kennedydetail

Michael Rae out to support National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

2012-02-13T00:00:00.003-06:00

By Laura Kessel
LKessel@News-Herald.com
@lauranh

Michael T. Rae doesn’t like fund-raising.

What’s worse is that in his work, he’s not permitted to ask his co-workers for contributions. So, there’s no passing of a sheet around the office like most of us see when it’s Girl Scout cookie sale time.

No, when this attorney with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Cleveland needs to come up with the $1,750 entry fee to take part in the Police Unity Tour that travels on bicycle from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., every year, he needs to get creative.

And this year, Rae’s getting pretty romantic.

In previous years, Rae’s done a lot of selling.

“EBay is a great place,” Rae said.

He should know, because he’s successfully taken to the Internet’s largest garage sale to peddle one-of-a-kind items to fund his charity work.

Currently, Rae’s selling “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence,” by Gerald Blaine. The books are signed by Blaine, who was one of Kennedy’s agents, and Clint Hill, the agent who famously jumped up on the back of the limo in which Kennedy was riding the day he was shot in Dallas.

Also closing out sales this week were copies of “Unbroken,” the story of a former POW’s struggle to readjust to life after war, by Laura Hillenbrand; and “Abraham Lincoln,” a biography by former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. George McGovern.

Any proceeds raised from sales of this type of merchandise go directly to the Police Unity Tour, which marks its 16th year in May.

During the four-day ride, law enforcement officials from across the country gather to honor those who died in the line of duty.

The first ride, in 1997, consisted of 18 riders. Rae said that in 2011, more than 1,200 took part and that they donated $1.325 million for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

According to www.policeunitytour.com, the charity has donated a total of $8.4 million to the fund since 1997.

And, in 2005, $5 million was pledged to support the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington. The museum is set to open in 2014 at Judiciary Square in Washington. The area surrounding is home to the FBI’s D.C. office, U.S. Tax Court and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

The 55-year-old Rae said he’s participated eight times so far and plans to take part again this year, from May 9-12.

In addition to his fund-raising through collectible goods, Rae is offering another of his many skills to area residents.

Rae, who became an ordained minister when a friend asked him to officiate her daughter’s wedding, said he’s available for hire to those who are getting married or who’d like to renew their vows.

His fee? A $150 contribution to the Police Unity Tour.

Rae is ordained through Universal Life Church Monastery, which helps those interested in performing these types of services get their official licenses online.

His first wedding ceremony united Brandilyn and Bryan Maibach in Tallmadge on Oct. 23, 2010.

His longtime friend, Robyn Fry of Mentor, asked him to perform her daughter’s wedding.

“The kids wanted someone that was special to them and that their ceremony would mean something not only to them, but also to the person involved with the ceremony,” Fry said. “We thought of Mike, and without hesitation, he said yes, filed the paperwork and become ordained — just for them!! He is truly a great friend.”

Fry said having Rae in charge of things gave her great comfort.

“He will do anything for you,” Fry said. “... He is very special. It meant everything to my husband and me to look at the front of the church, see our daughter on her special day — and be in such great care with Mike.

“The truth of the matter is, he will do these things for all of his friends, he is someone you can count on. He is always volunteering for numerous agencies and donating his time and effort to worthy causes. I am so lucky to have him as a friend.”

Rae said he’s performed two other weddings since then, including one for a colleague who got married at the lighthouse on Marblehead.

He said he tailors the ceremonies to the needs of the bride and groom, ensuring it’s exactly what they want. He dresses for the occasion, wearing a suit and stole bearing the symbols of the major religions, but said his is a non-denominational ceremony.

“Anything they want to do, I’m game,” he said. “A lot of people don’t have a home church, so they look for a minister.”

Rae gets quiet when he talks about his efforts to raise money. He said it embarrasses him, and that because he’s limited by federal rules that preclude him from asking for donations from colleagues, he has a more difficult time than those on the local law enforcement level.

Still, he hasn’t had trouble making his goal. In fact, last year he said he raised enough to boost two more riders — including Jeremy Benedict of Cleveland Clinic's police force. Benedict received $350 from Rae after raising $1,400 on his own. Mentor Police Officer Erik Kupchik has done the ride five times, and Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Lisa Neroda also has participated.

Rae is among the charity’s biggest cheerleaders, freely discussing its mission and the joys of taking part.

“I just want people to know the two core statements,” he said. “We ride for those who die. And we ride to remember.”

For those unfamiliar with the Police Unity Tour, it’s a remarkable gathering of active law enforcement officials, who travel 300 miles by bike in memory of those who’ve given their lives in the performance of their duties.

Each rider wears a bracelet bearing the name of a deceased officer.

The riders travel in pairs on the road, as Rae said, in a nod to the “thin blue line.”

“The blue line is meant to depict police officers,” he said. “There’s a thin line between society and chaos, and that’s police officers.”

The riders are led by a team of motorcyclists and tailed by a support team that moves around them while ensuring their safety and preparing meals and tending to other needs.

Once they reach the monument at Judiciary Square in Washington, Rae said riders meet up with the “survivors.” Family members of those who’ve died descend on Washington for a candlelight vigil honoring the fallen on the night after the riders arrive.

Rae described downtime when they get to sit and talk.

“It’s a sorority you don’t want to be a member of,” he said. “I go up and say, ‘what’s your story and why are you here.’ ”

He said during those conversations, he met in person someone he'd corresponded with for months before the ride. Debbie Greene is the mother of a young police officer who was killed Oct. 30, 2010, in Hoonah, Alaska. Anthony Wallace was legally deaf, but worked his way from a troubled childhood to a wrestling scholarship, then on to a job with his four-person force.

When Greene came to visit him from her home in Florida, he took her on a ride-along during which he was shot by what Rae described as a “mentally ill man who held a grudge.”

Rae said the suspect had been arrested by Wallace previously and he retaliated.

During their conversation, Greene asked Rae for directions to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. After he obliged, she confided that her brother’s name was listed on the wall.

They kept in contact after the Tour’s events, and Rae got her hooked up with Concern of Police Survivors, a group that works to help “assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.”

COPS conducts events, works with families, and is sponsor of National Police Week, which takes place in Washington, D.C., this year the week following the Police Unity Tour.

Rae looks on his time spent taking part in the cycling event as just something he can do for those who have fallen. He thought for a minute and said he thinks he’s taken about two years worth of his annual leave to do the rides.

He said he gets in about 3,000 miles a year on his bike, including 500 to 800 in the months before the May ride.

“I ride the streets,” he said. “We have wonderful street lights in Mentor. When the weather gets warmer (Rae and his girlfriend Martha) hit Lakeshore and the bike paths in Eastlake.”

He said he has struggled with getting time on the bike in the past few months because of the poor weather. This past week, for instance, as been too cold for him to head out. But, he said he’s a common sight in the area.

“The people in Mentor know me,” he said. “They probably think, ‘there’s that nut on his bike again.’ ”

If you'd like to help:

To contact Michael T. Rae about performing weddings or renewals of marriage vows, send an e-mail to mikemarty4@netzero.net, or call him at 440-974-2070, or 216-849-1542.

To make a donation in Rae’s name, send a check made out to Police Unity Tour to Mike Rae, Attn: PUT, 2400 Orange Ave., 2nd Floor, Cleveland, OH 44101-9726.

Rae sells items as a fundraiser for his entry fees at eBay.com, using the seller name mikemarty48stf.

The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas dedicates a permanent exhibit to President John F. Kennedy

2012-02-02T15:57:00.001-06:00

Jason Barry, The Shorthorn staff

http://www.theshorthorn.com

On Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode through Dealey Plaza, also know as “The Front Door of Dallas.”

Since Presidents Day 1989, The Sixth Floor Museum has created a permanent exhibit to chronicle Kennedy’s life, death and legacy.

The museum is located in the former Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald took the fatal shots that killed the president. Evidence suggests the shots were fired from the sixth floor.

Inside, behind glass walls, a replica of the crime scene showcases how the boxes of books were stacked to create a rifle nest in front of the window the shot was taken from.

“Even though I’ve been here several times, that corner still gives me chills when I look at it,” 65-year-old Dallas resident Gene Harris said.

The rest of the sixth floor is filled with all-things-Kennedy, from his campaign trail and inauguration to some of the challenges he faced in office, such as the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Signage, pamphlets and circulars on the walls also show anti-Kennedy sentiment from Americans of the time.

“Not everybody was a Kennedy supporter,” said Ron Derrek, a 32-year-old accountant from North Carolina visiting Dallas on business. “Its cool that they show both sides and not just Kennedy supporters.”

The seventh floor of the museum houses temporary exhibits. Currently a 17-foot Texas School Book Depository sign is on display. The sign originally hung on the building in the ‘60s and has been in storage for more than 30 years, making this the first time it has been seen publicly since the late ‘70s.

Liza Collins, public relations and the museum’s advertising manager, said it’s a great place for people of all ages to come and experience.

“The best thing about the museum is that this is where history took place,” she said.

Follow Jason on Twitter: @jbshorthorn

Jack Walsh, 79, Secret Service agent who guarded JFK’s family has died.

2012-01-31T11:43:00.003-06:00

By Bryan Marquard

AP FILE PHOTO/ 1965

In this 1965 Globe front page photo, John Kennedy Jr. ran down a street in England, with Jack Walsh keeping pace.

Jack Walsh was a relatively new Secret Service agent when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and he soon was assigned to protect Jacqueline Kennedy and her two young children, Caroline and John Jr.

“Those were difficult times,’’ said Jim Christian, a retired special agent in charge with the Secret Service. “The nation was in mourning, she was probably the most important person in the United States, and the country pretty much adopted the children.’’

The assignment brought Mr. Walsh more than the standard chores of missing his children’s birthdays so he could guard the children of America’s Camelot. As fascination with the Kennedys increased, writers sought him out to see if he would share secrets.

“We would get repeated calls from people writing the unauthorized Kennedy books. He wouldn’t take a call,’’ said Mr. Walsh’s son David, of Cincinnati. “Whatever happened behind the walls at the Kennedy compound, stayed behind those walls.’’

Mr. Walsh, who became agent in charge of protecting the late president’s children and was so well loved by the family that he was a pallbearer at the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, died in his home of cancer Thursday. He was 79 and had lived in Milton for more than 40 years.

“Jack had one of the more difficult jobs in the Secret Service,’’ Christian said. “He had to keep Washington happy and that meant keeping the children safe, and it also meant keeping her happy. That was an enormous balancing act.’’

When the president’s widow lived in New York City, she “wanted to keep those children safe, but she also wanted them to have normal lives,’’ Christian said. “The desire was that the children and their friends would not see the agents, but the agents had the responsibility of not letting anything happen. With all the other protectees, you were right there. Here, you were trying to stay out of the way, sometimes on busy New York streets.’’

Mr. Walsh, he said, “did it all, and he did it well.’’

Despite efforts to fade into the scenery, Mr. Walsh occasionally showed up in books by and about the Kennedys, or on the Globe’s front page, as he did May 17, 1965. In a photo, John Kennedy Jr. runs joyously down a street in England as a smiling Mr. Walsh towers over him, keeping pace.

Sarah Bradford’s 2000 book, “America’s Queen,’’ quoted a letter Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wrote in 1967 about a trip to Ireland. She thought she was swimming alone on the coast when a current threatened to sweep her away.

“I was becoming exhausted, swallowing water and slipping past the spit of land, when I felt a great porpoise at my side,’’ she wrote. “It was Mr. Walsh. He set his shoulder against mine and together we made the spit.’’

She recommended that the Secret Service award Mr. Walsh its highest commendation and requested that he lead the detail protecting the family.

“He was fiercely loyal and loved loyalty more than anything else,’’ said Geoffrey Kierstead, a friend and retired Secret Service agent. “And he was so loyal to the Kennedy family.’’

The feeling was mutual. Raymond L. Flynn, a former mayor of Boston, knew Mr. Walsh and his family since their childhoods in South Boston.

“I was in New York jogging one day through Central Park, and Jacqueline Kennedy was there,’’ he said. “She was sitting by herself trying not to be noticed, but I recognized her. I went over and introduced myself and said, ‘I’m a friend of Jackie Walsh.’ I ended up sitting with her for 45 minutes. All she wanted to do was talk about him.’’

John F. Walsh grew up in South Boston and, despite traveling the world with the Kennedys, never really left.

Photos of Southie hang in his Milton home. He attended Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston and its high school.

When he served in Korea with the Marines, he answered the obligatory “where you from’’ with: “Gate of Heaven.’’ Pressed to provide more, he would add: “I and 8th,’’ the street corner close by his family’s home.

Mr. Walsh was part of the Aces, a street gang from the days when pride was the weapon young guys wielded.

