the “Halloween” movies for
the 2nd night in a row. Things were slow.
Then a Full
Period Voice line rang in from DC and it was the National Security Advisor. In
a serious tone, he asked for the President. As a “cleared caller”, I rang him
straight through. “Hyellow” “yes, Mr. President I have Mr. McFarland for you.
Go ahead please.” They talked for about a minute and the call came down.
A moment
later another cleared caller asked for the president (I’m old. Don’t remember
who that one was). Now here I pause the story to again remind our listening
audience about the switchboard relationship with Mrs. Reagan. We loved her
because she protected the Boss, but she was tough. And I think she preferred
the ladies of the Admin Board. You didn’t want to make a mistake on her calls,
and you didn’t want to disturb her. Just take that as fact, regardless of what
your interactions might have been.
Anyway,
cleared caller number two, less than a minute from the last call. Rang
through…. One ring... two rings…. Three rings… (oh please let him answer…
please don’t wake her up... please…) “Hello!” (Crap!) “yes ma’am, we have a
call for the president” “oh. (In a louder voice) “Ron, it’s those people
again.” “Oh, ok.” (Flush…. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle… squeak) “Hyellow”…. I immediately
dropped off the call. 1985
Inauguration of President Reagan
The Public
open air inaugural parade on Pennsylvania Ave was canceled the due to the
bitter cold. There was a swearing in the Grand Foyer
on the stairway landing leading to the upstairs residence, and the next day
President Reagan went to the Capitol Center where he was sworn in at the Capitol Rotunda where he delivered
his 1985 inaugural address. It was the Inauguration of President Reagan in January of
1985. WHCA personnel manning the Washington Area Radio System, one of the rare
times we had two people working on the paging system.
 | Ronald Reagan is sworn in for his second term
|
Former
members of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) share their personal
encounters and experiences The1985 Reagan Inauguration The Reagans were going to a multitude number of balls that night, not sure of the exact number but there were a ton of balls that night, so arrival and departure announcements were coming fast and furious. All one operator was doing was paging people while the other operator was attempting to make the Sierra voice announcements. Attempting because the White House staff was constantly talking all over us. Finally enough was enough and the mic was keyed with this announcement saying, “THIS IS CROWN, EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!” Nothing but complete silence followed and for the rest of the evening we had no problems on the frequency! Don Cammel comments: I spent almost 20 hours babysitting an AV contractor setting up lights and sound at the Jefferson Memorial for the 1984 Inauguration. The ambient temperature was about -35 degrees and we were miserable. Monday morning report time for the event was 0500 and about 0800 they cancelled all the outdoor events. Then they made us stay another 5 hours in case they wanted to drop by between the multiple Inaugural Balls that evening. Most of us were sick in bed the next 3 days, and it took almost a month to shake the bad cold and lung congestion. That was back when I was still healthy. Again WHCA personnel had just spent the entire night working with a commercial contractor called the Naked Zoo to light the Jefferson Memorial. It was a great team effort, but nobody was disappointed when they called off the event and moved inside. The ambient temperature that night was about -35 degrees, and we were miserable. Monday morning report time for the event was 0500 and about 0800 the Inaugural Committee cancelled all the outdoor events. Then they made us stay another 5 hours in case they wanted to drop by between the multiple Inaugural Balls that evening. Most of techs that worked outside that day were sick in bed for the next 3 days, and it took almost a month to shake the bad cold and lung congestion. WHCA technicians spent almost 20 hours babysitting an AV contractor who was setting up lights and sound at the Jefferson Memorial for the 1984 Inauguration. Again WHCA personnel had just spent the entire night working with a commercial contractor called the Naked Zoo to light the Jefferson Memorial. It was a great team effort, but nobody was disappointed when they called off the event and moved inside.
WHCA rental trucks by Don Cammel
WHCA rental trucks on trip sites brought back an old memory. During the campaign season, I was the Trip Officer in Detroit, and at the end of the trip, the team drove to Milwaukee, WI and I jumped into NYC. A typical NYC visit normally involved assets and people to drive a rental fleet up the NJ Turnpike. On this occasion, the WHCA team was arriving via C-141 from another stop. My immediate mission was to find two 24ft Hertz rental trucks.
I called several locations, and then resorted to the Yellow Pages! Remember that era! I found the nearest Hertz franchise and on a Saturday morning, the owner answered the phone. I explained I need two trucks delivered to the tarmac at JFK. His response was...."I am just here today doing my F***king paperwork, I don't have an F**king Trucks for the U.S. Government to screw up!" Really a motivational speaker....so I then asked, since you don't have any trucks, do you have a competitor that you might want to send some business as I continue flipping pages in the Yellow Pages. He then asks, "What are you going to haul in these trucks?" I told him it was 30,000 pounds of electronic equipment mostly in small cases. He then asked....are they "dirty"? Mentioned that the last rental used a new truck to haul sides of beef and left a bloody mess! He then says....how can I get my paperwork done, talking on the phone? I do have two brand new 24ft trucks that I need in 2 weeks, but I can rent them to you if you promise to take care of them! We rented the two trucks, and they jumped to 3 more stops and then drove back to DC. They were so new and in great condition, we kept them for about 90 days. This vendor was calling me every day asking when he could get his trucks back. We never did return them to NYC, but dropped them in Arlington.