“He was known as Jack Walsh, I and 8th, one of the Aces,’’ David said. “He hadn’t lived in Southie for a long, long time, but you’d never know it.’’

Standing several inches above 6 feet, Mr. Walsh started going gray while still in high school.

“He had silver hair at 18 years old,’’ said his son John II, of Milton.

After returning home from Korea, Mr. Walsh graduated from Suffolk University and worked at City Hall until he became a Secret Service agent.

When the Kennedy children were too old for Secret Service protection, Mr. Walsh switched to the Boston office and coordinated protection when Pope John Paul II visited Boston in 1979. The Walsh family was up front during Mass, receiving Communion from the pope.

In 1963, Mr. Walsh married Ann Welch, whom he always called “my Ann.’’ Family was so important that while guarding the Kennedys in New York, he sometimes drove to Milton just to spend the night, and headed back the next day.

As if to make up for holidays and birthdays he missed while on duty, in retirement “he went to every one of his grandchildren’s games,’’ David said.

In addition to his wife and two sons, Mr. Walsh leaves a daughter, Maura Walsh-Hammer of Hingham; another son, Matthew of New York City; a brother, Joseph of Hyde Park; a sister, Ellen Concannon of South Boston; and nine grandchildren

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. today in Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston. Burial will be in Milton Cemetery.

When his illness progressed, Mr. Walsh “had three requests: ‘I want to die in my bedroom, I want to be waked at O’Brien’s Funeral Home in South Boston, and I want my funeral at Gate of Heaven,’ ’’ David said.

Mr. Walsh may have spent years training his watchful gaze on those who made history, but in the end his own past was most important.

“The best praise is when the people you grew up with and lived with respect you,’’ Flynn said. “That’s the greatest tribute that Jackie got. He traveled with presidents, popes, and prime ministers, but the people who love him the most are the people he grew up with.’’

Bryan Marquard can be reached at bmarquard@globe.com.

Readers Reviews

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

OUTSTANDING

by Spanky

I purchased the book and the audio CD. I started reading the book and could not put it down. I read it in one night. The Title of the book is right, lots of "detail." An Outstanding well written book. I purchased the CD for my husband and he (like myself) was in awe for what the secret service do, and what they did that day.

Readers Reviews

2012-01-03T14:44:00.001-06:00

Treat yourself to history

By JEFFREY MCGRAW (New York USA)

Having lived through the JFK assassination at a very young age, it was a great insight into the events of the day which I then recalled in vivid detail as I read The Kennedy Detail by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin. It was detail oriented, a little slow in spots but brought to the forefront the sacrifices these brave men and women have contributed over the years. The agonizing step by step detail about the final political trip by the Kennedys and leading up to those "six seconds" in Dallas only served to undersocre the elements of danger that went with their job and meager salaries. When I was done I felt like I had relived each and every one of those minutes from the inaugeration tothe final burial at Arlington.

Inspirational, insightful and a good book. So get a warm drink, bundle up in front of the fire and pull up the afghan and read a piece of history. I guarantee that you won't be sorry.

Caroline and Snowman

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

http://www.jfklibrary.org

Holidays at the White House

2011-12-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

"The message of Christmas- the message of peace and good will towards all men- has been the guiding star of our endeavors."

President Kennedy, 1962

Holiday Cards to the Kennedys

Every December, the White House received holiday cards from all over the world. Each card was carefully saved by White House social staff, and is now housed at the JFK Library. At left is a card from Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, III, of Monaco.

View more holiday cards sent to the White House

http://www.jfklibrary.org

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-21T00:00:00.002-06:00

Simply the Best

Aaron J. Hill "christiansoldier" (Cleveland, OH USA)

This book tops any documentaries, books, or anything else out there dealing with JFK. I felt like after reading this book, not only do I feel as if I have a better knowledge of the assassination, but I also have a better understanding of the role of the Secret Service. I have gained much more respect for them as well. While I was reading this book, I felt as if I was a "fly on the wall". You feel as if you were right there with the Secret Service during every event. That is just how good and well written this book is. It also answered a lot of the questions I had. I am not one to normally reread books that I have already read, but I could easily reread this book at least five times every year. A must have for any history buff or JFK enthusiast.

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

Different "Kennedy" Book

R. R. Costas Jr. (San Francisco, CA United States)

I really enjoyed this book. I am by no means a conspiracy junkie, but I am aware of the conspiracies out there, read at least one conspiracy book and I am aware of some of the flaws of the Warren Commission Report. However, I almost specifically bought this book because it wasn't meant to explain the assassination away or to pass judgement on the Warren Commission or the conspiracy theories. Only at the end does the author (Blaine) give his opinion on some of the conspiracy theories and what he perceived to be some attacks on the integrity of the Secret Service men that he knew better than anyone who's written a book on the assassination. It didn't seem excessive to me and it was well within his rights.

Neither did I care to find out about JFK's secret dalliances with any number of women. I'm of the school that that is nobody's business but his and his wife and if the book deviated into that topic as well as all the conspiracy theories, it'd be much longer than the 400 pages it turned out to be. You can find tons of other books and blogs about either of those topics elsewhere.

I bought the book because I thought it'd be really interesting to know more about the Secret Service detail in those days and, in particular, to read accounts of the assassination from people who were there in the moment and whose job was to prevent such a thing from happening. I had not been privy to a lot of this information from one source. I thought the book gave a fascinating look at the job of a White House Secret Service Detail, not only safeguarding the President, but also his wife and his children. Compared to what we see today, and I'm sure due in large part due to the Kennedy assassination, it seemed an incredibly simplistic and arcane way to protect the most powerful man in the world. But it was what it was and the Secret Service was not properly funded by Congress at that time.

I think the book also shows to many of us why the Kennedy assassination was such a transforming event for the nation. It does show to those of us who have no recollection of that administration, why the Kennedys gave the country such a good feeling of optimism. They simply seemed to be very decent people all around, imperfections and all, and it showed in the way they treated their Secret Service detail, generating an intense loyalty on the part of the agents. As the agents testify during the book, Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson were not quite as "personal" in their dealings with the detail. Not that they tried any less hard to protect those and every other president, but the genuine affection they had for the Kennedys was palpable.

It was interesting to learn about the agents, but also about the advance work that had to be done in preparation for any presidential trip and how the president also determines how much risk he's willing to take. Kennedy, more than Eisenhower or Johnson, seemed to have an inability to help himself when it came to greeting crowds. This, of course, generated more alarm and concern for the agents but it was the president's prerogative. JFK also preferred to remove the limos' tops pretty much as long as it wasn't raining. To him, it was important for the people to see as much of him as possible in order to generate more voter support. This was also the first time I learned that it was the president who specifically asked (in Tampa) the Secret Service to not have agents riding directly on the back of the limo, for the same purpose of visibility and connection to the crowds. It wasn't some conspirator within the service who made that decision.

The events leading up to and through the assassination were interesting to the extreme. If you know enough about the conspiracy theory there is information here on some of the better known aspects of these theories, but they are mentioned as facts and not with a view to debunk any theories. Examples are the finding of the "magic bullet", the number of shots the agents claim they heard, the car slowing down during the shooting, the positioning of the head wound as reported by agents and doctors versus what others state and the decision to switch caskets and performing the autopsy in Bethesda Naval Hospital instead of in Dallas, as the law dictated.

Particularly heartbreaking is the story of Agent Clint Hill, whose true responsibility was Mrs. Kennedy, but who is the agent we all see in the film of the shooting jumping onto the limo and shoving Mrs. Kennedy back into the car. The poor man, along with the rest of the detail, was traumatize for years and you should watch the 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace that he did in 1975 and which is described in the book. It is impossible not to feel for this man.

Some passages or chapters seemed a little lengthy or unnecessary and that's the reason I didn't give 5 stars. For new information, interesting stories, non-judgmental story-telling and a different perspective on the tragedy, I'd give it the highest ranking.

JFK and the African Student Airlift

2011-12-16T00:00:00.002-06:00

"Education is, in truth, the only key to genuine African independence and progress."

— Senator John F. Kennedy, February 12, 1960

At a key point in the 1960 presidential campaign, a dynamic young leader from Kenya named Tom Mboya visited Senator John F. Kennedy. Mboya led a campaign of his own that would eventually bring hundreds of African students to America for higher education, including Barack Obama Sr., President Obama's father. Kennedy's decision to support the effort became an issue in the election and possibly a factor in his narrow victory.

Read More

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-14T00:00:00.004-06:00

Eye opening, Riveting, Better than a Clancy novel!

American Eagle

Okay folks, if you want an insiders scoop on the events leading up to, and just after, November 22nd, 1963- Read this book. There are times that will surprise you, times that bring you to tears, and times that will shock you.

View this from the eyes of the men who were quite literally there. You will see what happens behind the scenes of a protection detail, the toll it takes on the agents & their families, and from a select few-what is was like to lose a President. As they retell the unfolding events, you almost become a member of their team. You see it through their eyes-from the agents on foot near the Presidential limo and the ones riding in the follow-up car. Every detail is etched in their memories, and now laid out in print for you to read. The accompanying photos, and the JFK quotes at the beginning of each chapter allow you to experience that era, whether you lived in that time or not.

Alta-Aurelia students study Kennedy assassination onsite

2011-12-12T00:00:00.005-06:00

By Dan Whitney, Staff Writer

left to right - Molly McDaniel, James Curbow, Joseph Coll, Kaitlin Brake, chaperone Keila Glienke and Chayce Glienke enjoyed their educational visit to Dallas, Texas in November. They are shown here in front of the former School Book Depository, which now houses a permanent museum on the 6th Floor. Photo contributed.

Dave Curbow has been an educator in the Alta (now Alta-Aurelia) High School for several years now, teaching primarily English and Creative Writing, but he also teaches a cIass called Critical Thinking - which is definitely not a class from the "old days," when you and I were in school.

The Critical Thinking class encourages its students to do just that - to seriously THINK about subjects, looking at them from all angles and points of view and making informed choices on what to believe.

One of the subjects in the class is the November 22,1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Curbow says he uses the Kennedy assassination as a class topic because of the distinct positions that have developed between those who believe it was the act of Lee Harvey Oswald alone and those who believe it was a conspiracy. And because there is so much written on it,Curbow says, the information can be easily accessed by the students.

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

The book--THE KENNEDY DETAILI just got done reading the book--THE KENNEDY DETAIL by GERALD BLAINE. I would strongly recommend this book to the forum. It is one of the best books i ever read.

SAM http://jfkhistory.com/forum/

JFK Assassination Logic: Evaluating Conflicting Evidence with John McAdams and Gary Mack

2011-12-09T10:47:00.000-06:00

Join Marquette University political scientist Dr. John McAdams Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 2 p.m. as he addresses how to think, reason and understand conspiracy theories about the Kennedy assassination at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Dr. McAdams has published more than 20 articles in scholarly journals on subjects as diverse as voting behavior in congressional elections, campaign finance, social class and politics, the death penalty and racial disparity in incarceration. For the past 15 years, he has taught a course on the assassination to upper-division Marquette undergraduates and run the Kennedy Assassination Home Page, a website author and former prosecutor and Vince Bugliosi has called “the premier JFK assassination Web site, clearly superior in depth and scholarship to that of his peers.” Dr. McAdams lives in Shorewood, Wisconsin.

Museum Curator Gary Mack moderates the conversation with Dr. McAdams, which will provide a blueprint for understanding why conspiracy theories arise and how to evaluate their often contradictory claims.

Following the program, Dr. McAdams will sign copies of his new book, JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy. Visit jfk.org for further details.

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The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

If you only read 1 book about JFK... Make it this one.

Rancho relaxo

Compelling and well written, this book makes the 'conspiracy theorists' look pitiful and deluded. The fact that the 'conspiracy theory' JFK notion is so huge, seems in many peoples mind to imbue it with credibility. Sorry, but fact's have credibility, emotional pandering to widesread paranoia does not. I wanted to know more about JFK and the assasination, and not have to put up with annoying theories that rely on the weakest evidence, I read this book and was glad I did. Furthermore, upon having read it I feel sure that JFK himself would rather the story be told by his most trusted aides rather than some half baked 'author' trying to make a name for himself in history in rather the same way as Oswald himself was. The fact Clint Hill, Mrs Kennedys trusted agent, put his name to this book speaks for itself.

The Kennedy White House

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

Restoring the White House

Mrs. Kennedy soon set about making the White House into a real home for her family. She turned the sun porch on the third floor into a kindergarten school for Caroline and 12 to 15 other children, who came every morning at 9:30. There was also a swimming pool, a swing set, and a tree house on the White House lawn for Caroline and John Jr.

Mrs. Kennedy also thought about what the White House represented to its many visitors and to citizens everywhere. She wanted people to have a greater appreciation of the history of America's most famous residence and its past inhabitants. Her first major project as first lady was to restore and preserve the White House. She enlisted the aid of many experts, established a White House Fine Arts Committee, and created the post of White House curator. Gathering outstanding examples of American art and furniture from around the United States (including many items that had belonged to former presidents and their families), she restored all the public rooms in the White House. CBS Television asked Mrs. Kennedy to present a televised tour of the newly restored White House. Eighty million Americans watched the broadcast, and it earned Jacqueline Kennedy an honorary Emmy Award.

A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy - Feb. 14, 1962 (1 & 2 of 6)

http://www.jfklibrary.org

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

A Dignified Tribute to the Agents Who Served the Kennedys

Anthonette L. Mcdaniel "all things history" (Norris, TN USA)

A paean to the Secret Service agents who worked with John and Jacqueline Kennedy (and their children), this book provides a unique perspective on the assassination. For those readers who are seeking yet more salacious tales from Camelot this is not the book. For those readers who seek to read yet more conspiracy theories this also is not the book. However, it does provide excellent context about the workings of the Secret Service circa 1963. One of the most astonishing take away points is how the security around the president has grown exponentially since 1963 and, consequently, how remote the president is from the people who have elected him. That is not the purpose of this book, of course, but it is an inescapable conclusion. It is true that this book does not attempt some sort of remote objectivity about the Kennedys or the assassination but read it if you want to understand the world of the Secret Service. I came away with a renewed respect for their awesome duty.

Historians Claim New Research Shows Oswald Acted Alone in JFK Assassination

2011-11-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

| FoxNews.com

Few historical events have received more attention or been more carefully reenacted than the assassination of President Kennedy.

Yet as the country approaches the 48th anniversary of that tragic day in Dallas, a team of historians and retired Secret Service officers claims to have used new technology on old evidence to solidify the judgment that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

The NatGeo channel will air the new tests as part of a one-hour documentary this Sunday night called "JFK: The Lost Bullet."

Historian Max Holland led the team that applied digital technology to a number of home movies taken on Nov. 22, 1963, including the famous Zapruder film.

Holland told Fox News this marks the first time these disparate amateur films, some of which have not been seen in years, have been brought together, digitally enhanced and presented in a coherent way.

"I'd say a main thrust of it is to break the stranglehold that the Zapruder film has on our perception of what happened. In a sense, we've all been 'Zaprudered,'" he said. "The film was so graphic, disturbing, mesmerizing, that it became more of our perspective on the assassination than even the perspective of the assassin, which should never have happened."

Another startling claim of the NatGeo team is that the new digital upgrades allow the public to see, in the amateur footage taken that day by Robert Hughes, a shadowy figure moving about inside the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository building -- a figure believed to be Oswald.

"And our conclusion is that he fired three shots in about 11 seconds, which is almost double, you know, the six seconds in Dallas meme that most people know when they think about the assassination: six seconds, three shots in six seconds. We say three shots in 11 seconds, which is a much easier -- for I'd say, someone of Oswald's skill -- effortless task," Holland said.

When asked if there are any "holy grails" of JFK assassination research still out there -- pieces of evidence known by researchers to exist but which have not yet seen the light of day -- Holland cited Oswald's tax returns. Those returns have never been released.

Holland said it's easier to pry documents from the CIA than from the IRS.

The JFK special airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. NatGeo is partly owned by the same parent company as Fox News.

Fox News' James Rosen contributed to this report.

Thank you Ernest Machine.com for this Great Post About Presidential Limos!

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

A BEASTLY RIDE

There have been any number of famous and legendary beasts over the years. The first that comes to mind is the misunderstood creature from “Beauty and the Beast.” There’s also Cincinnati’s Kings Island Amusement Park where its own “Beast” – a gut-clenching, teeth-chattering wooden roller coaster – has been thrilling fans since 1979.

But the remarkable beast we’re going to talk about today is another story entirely. Also known as Cadillac One, when General Motors unveiled President Barack Obama’s new presidential limousine before his inauguration in January 2009, Secret Service agents immediately dubbed this wonder on wheels: “The Beast.”

Certainly, presidential cars have drawn attention since Teddy Roosevelt decided to buy the first car using taxpayer dollars, a snazzy white Stanley Steamer. His successors also were interested in having hot wheels, with Taft opting for a Model M Steamer as well as a pair of Pierce Arrows reserved for state occasions. (Incidentally, while it’s true that Taft was an exceptionally large individual, it is only a nasty rumor that there actually had to be two Pierce Arrows so the cars could pull in tandem an oversized carriage in which the jovial Taft smiled and waved at the adoring crowds.)

Anyhoo, the current official car replaces the 2004 Cadillac DTS limo favored by George W. Bush. In the interest of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to balancing the budget, Obama seriously considered keeping the Bush car. Unfortunately, the spotted cowhide seats and LED party lights were not to his taste.

According to Cadillac, Obama’s Beast includes many design elements found in the brand’s popular current models, the CTS sport sedan and Escalade. The vehicle has a stylish dual-textured grille and distinctive front and rear lighting, as well as top-of-the-line security features that even LeBron James doesn’t have in his Escalade.

For example:

The armored doors on the Beast are about 8” thick and weigh as much as a cabin door on a Boeing 757. (One source claimed the doors could withstand a hit from an asteroid.)
The windows are 5” thick. Now, spread your thumb and forefinger to what you think is about a 5” span – and imagine glass that thick. Yes. Really.
The car is equipped with Kevlar-reinforced Goodyear Regional RHS truck tires, but should the run-flat tires be blasted away – the vehicle can escape at speed on its special steel rims.
Even the gas tank is armor-plated and equipped with a special foam that will prevent it from exploding, even from a direct hit.
And finally, it appears that while the size of the engine and other goodies under the hood remain secret, it’s probably safe to say that the limo has a little more oomph than the Ford Escape Hybrid President Obama drove in Chicago before the election.

Before moving on to other interesting tidbits about the Beast, here’s a fun historical note: Prior to World War II, the Secret Service made it a point to choose hefty cars and went on to equip them with easy-to-reach weapons, two-way radios, and running boards wide enough for a Secret Service Agent to jump alongside for added protection.

In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned a Lincoln V12 convertible especially for his use that was nicknamed the “Sunshine Special.” But after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service didn’t feel the car was safe enough. The very next day, gangster Al Capone’s heavily armored 1928 Cadillac 341A Town Sedan was confiscated from an impound lot and rushed into service for the U.S. Government. With bulletproof tires, inch-thick windows, storage compartments for submachine guns, and more, the mob’s gangster-mobile served the president well until the “Sunshine Special” could be toughened up and made suitable for the war years.

However, the Beast wouldn’t be a truly presidential ride if it didn’t have more to offer than impregnable safety. The back of the car comfortably seats four and is higher than a normal car, presumably to accommodate the freakishly tall members of the First Family. It also has countless features sure to appeal to all the Obama clan.

Peek in the back and you’ll find all kinds of goodies, starting with a hideaway desktop with a laptop computer and Wi-Fi for Mr. O; a satellite phone and direct lines to the Pentagon and Vice President

(for . . . ?); twin bedazzled Kindles loaded with Harry Potter and Twilight series books to keep Malia and Sasha entertained on long rides; a pantry stocked with pudding cups, Skittles and Dr Pepper; Beggin’ Strips for Bo; a flat screen TV and a DVD collection including classics like “Saved by the Bell” and “West Wing;” Michelle’s mobile accessory closet and law library . . . . Now, that’s a beast any world leader would be proud to call his (or her) own.

http://www.earnestmachine.com

Quarterly Review

2011-11-27T11:06:00.001-06:00

http://www.quarterly-review.org

News of Jack, part 2

Safeguarding JFK and his family was evidently one of the most daunting tasks ever performed by the American secret service (The Kennedy Detail, Discovery, 20th of November). President Kennedy realised that his popularity depended on close physical contact with the people. During motorcades, accordingly, he would make impromptu stops and immerse himself in the adoring crowd. At such times, he was almost impossible to protect. Indeed, Kennedy himself pointed out how easy it would be to kill him. Well before the events in Dealey Plaza, the requirements of presidential politics and personal security were at loggerheads.

It was surprising to learn that the members of this elite group, “the best of the best” according to their own reckoning, were so badly paid. Yet there were compensations. Required to spend long periods away from their own families, they became part of Kennedy’s extended family and shared in its joys and sorrows. Predominantly men of humble origins from small towns, they had ample opportunity to meet the famous and glamorous people who surrounded the first family. Today, they remain fiercely loyal to their former boss, who despite his exclusive background clearly possessed the common touch. No mention was made of his well-documented peccadilloes.
In programmes like this, it is the incidental items that stay in the mind – Jackie’s blood stained stockings and the struggle to get the President’s cumbersome coffin into Air Force One. One member of JFK’s entourage recalled being asked how bad the President’s injuries were. “It’s as bad as it gets” was all he could manage.

There is a striking similarity between mourning and melancholia, as Freud observed. The men of the Kennedy detail, who experienced both, bear witness.

LJ

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

THE KENNEDY DETAIL,,,,,,,,,,the real story,,,,,facing the dangers,

EZT

For purposes of this review, I have selected EZT which was my "back-up" call sign wen I was assigned to the Presidential White House Detail.

Without going into a long detailed explanation of my backgound let me suggest that as a Secret Service Agent I often considered what a great story I could possibly tell considering
all of the experiences I had in some manner or another. But as time went by and I became involved in other federal law enforcemnt agencies I realized that if you were going to do
such a project you would need considerable self discipline and ambition. Needless to say, I developed neither.

So when Jerry called and told me what he planned to do and asked if I could help it took me about thirty seconds to say ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! And I am glad I did.

Having worked with Jerry Blaine and prior thereto with Clint Hill, I personally believe that they have done a tremendous job. This book ........ in my opinion, will probably end up as a
required reading for individuals studying political history in the future. And for what it is worth, I personally could not think of two more honest, intelligent and dedicated persons to
have written some real history,,,,,,,,and if I may ,,,,history moving more rapidly than a speeding locomotive.

Having worked with Clint Hill on the First Lady/Children's detail insuring the welfare of the those family members and subsequently being on the same Presidential protective shift as
Jerry Blaine allowed me to work with two of the most honest, dedicated and unselfish individuals that I have had the pleasure of knowing andI have no doubts that the other Secret
Service Agents which were all part of the same teams would heartily agree with this assessment.

Finally, although I alluded to this before, THE KENNEDY DETAIL is not only an excellent read but will be read by many, many persons in the future.

History of the Secret Service

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

When the United States Secret Service (USSS) was established, its main duty was to prevent the illegal production, or counterfeiting, of money. In the 1800s, America's monetary system was very disorganized. Bills and coins were issued by each state through individual banks, which generated many types of legal currency. With so many different kinds of bills in circulation, it was easy for people to counterfeit money. During President Lincoln's Administration, more than a third of the nation's money was counterfeit. On the advice of Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch, President Lincoln established a commission to stop this rapidly growing problem that was destroying the nation's economy, and on April 14, 1865, he created the United States Secret Service to carry out the commission's recommendations.

The Secret Service officially went to work on July 5, 1865. Its first chief was William Wood. Chief Wood, widely known for his heroism during the Civil War, was very successful in his first year, closing more than 200 counterfeiting plants. This success helped prove the value of the Secret Service, and in 1866 the National Headquarters was established in the Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C.

During the evening of the same day President Lincoln established the Secret Service, he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. The country mourned as news spread that the President had been shot. It was the first time in our nation's history that a President had been assassinated. As cries from citizens rang out, Congress began to think about adding Presidential protection to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service. However, it would take another 36 years and the assassination of two more Presidents -- James A. Garfield (March 4, 1881-September 10, 1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901) -- before the Congress added protection of the President to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archie salutes as his brother Quentin stands at ease during a roll call of the White House Police. The White House Police eventually came to be known as the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service. Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Since 1901, every President from Theodore Roosevelt on has been protected by the Secret Service. In 1917, threats against the President became a felony (a serious crime in the eyes of the law), and Secret Service protection was broadened to include all members of the First Family. In 1951, protection of the Vice President and the President-elect was added. After the assassination of Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) authorized the Secret Service to protect all Presidential candidates.

Today's Secret Service is made up of two primary divisions -- the Uniformed Division and the Special Agent Division. The primary role of the Uniformed Division is protection of the White House and its immediate surroundings, as well as the residence of the Vice President, and over 170 foreign embassies located in Washington, D.C. Originally named the White House Police, the Uniformed Division was established by an Act of Congress on July 1, 1922, during President Warren G. Harding's Administration (1921-1923).

The Special Agent Division is charged with two missions: protection and investigation. During the course of their careers, special agents carry out assignments in both of these areas. Their many investigative responsibilities include counterfeiting, forgery, and financial crimes. In addition to protecting the President, the Vice President, and their immediate families, agents also provide protection for foreign heads of state and heads of government visiting the United States.