Christmas with the Reagans in Palm Springs by Raymond Millaway
I was T.O. for two Reagan Christmas/New Years trips to Palm Springs in 1985 and 1986; great memories of staying at the Marriott Rancho Las Palma Resort and the daily events at the Annenberg's Estate (Sunnylands). New Years Eve parties with Frank Sinatra (arriving in his Rolls Royce with "FAS" on his license plates), Bob Hope (visiting his mushroom on the hill house), and many, many others. Mr. Annenberg was from Philly, the same as me. We hit it off right away as he hit golf balls on his manicured driving range. When I arrived at Sunnylands, I would say "how are you doing Mr. Annenberg?" He'd say, "just doing the best I can with what the good Lord has given me". He really was a rather humble person. I had the audacity to present him with a WHCA Plaque at the conclusion of my first trip there. He said, "this is great, let me show you where I'll put it". He then escorted me into his 'I Love Me Den'. It was where they watched football games when there were no parties going on. The Den was like a museum - who's who of everything and everyone - including the Shah of Iran, etc. Actually, the entire estate was like a museum - great paintings, mobile art, landscaping, etc. Ah yes, and then there was 'Roy Rogers' and ‘Gene Autry’. LOL...
The Annenberg Estate was a interesting site, set in Palm Springs proper. The story has it Mr. Walter Annenberg, tired of scheduling golf tee times so he designed his own Golf Course on his estate. The City of Palm Springs complained about the water required for a Private Course, so Mr. Annenberg cut ties with Palm Springs, put in his own Power Plant and dug his own water wells. Though Sunnylands was a walled, private estate of Ronald and
Nancy Reagans’ close friends who also held official U.S. posts — Walter
Annenberg as ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1974 and Leonore
Annenberg as chief of protocol from 1981 to 1982 — the White
House sent an advance detail to Rancho Mirage a couple of
weeks before the president and first lady’s scheduled visit.
During the Reagans’ stay, three large trailers were
installed on the grounds.
“One was for White House Communications, one for Secret
Service, and one for sharp shooters with night-vision goggles. There were about
eight Secret Service agents per shift and about six White House Communications
staffers. I don’t know how many sharp shooters there were, because they came
after dark and stayed outside.”
During the New Year’s Eve dinner parties, There were servers
for each table, and they lined up in the gallery. There were two Secret Service
agents on duty in the service area while the servers picked up the food,
watching everything that was served.
One year when a woman tried to crash the party as guests
were arriving. Though she failed to get past the front door, the Reagans were
forced to remain sequestered in the guest room while Secret Service dogs
sniffed for anything that she may have planted in the property. Nothing was
found, but the incident delayed the president and first lady’s entrance to the
celebration by a half-hour.
Nancy’s New Year’s Eve gown was forgotten in the transfer
from Air Force One to the Marine One helicopter.
“She was frantic so she asked a Secret Service agent go to
the plane and get my dress, the Agent eventually found it and brought it to her. "Christmas
Calls" by Larry Bethea
It was a
tradition at the Signal switchboard to call members of the Armed Forces WORKING
on Christmas to allow them a few minutes to talk with family. We focused on
calling Overseas US Military Installations.
Back in the
early 1980's long-distance phone calls were expensive and overseas calls were
the most expensive. As an Airman I saw the Soldiers I'm working with focused on
calling Army Installations, so I focused on Air Force Installations overseas.
Using Autovon, (Military telephone system) and a Autovon phone directory, I
knew every USAF Communications Center would be fully manned on Christmas, so
that's who I called and some hung up on me! (before Caller ID) Some didn't
believe me. I'd call back and give them a little nugget of proof that I was 1)
at the White House and 2) providing a free call home, if they give me a number
to dial.
The Autovon
had priority calling, and at each Comm. Ctr. That I called knew or soon
realized I had placed a "Flash" (highest priority) Call. Only a few
locations in the World could call using "Flash", the Pentagon, the White
House, and a few Major Commands. Sometimes they quickly accepted the
information, thanked me and I would provide a phone number, sometimes I'd even
patch a few calls for one Comm Ctr telling the first Person to pass the word
around within their workspace.
One Airman
was quick, I mean he asked if I would do a White House Style introduction on
his Family for they wouldn't believe he was calling for free and through the
White House. I believe it's the only time I asked for their rank/grade and made
the induction such as, this is the White House and I have a call from Senior
Airman John Smith, would you accept his call. Of course they did! That was fun
hearing the joy between Family Members as I monitored to make sure they were
connected and had a clear telephone line.
In making
the first Christmas Calls I quickly realized I had to adjust to and deal with
time zones. One guy thanked me but didn't want to wake up his Parents in the
wee morning hours of Christmas, Pacific Time.
So as we
Celebrate the Birth of our Savior, I remember those working on Christmas day,
our First Responders, our Military and even Utility workers who provide
electricity, water and such.
Merry
Christmas!!! 1986 Iran Contra Scandal and WHCA Back-up Tapes by Mark Warren
In 1986 the darkest hour of the Reagan administration would become known as the Iran Contra affair. After lengthy, nationally televised hearings, a special congressional hearings review board reported that Reagan authorized the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for help in freeing U.S. hostages in Lebanon.
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