The Secret Service protects President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) and his motorcade. Photo Courtesy of the National Archives

http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/kids/inside/html/spring98-2.html

A rare look inside Secret Service training

2011-11-21T00:00:00.001-06:00

By Elaine Quijano

(CBS News) http://www.cbsnews.com

LAUREL, Md. - The starting pay is $52,000, clothing provided. The employer warns the job is physically demanding and requires working long hours in undesirable conditions.

CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports there is no shortage of applicants for ths position - protecting the most famous house in America.

When you think of the Secret Service, you probably think of the plainclothes agents who surround the president. But it's another branch, called the uniformed division, that's in charge of securing the White House.

This elite force of 1,400 officers has jurisdiction within the White House gates, and beyond.
"The uniformed division has very broad arrest powers," said Sgt. Scott Saras. "They can obviously arrest for federal offenses but they can also make arrests for local offenses in the District of Columbia."

A mock-up of Air Force One is seen at the Secret Service training ground.

(Credit:CBS News/Elaine Quijano)

Saras is an instructor at the Secret Service's training center outside Washington. CBS News was given rare access to the 550-acre wooded facility. It features a mock-up of Air Force One. A street set that would be the envy of any Hollywood director is used for simlutations of high intensity scenarios.
"We are going to give them repetitions," Saras said. "We want to give them repetitions to where they are able to just react as opposed to having to think."

More than 16,000 applied to join last year, and just 200 were chosen.
"It's been a long journey, I'll say that," said recruit Tim Connelly. Connelly's a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq. " It's a lot of training. And it's difficult training."

Explaining the difference between the two, Connelly said, "The Secret Service - we are protecting people. In the Marine Corps you are assaulting the enemy, locating and trying to eliminate. So it's something I've had to focus on in particular even more than some other people, drawing back and not just rushing through."
In one drill on the street set, Connelly found himself outnumbered and outgunned. "It is kind of similar to combat. You can be bored and think this is an easy job and all of a sudden you have three gunmen taking shots at you. You got to be on your game from moment one. You can't have first day jitters or anything like that because that could be the day that something bad happens."
The worst happened on Nov. 1

The Sixth Floor Museum to Screen Zapruder and Stolley Film on November 19

2011-11-18T20:05:00.001-06:00

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza will screen Zapruder and Stolley: Witness to an Assassination (a Roger Sherman film). The screening will be on Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m.

On November 22, 1963 Dick Stolley, Los Angeles bureau chief for Life Magazine, was urgently summoned to the ticker tape machine: “The President has been shot,” he was told. He jumped on a plane to Dallas, tracked down Abraham Zapruder and managed to secure the rights to his home movie film, the only eyewitness film to capture the entire assassination. A few years ago, Dick sat down and recounted this story from his point of view. In a gripping 35-minute conversation, Dick recounts how he followed a tip that led him to Zapruder.

Following the world premiere of Zapruder and Stolley: Witness to an Assassination, join us for a conversation with Dick Stolley moderated by Museum Curator Gary Mack.

“Zapruder and Stolley is utterly engaging.” --Tom Brokaw

“Dick Stolley is a national treasure, and his ability to calmly, clearly tell the story of one of America’s saddest days is truly remarkable. This documentary is devoid of the usual bells and whistles. It’s just unbelievably powerful, old-school storytelling. And what a story it is.” --John Huey, Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc.

The event is $5 or free with paid admission to the Museum.

Visit jfk.org for further details!

Moment in History

2011-11-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

Floyd Boring and Roy Kellerman were the two ASAIC's of the Kennedy Detail reporting the Jerry Behn, the SAIC..

Floyd was involved in the Blair House attempt on the life of Harry Trueman by two Puerto Rican nationalists in 1950- ( The Truman family was living there while the White House was being renovated. It is located across the street from the White House.). Floyd ended up shooting one of the two people involved in the assassination attempt. It is not the one on the ground. He was killed by a mortally wounded White House Police officer by the name of Leslie Coffelt. Stuart Stout, one of the shift leaders on the Kennedy Detail was also involved. He was manning a Thompson Sub Machine gun just inside the main door to the Blair House in case the potential assassins made it that far.. The story is in the book, this is a photo of Floyd right after the attempt..

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-11-16T00:00:00.004-06:00

"Keep the ivy league charlatans off the back of the car"

CJA "CJA" (Minneapolis, MN)

Blaine was a secret service agent assigned to protect Eisenhower and Kennedy; he resigned in 1964 to work for IBM. He did advance work for the Tampa motorcade that took place several days before Dallas, as well as advance work for the Austin stop that never happened. Although he was not present on November 22, 1963, he knows all the agents involved and was able to get everyone to talk many years later. The assassination was understandably traumatic for the agents, a trauma made worse by the absence of counseling or discussion of the trauma.

Through anecdote and then through a detailed accounting of the trips leading up to Dallas, Blaine gives a very good sense of the camaraderie and difficulties experienced by the Kennedy detail. Kennedy emerges from the account as a charismatic man who was loved and respected by his agents and who took time and effort to get to know his agents. The sordid Kennedy who supposedly used his agents to set up or cover up sex parties is not found in this account. Perhaps Blaine refrained from telling a few salacious stories. But more likely, the stories are themselves myths. Kennedy certainly had an active sex life, but clearly the man's focus was on being President, and he was fundamentally decent in dealing with others. It's interesting that we choose to measure "morality" on the basis of the extent to which one leads a conventional monogamous sex life. Kennedy's unconventional sex life was hurtful and was a character flaw. But it does not fully define the man. I'd rather have a guy with the decency and judgment of Kennedy with his finger on the button than monogamous guys like Nixon, Carter, or Bush.

The account is especially forceful in dismissing the elaborate conspiracy theories that defy logic and that take poetic license with the record. The eyewitnesses heard three shots and saw the back of Kennedy's head explode. Oswald had a clear and even easy shot. One agent thought he heard a shot from the grassy knoll, but it is clear that this was simply an echo effect.

The pain of Clint Hill -- Jackie's agent who ran to the vehicle after the first shot only to see Kennedy's head explode before he got there, and who threw Jackie back into the car and then covered both her and the President -- is well told. If only he could have gotten there sooner -- though it's hard to see how he could have acted any differently.

The real problem was the motorcade itself -- in a open top, unarmored vehicle completely exposed to a sniper. The problem was compounded by publishing the route in advance. One simply cannot protect the President under such circumstances.

One device the agents tried to use in such motorcades was to ride behind the President on a running board in the back of the vehicle. This tactic, however, was counterproductive. The whole ideal of the motorcade was to expose the President. Thus, Kennedy told his agents to "keep the ivy league charlatans off the back of the car." A classic bit of Kennedy wit. The agents weren't insulted by the remark and instead knew it was Kennedy's way of making and reinforcing a point.

Blaine points out that in the end even having the men on the back of the car would not have worked. First of all, the car was going through a thinning crowd and was going to speed up to hit an entrance ramp. So, even when agents rode on the running boards, the protocol was to jump off at this point. Also, Oswald's shot was so easy, it would not have made any difference any way.

This is a very moving book that inspires respect for the secret service and for Kennedy himself.

PAPERBACK AVAILABLE TODAY!

2011-11-15T20:23:00.001-06:00

ORDER YOUR PAPERBACK COPY AT AMAZON

The Kennedy Whitehouse: Jacqueline Kennedy Entertains

2011-11-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

This video podcast was originally created to accompany the special exhibit, "Jacqueline Kennedy Entertains: The Art of the White House Dinner." The video was produced by David McSweeney of Tenor Technologies and narrated by Frank Rigg, Museum Curator Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Creator: Video produced by David McSweeney of Tenor Technologies. Narrated by Frank Rigg, Museum Curator Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

http://www.jfklibrary.org

The Kennedy Whitehouse: Arts and Culture

2011-11-11T00:00:00.002-06:00

50 years ago this month, world-renowned cellist Pablo Casals gave an historic concert at the White House. The event was just one example of President and Mrs. Kennedy's support of the arts, or what JFK called "our contribution to the human spirit."

http://www.jfklibrary.org

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-11-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

Barbara A. Benedict "beagleboy" (Everett, WA)

The Kennedy Detail was about the 1963 Assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 3, 1963 from the point of view of the Secret Service members of that date. The book was excellent and it showed the effect it had on the members of the Secret Service. We only see the Secret Service at the time if the president's appearance. It starts way before that date with surveillance, motorcades, etc. The president's death had a profound effect on the Secret Service members but they had a new president to guard and to help Mrs. Kennedy bring her husband back to Washington. The Secet Service members had to keep going and not deal with what they had seen. Some members had immediate reactions and some went on for years to figure out what they were feeling. This was written by a member of the of the Secret Service who left to take a job at IBM and after he retire he corresponded with other members of the Secret Service. One of the saddest stories is about Clint Hill who jumped on the car to stop Mrs Kennedy from trying to capture the president's brain matter. While being interviewed by Mike Wallace for 60 Minutes, Clint Hill was struggling to deal with those memories but he did and lived out the last years of his life in peace. This was a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Photo Gallery

2011-11-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

Tom Dillard image shows the interior of the empty presidential limousine, ready for the Kennedys and the rest of their party to arrive at Love Field and begin their motorcade tour of Dallas. At far left is Dallas Morning News chief photographer Jack Beers and the tall man beyond the car is Secret Service agent George Hickey.

1964 FBI Reenactment - Malcolm.E.Barker Slide compilation. 24/5/64

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Photographic slide of the FBI/Secret Service reenactment of the Kennedy assassination in Dealey Plaza on May 24, 1964. The car representing the president's limousine heads west on Elm Street, toward the triple underpass.

The car used to represent the president's limousine in the reenactment was actually the Secret Service car that had been directly behind the presidential limousine in the motorcade on November 22, 1963.

The driver in this picture, Secret Service agent George Hickey, rode in the follow-up car at the time of the assassination.

The north side of Dealey Plaza is visible to the right. Signs directing traffic to Stemmons Freeway and other highway signs line the right side of the road.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On November 22, 1963, the Texas School Book Depository building was the focus of world shock, grief, and outrage when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza. Twenty-six years later, John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation opened on the building's sixth floor, where significant evidence was found. Using nearly 400 photographs, 45 minutes of documentary films, and artifacts, this exhibition recreates the social and political context of the early 1960s, chronicles the assassination and its aftermath, and recognizes Kennedy's lasting impact on American culture.

http://www.jfk.org/go/home

1964 FBI Reenactment - Malcolm.E.Barker Slide compilation.

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Photographic slide of the FBI/Secret Service reenactment of the Kennedy assassination in Dealey Plaza on May 24, 1964. The car representing the president's limousine heads west on Elm Street, toward the triple underpass.

The car used to represent the president's limousine in the reenactment was actually the Secret Service car that had been directly behind the presidential limousine in the motorcade on November 22, 1963.

The driver in this picture, Secret Service agent George Hickey, rode in the follow-up car at the time of the assassination.

The north side of Dealey Plaza is visible to the right. Signs directing traffic to Stemmons Freeway and other highway signs line the right side of the road.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On November 22, 1963, the Texas School Book Depository building was the focus of world shock, grief, and outrage when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza. Twenty-six years later, John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation opened on the building's sixth floor, where significant evidence was found. Using nearly 400 photographs, 45 minutes of documentary films, and artifacts, this exhibition recreates the social and political context of the early 1960s, chronicles the assassination and its aftermath, and recognizes Kennedy's lasting impact on American culture.

http://www.jfk.org/go/home

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-10-31T00:00:00.002-05:00

great book from a bona fide Kennedy reader

Clementine Dare "Clementine" (Gilbert, Arizona, USA)

I'm one of those people that buy all the Kennedy books and read them. As a consequence I've learned quite a bit about the family and the Kennedy era. This book included many tiny details that were new to me (for example, when Air Force One landed in Love Field, it was after a very brief flight because they wanted to capitalize on the effect of disembarking from Air Force One). I thought Clint Hill came across as deeply honorable. I was touched and impressed to learn that the after all the sacrifice his job entailed his wife met JFK for the first time at the funeral. This book was also very personally written, I like how the author debunks various rumors surrounding the agents and conspiracy ideas. Just an amazing read. I recommend this book to any student of history or anyone with interest in the Kennedy era.

Obama Visits The West Coast

2011-10-27T00:00:00.002-05:00

Secret Service agents turn away from the blast of air from Air Force One as President Barack Obama departs from San Francisco International airport in San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Obama is on a three-day trip to the west coast. (Photo Eric Risberg)

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-10-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

An intriguing and inspiring read, impossible to put down.

John Day

The Kennedy Detail is an inspiring and intriguing read, one which lays bare the sacrifices of nearly anonymous men taking on a sisyphean task, and doing so without the slightest hint of self promotion or eventual reward. The book paints a vivid picture of men who constantly navigated the opposing needs of retail politics versus perfect security, using physical strength, endurance, acumen and psychology to constantly balance risks in real time, knowing always that a single moment's lapse could spell disaster.

The story is riveting, matched by an equally heartbreaking understanding that for a half a century these men have lived with the searing guilt and gnawing self-doubt of having lost a president during one of the most critical and volatile time periods in US history. This clearly wasn't an easy book to write.

It is difficult these days for most of us to recognize and truly comprehend the context of the events of November, 1963. Most of us simply weren't there, or weren't yet adults. But Blaine's recounting provides a window into the men, their lives, families and struggles, and the global and local events that shaped their day. It reveals the men of the secret service as the best of the best, not just in physical ability and mental acuity, but also in commitment, integrity, and duty.

It is this last aspect which gives the book its greatest impact - these were men for whom commitment was, and is, the guiding principal in their lives. It seems clear that JFK's commitment to the country was mirrored by the author and all the men whose entire lives were devoted to protecting the president and his family.

While this is a book that may primarily be of interest to those of us who remember using Brylcreem, it's one worth passing along to the younger generation around us. Examples of selfless duty and lifelong integrity are as valuable today as they were then.

The Emmys!

2011-10-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

R-L: Jay Renfroe, Jay's Mom, Joyce Blaine, Lisa McCubbin, Ken Atchity, Chi-Li Wong & Clint Hill

D.C. Arrival

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Paul J. Nyden: The JFK assassination: Agent recalls dark day

2011-10-19T00:00:00.003-05:00

By Paul J. Nyden

"The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence"

By Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin

Simon & Schuster Gallery Books, 427 pages. Hardcover, $28.

Back on Nov. 22, 1963, a team of Secret Servicemen failed in their task to protect the life of the president of the United States.

Jerry Blaine, a member of that elite team, tells his story for the first time in his book, "The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence."

Blaine also writes about the tragic memories of several of his fellow Secret Service agents. Kennedy often banned them from his car and frequently jumped into crowds of people gathered around him, giving little notice to his protectors.

Blaine is the first member of Kennedy's Secret Service detail to write a book about the assassination.

On that tragic day in 1963, there were only 43 Secret Service members assigned to protecting Kennedy. The Secret Service's annual budget of $4.1 million funded 300 agents.

After JFK was killed, the agency expanded. Today, the Secret Service has 4,000 agents and an annual budget of more than $1.6 billion.

Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots that day. The first shot was fired at Kennedy, and the second hit Texas Gov. John Connally. When the third shot hit Kennedy in the head, Secret Service agents immediately knew, Blaine recalls, that the devastating wound would prevent him from functioning as president, even if he were not killed.

Kennedy's trip to Texas was the first time his usually private wife Jacqueline made a political appearance with him since he was elected president three years earlier.

During his trip Kennedy received warm welcomes from people in Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth.

"It was the hidden loner the Secret Service agents worried about most," Blaine writes.

And while there are no apparent ties with Oswald, the "Dallas Morning News" printed a full-page advertisement the day of the assassination paid for by the American Fact-Finding Committee. The ad accused Kennedy of being a traitor who supported communism.

In a foreword to Blaine's book, Clint Hill, a fellow Secret Service agent also on duty in Dallas that day, wrote: "No matter how much training you've had, nothing prepares you for the emotions and nightmares that follow the horror of seeing a human being alive one instant, their head blown open the next."

Throughout his book, Blaine and his fellow agents tell how friendly the president, his wife and children were to them.

Read More

Copyright 2011 The Charleston Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kelly Shawn Meeko (Blaine) passed away

2011-10-16T10:40:00.003-05:00

Dear family and friends,

Our daughter, Kelly Shawn Meeko, after fighting a sixteen year battle with cancer and radiation side effects passed away. In all of that time there was never a complaint, there was always faith in her lord Jesus and there was more courage than I have ever witnessed from anyone in my life.

As long as she was able, she home schooled Jay and her two children, Joseph and Kayla and taught them the sound basics of learning while teaching them the human values of life and living, plus she passed on her faith. Her husband Jay was with her every step of the way and together they made the nucleus of a wonderful family.

Jay gave Kelly a surprise birthday party in February of this year and Kelly had everything going for her and had a wonderful evening with family and friends who had flown in for the occasion. She danced, laughed and celebrated.

After that the toll off her illness cascaded on her. Because of the massive amounts of radiation required to kill the massive tumor located behind her nose those sixteen long years ago, the effects steadily took their toll. After a septic coma in August she continued her fight and mustered up the grit to survive, but slowly her vision faded and she could no longer, hear nor talk, She breathed through a trachea with the help of oxygen and fed through a stomach tube. On this past Thursday, while Jay was with her, she could no longer muster up the energy to complete a breath and passed on. It was time and I have no doubt that she is finally in heaven reaping the rewards of her steadfast love and devotion to her savior, Jesus Christ..

Funeral arrangements have been made at the Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, 520 West Powell Blvd. in Gresham Oregon 97030. www.batemancarrollfunerals.com for 3;00 pm, Sunday, October 23 rd.

The Meeko family home address is 15 SE 49 th circle, Gresham Or. 97080. I am sure they would love to receive cards or letters of comfort..

Jerry and Joyce Blaine

The Kennedy Detail Reader's Review

2011-10-14T00:00:00.004-05:00

Definitive History. The True Insider Story

R J Gardino

Gerald Blaine has written the definitive insider account of the Secret Service security detail of the Kennedy Administration, and particularly of the specific events of that faithful day in Dallas. Written from the perspectives of those who actually worked the detail, the reader gets the true history of John Kennedy's Secret Service protection. Co-written by Lisa McCubbin, who deserves kudos for making the narrative an easy and enjoyable read, the book validates the finds of Vincent Bugliosi's exhaustive "Reclaiming History" and Gerald Posner's "Case Closed" on the Kennedy assassination.

Yes indeed it was that low life Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed President Kennedy. All the nitpicking, convoluted and speculative arguments surrounding the CIA, the Mafia, the Russians, The Cubans, and LBJ himself will not change the logical conclusion that Oswald was the lone gunman.

What is it about human nature that draws so many to conspiracy theories? It doesn't just involve the Kennedy assassination. Some to this day believe that Edwin Stanton may have played a part in the Lincoln assassination. There are those who push the notion that singer Mario Lanza was done in by the mob. Lanza actually died from complications of phlebitis. Many push the theory that TV's Superman George Reeves was murdered by a jealous former mobster boyfriend of his last lady friend. A study of the facts points to a likely suicide by Reeves. And lets not forget the conspiracy theory that the Kennedys themselves had Marilyn Monroe put to sleep to keep her quiet about her alleged affairs with JFK and RFK. Proof please.

If you took all the JFK conspiracy theories and all their infinitive unending speculations, the number of possible suspects of those involved in the Kennedy assassination would fill a football stadium. Unless you are part of the "Don't confuse me with the facts my mind is made up" crowd buy Gerald Blaine's book and relive history as it was.

The Emmys!

2011-10-12T00:00:00.001-05:00


With my wife Joyce, Ken Atchity, Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin

With Fred Griffin

Huge fan of book

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine,

I wanted to write you and say how much I enjoyed your book. Having
read through many books on the Kennedy Presidency and legacy, your
book lent a credibility that simply cannot be questioned. Thank you
for encouraging the guys to lend their recollections to what is sure
to become a definitive account of those tragic events.

If you ever make it back through Los Angeles, perhaps for the
paperback, I'll be sure to attend the signing.

I know you guys don't like the term hero. Fair enough. But you had a
heroic job, did heroic things, lived a crazy schedule barely balancing
your family life with your work life that only a hero could pull off;
so you'll forgive me when I say, you sir, are a hero.

Thank you for this book. Thank you for your service.

Fred Shahadi
playwright

Michelle Obama tells Secret Service: 'Just tell me when — where to run'

2011-10-07T00:00:00.004-05:00

By AMIE PARNES |

First lady Michelle Obama made a rare trip to Secret Service headquarters Wednesday, where she glimpsed the intricate work that goes into protecting her family — and the potential danger of that mission.

After an hour long tour of the agency’s protective intelligence division and the joint operations center, Obama called the daily tasks performed by the Secret Service “pretty scary.”

Join me and Clint Hill at the West Viriginia Book Festival - October 22nd!

2011-10-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

The Kennedy Detail

Saturday, October 22, 11:30 a.m., WV 105

Two former U.S. Secret Service agents who served on the Kennedy Detail set the record straight about what really happened on the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas.

See full program schedule

From Simon and Schuster Forum

2011-10-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Ms. Lisa McCubbin, dear Mr. Gerald Blaine,

thank you for writing this extraordinary book abot the Kennedy detail. Aging 43, I became interested in the JFK assassination for the first time in 1992, when I was watching Oliver Stone´s " JFK". Since then I read various books about various conspirarcy theories as described in your book.

Dear Mr. Gerald Blaine, I´d like to thank you for your personal story and those of your then fellow agents. Thank you for many funny anecdotes during the detail and last but not least the very precise and heartbraking description of the assassination and its aftermath.

I´d like to let you know that I have entirely changed from a conspiracy enthusiast in the first place in the 1990s to such of the Warren Commission result. I have read the Warren Commission report. In comparison to those books which describe various conspiracy theories, the results of Warren Commission report are the most convincing. There might be ( or not) failures of investigations in it. However, after nearly 50 years since the assassination in Dallas no such conspiracy could ever been proved and to be honest to continue those theories is, to me, must be a permanent punch into the face of the Kennedy family, in particular for the only surviving child, Caroline Kennedy.

I allow myself as a much younger person who has never witnessed the scene in Dallas to tell you that I cannot see any guilt or personal responsibility for the death of the 35th President of the US. Neither you nor your fellow agents ever had chance to avoid the shooting. I am not saying that I disrespect your own feelings or those of your fellow agents. I am trying to say that from a rational point of view, there was nothing you could have done at the scene, as it happened. You were expressing this in your book as well, I think. You simply did a great job!

I hope for you personally and for the rest of the remaining fellow agents who are still alive, that you may find your peace and that the endless conspiracy theories may come to an end soon. I hope many more are going to read " The Kennedy detail"

Thank you for your brilliant book again!

Kind regards

Christoph Maurenbrecher

With SSA Moore

2011-09-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

Warm best wishes to Jerry Blaine

2011-09-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine:

I have just finished reading "The Kennedy Detail," and am moved to write you this note to thank you for taking the time to write it.

Over the years, I have been privileged to have gotten to know several SA's with the Secret Service, and am always impressed with their dedication to the job. It is, at its essence, a very high form of patriotism. No one I know has gotten wealthy from being in the Service; even those who have risen in the ranks to ATSAIC's, ASAC's and SAIC's.

The point that resonated with me from reading your book is the Herculean tasks you and your colleagues had in an era devoid of the technological advances that the Secret Service enjoys today.

Please pardon my intrusion on your time with this email, but I wanted you to know that your book was not only enjoyable; it was inspirational as well. I hope you, Joyce and your family will enjoy happiness and good health for many years to come.

Cordially,
Mark

Mark S. Alper

Bay of Pigs - Prisoners Return

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Protecting the Kennedys

2011-09-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Visit Discovery Channel

With Mugsy, Stout, Giannoules

2011-09-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

A note from White House Photographer Bob Knudson' daughter

2011-09-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Mr. Blaine

I am the daughter of WH photographer Bob Knudsen. I just finished your book. I absolutely loved it. Being that I was the youngest I probably spent the most time during my younger years with my dad. Your book really allowed me to better understand why dad was so quiet about his job and why he was gone all the time. I was born in April 1963.

One of my fondest memories was a 40th year birthday party for my dad at our house in Annandale. One of the USSS Agents came upstairs to console me because I was upset because I couldn't go downstairs with all the adults. I also remember the trips with Nixon when most families accompanied their fathers to Florida and Laguna Beach, California.

I read your book super fast because it was so informative. The style was awesome. I am grateful for all that you did during your service for the country. I am a Special Agent with the embattled ATF. I have been one for 12 years. I have been on a few task forces where I have had the privelege of working with USSS. It is still a great Agency and a joy to work with USSS Agents.

I would love have you sign my book and one for my brother and mother. I know Bob asked for one, but he may have put it off and it would be a great gift for all my siblings and Mom.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Yvonne Knudsen Becker

Fascinating Authors Reviews the Kennedy Detail

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Book Review: The Kennedy Detail by Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin

Book Review
by
John H. Manhold

The Kennedy Detail ISBN 9781439192962, Gallery Books Division of Simon & Schuster, Soft Cover, 404 pages by Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin.

For the first time, a member of the Secret Service assigned to guard President Kennedy, provides details “to set the record straight.”

The book begins with a Forward by the author, and another by Clint Hill, the security agent assigned to protect Mrs. Kennedy, who was so prominent in his efforts to protect the president on that fateful day. From this beginning, a reader is introduced to the extensive planning and details required to protect the President of the United States as well as other Members of State and their families. Details are provided of the precautionary measures taken for every trip, every motorcade, every personal appearance, and even during the night hours.

It details how every police report of ‘persons of interest,’ whether actual criminals, known agitators, or just ‘some nut’ is scrutinized and the precautionary measures that are taken, the manner in which motorcade routes are examined and programmed and even the specific automobiles and drivers that are required – all of the host of details one does not realize are necessary to reduce the state of vulnerability of the President of the United States.

Vignettes of the agents’ home life, their wives and children, also are presented in a simple manner that bring clearly to mind the dedication that this group of men must have to provide the efficient force they have become.

: Image via Wikipedia

Actual description of the assassination of the President is presented graphically, with all details of the shots fired. The journey to the hospital, activities within the hospital and subsequent handling of the president’s body, also are described in detail, so as to make all theories of conspiracy seem untenable. Descriptions of the funeral and family actions also are faithfully described in all of their heart-wrenching detail.

The authors further have provided a look at the after-assassination life of Clint Hill that provides a description of the horrendous effect an action of this magnitude could have on persons as dedicated as these men.

In summary, as a person who lived through this horrendous period of history, and remembers following each and every detail as presented by the media, I am fascinated to read the descriptions of factors not presented at the time. The Kennedy Detail is a book that everyone should read. It provides essential details about a particularly prominent, albeit traumatic, incident in history in a most readable form.

http://www.fascinatingauthors.com

Caroline Kennedy Speaks at Kennedy Library Forum

2011-09-14T00:00:00.004-05:00

Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations

Monday, September 19, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

On the publication of Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy will join a panel of historians to discuss the 1964 interviews Arthur Schlesinger Jr. conducted with Mrs. Kennedy which have never before been available to the public.

Click here to make a reservation or call 617-514-1643.

For more information, visit www.jfklibrary.org.

Watch Kennedy Library Forums LIVE on-line at www.jfklibrary.org/webcast.

The Only Secret Service Agent to Lose His Life on September 11th

2011-09-12T00:00:00.005-05:00

A photograph of Master Special Officer Craig Miller, 29, an East Bridgewater native, who was the only Secret Service agent to die on September 11, 2001. (Emily J. Reynolds/The Enterprise)

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Craig Miller traveled from his home in the Washington, D.C., area to New York on Sept. 9 after he got a last-minute request to provide security as one of 130 Secret Service officers for the annual United Nations General Assembly, which was to take place Sept. 12.

Miller, who had guarded President George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton, was the only Secret Service agent who was killed in the terrorist attacks.

A married father of four, Miller was two months shy of his 30th birthday when he died.

He was a Boy Scout in East Bridgewater and graduated in 1989 from Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School.

After graduation, he enlisted in the Army for more than four years, serving in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He earned two bronze stars and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.

Miller later worked as an instructor for the National Rifle Association. He then worked for a private security company before joining the Secret Service and moving to the Washington area.

Maria Papadopoulos may be reached at mpapadopoulos@enterprisenews.com.

Bravo From a Fellow Secret Service Agent

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jerry:

My name is Tom Heuerman. I was an agent in Minneapolis and Chicago
from late 1968-1972.

I just finished "The Kennedy Detail" and want to say bravo, bravo, bravo.

You were definitely called to do this work, and I thank you for
following it. The world is better for your work.

I found the book deeply painful AND inspiring. It is really, I feel, a
book about all of our shared humanity in a world filled with villains
that the good people have to say "NO" to.

Clint Hill's story made me cry. I am a recovering alcoholic, (37
years), and don't know that he considers himself an alcoholic or not,
but I do relate to his suffering and isolation. I am so happy that he
dug himself out of his despair.

I am writing a review (as I fancy myself a writer too) and will post
it on Amazon, my blog, and my web site probably tomorrow.

By the way, in 2001 I lived on the side of a mountain between Ridgway
and Ouray, Colorado. I am in Plymouth, MN now.

My best wishes

Tom Heuerman

Rayment's Readings, Rants and Ramblings Reviews The Kennedy Detail

2011-09-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

The Kennedy Detail by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin: Book Review

The Kennedy Detail
by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin
Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-43919296-2
Buy from Indigo

Description: THE SECRET SERVICE. An elite team of men who share a single mission: to protect the president of the United States. On November 22, 1963, these men failed—and a country would never be the same. Now, for the first time, a member of JFK's Secret Service detail reveals the inside story of the assassination, the weeks and days that led to it and its heartrending aftermath. This extraordinary book is a moving, intimate portrait of dedication, courage, and loss.

Drawing on the memories of his fellow agents, Jerry Blaine captures the energetic, crowd-loving young president, who banned agents from his car and often plunged into raucous crowds with little warning. He describes the careful planning that went into JFK's Texas swing, the worries and concerns that agents, working long hours with little food or rest, had during the trip. And he describes the intensely private first lady making her first-ever political appearance with her husband, just months after losing a newborn baby.

Here are vivid scenes that could come only from inside the Kennedy detail: JFK's last words to his tearful son when he left Washington for the last time; how a sudden change of weather led to the choice of the open-air convertible limousine that day; Mrs. Kennedy standing blood-soaked outside a Dallas hospital room; the sudden interruption of six-year-old Caroline's long-anticipated sleepover with a friend at home; the exhausted team of agents immediately reacting to the president's death with a shift to LBJ and other key governmental figures; the agents' dismay at Jackie's decision to walk openly from the White House to St. Matthew's Cathedral at the state funeral.

Most of all, this is a look into the lives of men who devoted their entire beings to protecting the presidential family: the stress of the secrecy they kept, the emotional bonds that developed, the terrible impact on agents' psyches and families, and their astonishment at the country's obsession with far-fetched conspiracy theories and finger-pointing. A book fifty years in coming, The Kennedy Detail is a portrait of incredible camaraderie and incredible heartbreak—a true, must-read story of heroism in its most complex and human form.

The Good Stuff

Compelling and authentic and extremely classy (no tell all gossip book here)
Touching first hand accounts of the relationship between JFK and his staff and his family
Good selection of photographs including a lovely candid one of JFK and his kids on Halloween
The scene between JFK and his son is very touching when you realize this is the last time they will ever see each other. Made me cry -- for once at least I wasn't in a public place when I read it
Enjoyed the little glimpse into how compassionate and how all to human JFK and his wife were
The obvious love and respect that the agents had for each other and for their "boss"
honestly just really interesting to learn about the inner workings of the Secret Service and of the men whose job it is to protect the president - just plain fascinating
Extremely detailed descriptions of the days before and after the assassination
The descriptions of the agents grief and their obvious feelings of survivors guilt and shame are very moving
Touching stories about the relationship between the agents and JFK's kids before and after the assassination
Why are you still reading my ramblings just go get the book - you know you want to.

The Not so Good Stuff

Jumps around a little and I got lost a couple of times -- but hey I am a sleep deprived mom, you guys might not notice as much
Sometimes I was a little frustrated with all the minute details - see above note
Also, (and you should know one of my history teachers, Mr Centa was a HUGE conspiracy theorist and I had to attend tons of his presentations in high school so this stuff has been ingrained in me - I can't tell you how many times we had to see the Zapruder film) I sort of balked at the obvious plea for us to put our full trust in the findings of the Warren Commission (See the last quote in next section)

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"The publishing of motorcade routes was a constant battle between the Secret Service and the president's political advisers. From the Secret Service standpoint, informing the public about the president's movements in advance was like inviting the fox into the hen-house, while the political folks looked at is as a necessity. From their views, the whole point of the motorcade was for JFK to be seen by as many people as possible."

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others - John F. Kennedy"

"Meanwhile, Godfrey was fuming. He couldn't wait to get out of the country. He turned to Rowley and said, "The Italians haven't changed since the last time I was here. The only difference is, now we can't shoot at 'em"
"I would be very pleased if the results of the Warren Commission and its investigation would be accepted as the final word. However, I know that the researchers, writers, and filmmakers who continue to question those findings will never accept those as the truth. The information presented by the majority of these people is theory, not fact. They were not witnesses to the assassination; have little or no knowledge of protective procedures; did not know the dedicated agents on this assignment; and simply were not in our shoes that day in Dallas."

What I Learned

Fascinating details about the day to day challenges faced by members of the Secret Service
How few Secret Service were actually in charge of protecting the president and how this has changed since
Too many interesting historical tidbits to mention -- just go buy the book -- or of course ask your friendly neighborhood Librarian for a copy
John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic to be elected president -- seriously I couldn't believe it either
How little these guys actually got paid to put their lives on the line and how horribly boring it could be
Really would have hated to be married to one of these guys

Who should/shouldn't read

I'm thinking serious conspiracy theorists will be totally put off by this one -- that's right Fox Mulder and Dr. Jack Hodgins this book is not for you (And cannot forget about you Mr Centa)
History buffs and those interested in the Secret Service will definitely enjoy
Definite must have for Kennedy junkies

http://raymentsreadingsrantsandramblings.blogspot.com

Secret Service Gallery

2011-09-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

getty images

US Secret Service stands guard as US President Barack Obama walks out of Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven, MA, on August 19, 2011

The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition]

2011-09-02T00:00:00.002-05:00

Click on Image to order.

Catherine "Dolly" Berger Wife of SSA Andy Berger

2011-09-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Catherine Ferguson Berger 'Dolly'

January 16, 1939 - August 26, 2011

Dolly, 72, of Charlotte passed away peacefully on Friday, August 26, 2011 surrounded by her family. She was born January 16, 1939 in Albany, NY to the late Edward and Florence Ferguson. Dolly grew up in Larchmont, NY with her five siblings Mary, Edward, Billy, Nan, and Peter. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Andrew, her brother Edward, and sister Mary. Dolly fought a difficult and courageous battle. She inspired many with her positive and sweet spirit. Even in difficult times, in typical Dolly fashion, she wanted to take care of others before she thought of herself.

She attended Marymount College in Arlington, VA. After graduation from Marymount, she was married to Andy Berger on June 25, 1960. During Andy's career in the Secret Service, Dolly and Andy raised their family in New York, Maryland and Charlotte. Dolly was well respected in the retail industry and enjoyed a long career with Montaldo's and most recently with Paul Simon for Women in Charlotte. Dolly's family was the most important thing in her life. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Being a wife and mother was the most important thing to her. Dolly was a woman of grace and elegance and had a wonderful sense of humor. She always made everyone around her feel better. You could always count on Dolly for a kind word or a quick hug. She was a loyal friend to many. She loved to spend time at family gatherings, beach trips to the Jersey Shore, and Kiawah Island, SC. She was happiest when surrounded by family and took great joy in anything having to do with her grandchildren. She is survived by her four children: Katie Higgins of Charlotte, Andrew and his wife Julie of Gastonia, John and his wife Maria of Charlotte and Chris and his wife Heidi of Charlotte. She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Jordan Berger of Gastonia, Kelsey and Connor Higgins of Charlotte, Brady, Riley and Delaney Berger of Charlotte, and Molly and Lucy Berger of Charlotte.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at St. Gabriel Catholic Church. The family would like to thank the many doctors and nurses that helped with her care. They would like to thank the staff at Huntersville Oaks and Hospice of Lake Norman for their compassionate care. A special thanks to nurse Debbie McDougle for the kind and loving care that she gave to our mother.

Online condolences may be made at harryandbryantfuneralhome.com.

Published in Charlotte Observer from August 29 to August 31, 2011

Interview at Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

2011-08-31T00:00:00.002-05:00

Watch Video Here

[The Kennedy Detail] - C-SPAN Video Library

With Payne and Lawson Protecting JFK in Rome

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

A Brief History Of: The Secret Service

2011-08-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

By Alex Altman

An agent looks on as John McCain concedes the presidency to Barack Obama in Phoenix. Christopher Morris / VII for TIME

Abraham Lincoln left to Barack Obama not only an example to emulate but also the sentinels who will safeguard his life. In 1865, on the very day he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre, Lincoln green-lighted what would become the U.S. Secret Service, which has been guarding Obama (code-named "Renegade") since May 2007--longer than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history.

The agency's mission has evolved dramatically since its inception under the Treasury Dept. While today more than 3,200 Secret Service members stand ready to sacrifice their lives for the safety of the leader of the free world, the agency's job originally was to stamp out counterfeiting in an era when one out of every three bills in circulation was fake. Though the Secret Service was tasked with guarding President Grover Cleveland's family in the 1890s, presidential security became a formal objective only after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. It wasn't until 1951--after a failed attempt on President Harry Truman's life--that Congress codified the agency's permanent protection of the First Family. Its duties also now include candidates for high office and visiting dignitaries. (See the Top 10 secret service code names.)

Scanning crowds while the President walks a rope line is a given. But agents have also had to respond to unique security challenges--from rigging traffic lights while Truman strolled through Washington to shielding President Jimmy Carter's daughter, Amy, from a charging elephant at a pet show on Ethel Kennedy's Virginia estate. While the demeanor (sunglasses, earpieces, constant vigilance) and the danger are what captivate the public, monitoring for fiscal malfeasance is still half the job. In August, the Secret Service helped crack what was heralded as the largest identity-theft ring in U.S. history.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine

Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau Brings Author to live Audiences

2011-08-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

Blaine, Gerald

Member of JFK's Secret Service Detail

Speaking Topics

· The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence

Call Simon & Schuster at 1-866-248-3049 Or

Complete Online Request Form

About Blaine, Gerald:

Gerald Blaine had the privilege of serving three U.S. presidents as a Special Agent of the Secret Service on the White House detail. For the first time in his book, The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence, the true story of the events leading up to and following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, from the perspective of the Secret Service agents who were there is revealed.

In The Kennedy Detail, Blaine – one of the thirty-four men in Kennedy’s detail – sets history straight on what really happened that afternoon, as well as in the months leading up to and following the assassination. His account includes contributions from most of the Secret Service agents who were on the Kennedy Detail, and draws upon their daily reports, expense accounts, personal notes, and verbal first-hand accounts. A close-knit brotherhood of agents who collectively suppressed the trauma of that day, the sharing of this story has helped heal their wounds of failure and guilt.

Clint Hill, the agent who jumped on the back of the car after the shooting and pushed Jackie down into the back seat, has not contributed to any books on the assassination, until now. As Hill writes in the Foreword, “I don’t talk to anybody about that day…It is only because of my complete faith and trust that Jerry Blaine would tell our story with dignity and unwavering honesty that I agreed to be involved.”

While The Kennedy Detail adds another volume to one of the most prolifically discussed aspects of our country’s history – between the conspiracy theories and countless revisionist histories – it is the only authoritative account of the events of that day from the men, like Clint Hill, who were there to guard the president’s life. With access to information from this privy vantage point, Blaine is able to disclose a variety of behind-the-scenes stories related to the assassination.

As Blaine writes, “Every man on the Kennedy Detail would re-live those six seconds in Dallas a million times over. For the rest of their lives, they would be defined by the assassination of JFK, questioned and blamed for failing to achieve the impossible.”

After serving for five years with the Secret Service, Blaine resigned following the assassination and later became the Director of Security for the IBM Corporation, and worked there for 27 years. He was then employed by ARCO International oil company and as the Director of Security and Foreign affairs. He has traveled to every country in the world and is very familiar with the issues of the Middle East, former Soviet Union, China, Africa, Asia, terrorism, and international trade and global issues.

Blaine is an experienced speaker and has appeared before audiences of thousands. He has addressed the International Association of chiefs of Police, International Security Managers association, and various other security associations. In his capacity as an Industry Marketing Consultant for IBM, he spoke to many customer executive groups from the law enforcement, Intelligence and judicial community. He retired in 2003 and now lives in Colorado with his wife of more than fifty years.

Secret Service Photo Gallery

2011-08-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Reuters Pictures

Secret Service agents trail U.S. President Barack Obama (3rd R) and his family - wife Michelle (4th R) and daughters Malia (2nd R) and Sasha (R) - as they walk home after a Sunday morning worship service in Washington

Thank You ...

2011-08-19T00:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine,

I just finished reading The Kennedy Detail, and I wanted to thank you and Mr. Hill and your other agent friends for setting the record straight. I was only 7 when the President died, but I still remember the day, and I've read and seen a lot of the theory stuff over the years.

You have done a great service to Mr. Kennedy's memory to provide many insights into the last few weeks of his presidency.
He always seemed like a very intelligent leader to me, but I always had a feeling he was also a great guy. You helped honor some of that side of him.

I have great admiration for the silence you kept for all these years, until all the brothers and Mrs. Kennedy had long passed. But you were right in deciding to share the truth about those days, and you and the other agents knew many things that should not be lost to history. I hope your book will stand as one of the main sources of reference for many years to come.

PS: My dad was an IBM salesman for 35 years and he's anxious to read the book now, too!

Best of luck,

Dave Jarvis
Oneida Castle, NY

With Art Blake

2011-08-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Your Excellent Book ...

2011-08-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine,

I just finished reading The Kennedy Detail, and I wanted to thank you and Mr. Hill and your other agent friends for setting the record straight. I was only 7 when the President died, but I still remember the day, and I've read and seen a lot of the theory stuff over the years.

You have done a great service to Mr. Kennedy's memory to provide many insights into the last few weeks of his presidency. He always seemed like a very intelligent leader to me, but I always had a feeling he was also a great guy. You helped honor some of that side of him.

I have great admiration for the silence you kept for all these years, until all the brothers and Mrs. Kennedy had long passed. But you were right in deciding to share the truth about those days, and you and the other agents knew many things that should not be lost to history. I hope your book will stand as one of the main sources of reference for many years to come.

PS: My dad was an IBM salesman for 35 years and he's anxious to read the book now, too!

Best of luck,

Dave Jarvis
Oneida Castle, NY

NPR Discusses Charles L. Gittens

2011-08-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

by Sam Sanders

Charles L. Gittens' tenure opened the door for hundreds of minority Secret Service agents who served after him. NPR's Sam Sanders reports.

(Associated Press) - This undated photo from a U.S. Department of Justice identification card shows Charles L. Gittens. Gittens, the first black Secret Service agent, died July 27, 2011. He was 82.

Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Charles Gittens, 1st black Secret Service agent, dies; joined agency in 1956

2011-08-12T00:00:00.005-05:00

By Del Quentin Wilber,

Charles L. Gittens, the first African American agent in the Secret Service and the former head of the agency’s Washington field office, died July 27 at an assisted living center in Mitchellville after a heart attack. He was 82.

An Army veteran, Mr. Gittens joined the Secret Service in 1956 and was soon posted to its New York field office, where he was part of an elite “special detail” that targeted counterfeiters and other criminals across the country.

(COURTESY OF U.S. SECRET SERVICE) - Charles L. Gittens, who joined the Secret Service in 1956, served as head of the agency’s Washington field office.

Mr. Gittens would go on to protect presidents and became a well-respected supervisor.

“He was a great agent,” said Mark Sullivan, director of the Secret Service. “When you talk to people who worked with him, the one thing I hear is that he was just a regular guy. . . . A lot of agents, black and white, have benefited from the things he has done. He led by example, and he set the standards for all of us to follow.”

Charles LeRoy Gittens was born Aug. 31, 1928, in Cambridge, Mass. He left high school to join the Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant and was posted in Japan during the Korean War.

He obtained a GED while in the military and, after his discharge, received a bachelor’s degree from what is now North Carolina Central University.

In the 1950s, while teaching at a high school in North Carolina, Mr. Gittens was encouraged by friends to apply for a job in federal law enforcement. After taking a civil service test, he was recruited by the Secret Service.

However, he almost never became an agent because he failed an oral entrance exam, according to a 1974 story in Ebony magazine.

“Can you imagine such a thing?” Mr. Gittens told Ebony. “The guy in charge had scribbled things down like, ‘speaks incoherently’ or ‘can’t be understood.’ Now a Boston accent is a pretty strange thing in Atlanta, Georgia — that much I can assure you. But that was really too much.”

Mr. Gittens implied that the real reason may have been racism. He was then given another test and passed.

Though Mr. Gittens told friends he never felt discrimination from other agents or supervisors, he still faced it on the job. While guarding President Lyndon B. Johnson on a trip to Dallas, he and other agents entered a restaurant, and its manager initially refused to serve him because he was black, according to the Ebony story.

“The other guys were a lot angrier than I was,” Mr. Gittens told the magazine. “But the manager came out and apologized profusely. And we eventually got served.”

Mr. Gittens protected other presidents and stood just a few steps from John F. Kennedy at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1962 when Marilyn Monroe serenaded him with a sultry version of “Happy Birthday.”

In 1971, Mr. Gittens was appointed special agent in charge of the Washington field office, a prestigious posting in which he supervised about 120 agents. Mr. Gittens — a founding member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives — also was tasked in the 1970s by the Secret Service with helping to boost the recruitment of minority and female agents. The Service now has 3,525 agents, of whom 299 are black.

After retiring in 1979, he joined the Justice Department’s Nazi-hunting Office of Special Investigations and became deputy director of the criminal division.

His first marriage, of 28 years, to Ruth Hamme ended in divorce. His 10-year marriage to Maureen Petersen also ended in divorce. Survivors include a daughter from his first marriage, Sharon Quick of Washington, and two stepdaughters. .

Mr. Gittens settled in the Washington area in 1971 and moved last year from Fort Washington to Collington Episcopal Life Care Community in Mitchellville.

Although regarded as a Secret Service trailblazer, Mr. Gittens earned respect from agents by hitting the streets. In the mid-1970s, he was monitoring a counterfeiting bust when the suspect suddenly bolted. Mr. Gittens dashed after the man and tackled him, said Ike Hendershot, a retired agent.

“When the other agents finally caught up,” Hendershot said, “they were out of breath.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com

Secret Service Photo Gallery

2011-08-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

Reuters Pictures

A Secret Service officer patrols the grounds of the White House after a man jumped the fence along the North Lawn, in Washington

Revisiting the JFK assassination: Gerald Blaine & Clint Hill discuss 'The Kennedy Detail'

2011-08-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

Hartford / Arts & Entertainment / Books

John Valeri

Hartford Books Examiner

Blaine was hired as Special Agent of the United States Secret Service in 1959, and was handpicked to serve on the elite White House Secret Service Detail—one of thirty-four men responsible for protecting then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Upon John F. Kennedy’s election in November of 1960, Blaine was immediately transferred to the President-elect detail, and spent the next three years traveling with Kennedy. Immediately following JKF’s assassination, the Kennedy detail became the Johnson detail, which Blaine remained a part of until resigning from the Secret Service on July 4, 1964. He then embarked on a career path as an expert in high-level corporate security, retiring in 2003. Hill was the Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) of Mrs. Kennedy’s security detail, and remained with her until after the 1964 presidential election, at which time he joined Johnson’s team. In 1967, Hill became the SAIC of Presidential protection. Ultimately, he was assigned to headquarters as the Assistant Director of the Secret Service before retiring in 1975. Readers will remember Hill as the agent who climbed aboard the presidential limousine as the motorcade came under fire. In December of 1963, he was presented with a gold medal and a citation for “exceptional bravery” during those tragic moments. The Kennedy Detail synopsis: THE SECRET SERVICE. An elite team of men who share a single mission: to protect the president of the United States. On November 22, 1963, these men failed—and a country would never be the same. Now, for the first time, a member of JFK’s Secret Service detail reveals the inside story of the assassination, the weeks and days that led to it and its heartrending aftermath. This extraordinary book is a moving, intimate portrait of dedication, courage, and loss. Drawing on the memories of his fellow agents, Jerry Blaine captures the energetic, crowd-loving young president, who banned agents from his car and often plunged into raucous crowds with little warning. He describes the careful planning that went into JFK’s Texas swing, the worries and concerns that agents, working long hours with little food or rest, had during the trip. And he describes the intensely private first lady making her first-ever political appearance with her husband, just months after losing a newborn baby. Here are vivid scenes that could come only from inside the Kennedy detail: JFK’s last words to his tearful son when he left Washington for the last time; how a sudden change of weather led to the choice of the open-air convertible limousine that day; Mrs. Kennedy standing blood-soaked outside a Dallas hospital room; the sudden interruption of six-year-old Caroline’s long-anticipated sleepover with a friend at home; the exhausted team of agents immediately reacting to the president’s death with a shift to LBJ and other key governmental figures; the agents’ dismay at Jackie’s decision to walk openly from the White House to St. Matthew’s Cathedral at the state funeral. Most of all, this is a look into the lives of men who devoted their entire beings to protecting the presidential family: the stress of the secrecy they kept, the emotional bonds that developed, the terrible impact on agents’ psyches and families, and their astonishment at the country’s obsession with far-fetched conspiracy theories and finger-pointing. A book fifty years in coming, The Kennedy Detail is a portrait of incredible camaraderie and incredible heartbreak—a true, must-read story of heroism in its most complex and human form. Now, Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill share their reflections on President Kennedy’s life and death—and on that fateful day in Dallas, which forever changed the course of history...

Gerald Blaine: 1) Forty-seven years have passed since the assassination of President Kennedy. What made you decide that it was time to write this book? Did you find the process to be cathartic or was it painful to revisit the events of 1963?

The purpose was to set the record straight. There are not many of us left now and we are all elderly. It was the one issue in my life that I had never been able to resolve emotionally. I was satisfied with the Warren Commission findings and when I saw the movie "JFK" by Oliver Stone, which was a combo of every conspiracy theory, I decided to move on with my life and forget the theorists. I have been in International Security and worked every country in the world. I have had close calls and seen tragic bloodshed during fundamentalist wars, but the assassination was still yet to be resolved. When I retired I looked at the Internet and discovered that history was being kidnapped by a "Cottage Industry" called conspiracy theory. This prompted me because fellow "Kennedy Detail" agents who have passed on were accused of being a part of a conspiracy or derelict in their duties all the way to actually shooting the President himself. This called for clarification. I contacted the agents and had a 90% response. Clint Hill, who was deeply impacted by the assassination, and is a friend, finally agreed to release the torment he lived with. We discussed the format, which was to be factual with no "Gossip" or "insider" information, which was the commitment I gave everyone who contributed. In the process it was both painful and healing. I had a difficult time asking questions that I knew were painful to answer on the part of other agents. In the end, we finally had a reunion of agents who had never discussed the assassination with each other. This was recorded by the Discovery Channel, which will be aired on November 22 this year. (Note: This braodcast has been resheduled for December 2nd.) The experience was healing for everyone.

2) Reflection often reveals a fresh perspective. Did you have any such revelations while writing THE KENNEDY DETAIL? What has been the response from the other agents who have contributed to the book?

The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. Clint, Lisa McCubbin and I had lunch with the Director of the Secret Service and his staff. He felt it was a book that every agent should read because it was the event that has developed the Secret Service into the organization it is today. I have received e-mails from numerous agents and from countries around the world.

3) You have come to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole assassin. What do you find to be the strongest evidence of his guilt? Do you have an opinion as to why the majority of Americans continue to believe that JFK was killed as the result of a conspiracy?

It is difficult for a person to believe that a lone individual can take the life of such a dynamic person. To the citizen on the street it has to be much bigger than that. Suddenly people were blaming factions they personally disliked and conspiracy theory went ballistic. It was the left wing, or the right wing, Cuba, Russia, organized crime, government leaders, the new president, FBI, CIA Secret Service, etc. The reality of a conspiracy is that they seldom last 60 days before they are uncovered. In this case it has been 47 years and not one shred of evidence has been presented that indicated a conspiracy. Lee Harvey Oswald was the perfect profile of an assassin. He had psychiatric problems and family instability as a youth. He failed at everything he attempted. He even failed at defecting and returned to the US. He could not carry on a five minute conversation without alienating the person he was talking to. The rifle that Oswald used to kill President Kennedy was also used in a failed attempt to shoot General Walker, a right wing activist in Dallas. Once the shots were fired at President Kennedy, Oswald shot a police officer that was not necessary for his escape, but to be sure he would be caught for the recognition he so desperately needed. He then ran into a movie house without buying a ticket and when approached by officers he pulled a gun. Unfortunately he did not gain the recognition for long since he was killed by Jack Ruby. The only thing missing was the Secret Service had no knowledge of Oswald.

4) The country was forever changed on the afternoon of November 22, 1963. What were the ramifications of President Kennedy’s assassination? Do you believe that there is the potential to emerge from the darkness of that day? If so, how?

It was our generation's 9/11, and the end of innocence.The small evolution of rebellion that began in the late 50's mushroomed during the 60's and created the individuals who in succession killed Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, and an attempt on George Wallace which paralyzed him. Every President since that time has been confronted with threats and attempts. Today's environment is even worse which is why the Secret Service has grown from 300 agents in 1963 to 3,599 agents today. The only way we can clear our thinking is to accept the fact that assassinations are committed by sociopath individuals or by a small group of radicals. A large number of conspiracy theorists end up trying to destroy their enemies by accusing them of being a part of a conspiracy and in the process they make skeptics of our youth and create extreme diversity in our society. If that is not corrected, I doubt if the country could survive another assassination.

5) So much attention is paid to President Kennedy’s death that his accomplishments in life are often overlooked. What do you believe should be JFK’s true legacy?

He was a dynamic leader who tackled a number of tough issues. His first three years were tied up in cold war issues and he stood his ground in the Cuban Missile Crisis. His next effort was to focus on Civil Rights. The JFK Museum in Boston highlights his efforts. The exhibit on the assassination is a short video clip on Walter Cronkite and a statement that says President Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman in Dallas, Texas, who fired three shots.

Clint Hill: 1) With rare exception, you have remained largely silent since the assassination of President Kennedy. What made you decide to contribute to THE KENNEDY DETAIL? Did you find the process to be cathartic or was it painful to revisit the events of 1963?

When Jerry Blaine contacted me about his writing a book about The Kennedy Detail, I was less than enthusiastic. In fact, I was very apprehensive. I had previously been offered many opportunities to contribute to books or to write a book of my own. I refused. Jerry and I had long conversations about his proposed book. When he promised there would be no salacious material, no gossip, only facts based on agent interviews and document examination. I then asked to be allowed to check the manuscript for facts before it was published. Jerry agreed to this and I agreed to contribute. I subsequently was interviewed at length by Lisa McCubbin, who had interviewed other agents. She then put our words to paper and the book "The Kennedy Detail" is the result.

2) You were Mrs. Kennedy’s SAIC and accompanied her to Texas. What was her frame of mind as she embarked on her first domestic political trip? How did your relationship with Mrs. Kennedy change after Dallas?

Mrs. Kennedy was very excited and enthusiastic about the trip to Texas. This was her first trip of a political nature outside of the Washington area since the election in 1960. Her activities in 1960 were somewhat curtailed because she was pregnant. She was very happy to be able to help her husband in his effort to gain re-election in 1964. Our relationship, after Dallas, continued on a very personal, but professional level. She was very self sufficient but sought me out to discuss various personal problems. We became somewhat closer because I was the familiar face among the many changes. I was always there.

3) You agree with the Warren Commission’s assessment that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole assassin. What do you find to be the strongest evidence of his guilt? Do you have an opinion as to why the majority of Americans continue to believe that JFK was killed as the result of a conspiracy?

There were many things that led me to believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. He had access. He had used the alias A J. Hidell. An identification card with that name was found on him at the time of arrest. This alias had been used to purchase a rifle in March 1963. He used a post office address with that alias. The rifle was found on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository near the sniper's nest. His personality profile fit that of a potential assassin. Americans have a very difficult time believing one person, alone, could accomplish the assassination of the President of the United States. We know that most assassinations are carried out by one person, alone.

4) The country was forever changed on the afternoon of November 22, 1963. What were the ramifications of President Kennedy’s assassination? Do you believe that there is the potential to emerge from the darkness of that day? If so, how?

It was the end of the age of innocence. I believe subsequent assassinations and attempts can be directly attributed to this November 22, 1963, event. The assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the attempts on George Wallace, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were all attempted because of the success of Oswald. The assassination in 1963 made everyone less trustful of the government as well as of our fellow man.

5) So much attention is paid to President Kennedy’s death that his accomplishments in life are often overlooked. What do you believe should be JFK’s true legacy?

President Kennedy had both success and failure. The Bay of Pigs Invasion and the failure to get a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty were two examples of failure. Success came in the way he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis; the attempt to settle the cold war with Khrushchev; the establishment of the Peace Corps; the Alliance for Progress in Latin America in an attempt to control Communism; his commitment to space exploration and to put a man on the moon; and finally the passage of the Civil Rights Act which occurred after he was assassinated but can be directly attributed to him.

*** With thanks to Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill for generously sharing their time and thoughts, and to Penny C. Sansevieri for facilitating these interviews.

In Memoriam Charles L. Gittens

2011-08-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

gittensMemorialNL

Library Journal: Q & A

2011-08-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

By Karl Helicher

It has taken 47 years, but this anniversary month of the assassination of President Kennedy brings readers The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence, the first book on the assassination written by a member of Kennedy's secret service detail. Gerald Blaine, one of 34 members of the White House Secret Service Detail, was on the Texas trip, but not on the Dallas stop. His book is about the fatal trip to Texas from the perspective of the agents who were there to protect him. Veteran LJ reviewer Karl Helicher interviewed the author.—Margaret Heilbrun

Why did you wait almost half a century to write this book?

I left the Secret Service in July 1964 after serving five years on the White House Detail. After the assassination, I felt it was time for a change and went into the private sector. I maintained the code of silence throughout my career with IBM, ARCO International, and Hill and Associates, a security firm out of Hong Kong.

When I retired, there was one issue that I could not resolve in my mind and in my emotions: that was President Kennedy's assassination. I started reading the various entries on the Internet and reading assassination conspiracy books. As I did, I could not believe how conspiracy had turned into a cottage industry that had developed theories that ranged from implausible to outright lies. Like every agent, I had saved my advance reports, daily reports, expense vouchers, and investigations. I immediately started contacting agents.

What incensed me most was the fact that the theories would be accepted as historic fact and that some of the theories accused agents of being members of a conspiracy, being incompetent and, in a couple of cases, accused agents of shooting the President. This was no longer an attack on the Secret Service as an institution; this was slander toward individual agents who were no longer alive to defend themselves. The agents on the Kennedy Detail agreed that it was time to reveal the background based on fact.

How many of the 34 agents of the Kennedy Detail were you able to contact? And were they supportive?

The support was overwhelming. I contacted 70 agents or descendants of agents who were deceased who had served President Kennedy during his administration. I had a 90 percent response from those who have survived and the widows or children of deceased agents. Three agents were not contacted. These were agents who had responded to Seymour Hirsch's book The Dark Side of Camelot, which violated the code of silence. In the months following the assassination, I had discussed some of the official inquiry aspects with some of the agents. Plus, there were many memorandums and statements that were required, but never did any agent discuss the emotional aspects until this book was written. Three agents still cannot discuss the emotional aspects of that day in Dallas. I have not been able to contact three other agents who served.

Unfortunately, the men who served on the Kennedy Detail are getting fewer and fewer. Just this week I learned that another agent who had contributed to the book, Dick Johnsen, had passed away. I realized that if we didn't tell our story now, it would be lost forever. It was the last opportunity we had to present the facts according to the people who lived it, so that we can provide a balance to the alleged 81 percent of young Americans, 18 to 29, who, according to USA Today, believe in a conspiracy.

So much of the information revealed will be new to the reader because it tells how the agents experienced the JFK assassination. Would you please describe how the agents broke the news to John and Caroline Kennedy? Would you also comment on how close Agent Clint Hill became with Jackie Kennedy, whom he was responsible for protecting?

The agents did not inform the children. No one is sure whether it was Maude Shaw, their nanny; Mrs. Kennedy; or her mother, Mrs. Auchincloss, who was living in Washington, DC, at the time. The children's agents-Bob Foster, Lynn Meredith, and Tom Wells-filled the emotional response with support and concern.

Special Agent Bob Foster took John-John into an ante room when he became restless at the Capitol Rotunda during Mrs. Kennedy's appearance at the public viewing. Special Agent Tom Wells, standing near the door, heard John-John ask what happened to his daddy. He saw Bob kneel down to where he was face to face with John-John. Tom did not hear his response, and Bob Foster has passed on without revealing his response.

Clint always addressed the President's wife as Mrs. Kennedy, and she responded by addressing him as Mr. Hill, but they were very dependent on each other. Clint became a sounding board for Mrs. Kennedy in trying to resolve staff issues or in explaining agendas. Her appreciation of Clint and the children's agents was demonstrated when she requested of the treasury secretary that the agents remain with her and the children for the year after the assassination. The year became a very emotional one. Not only were the agents unable to deal with their own emotional trauma from the assassination, but they lived the year mourning with the Kennedy family.

You conclude that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman who fired all three shots. Are you as convinced that Oswald was not part of a conspiracy to murder the President?

Yes, and that is the consensus of the other agents. Lee Harvey Oswald fit the profile of a potential assassin to a tee. In his youth he was troubled, and it was determined that he had psychotic tendencies. There was no stability in his family life, and his entire adult life, filled with upheaval, and frustration, drove him to a dying need for recognition. Just before the assassination, he used the same rifle to try and shoot Gen. Edwin Walker, a right-wing group leader, through a window as the general worked at his desk. One of the sociopathic symptoms was that Oswald could not carry on a conversation with anyone without demonstrating hostility or being provoking. That is not the type of individual who can work with accomplices. All of these facts were confirmed by his widow to the agents who protected her for the months following the assassination.

The fact that not one other theory has been proven in the past 47 years is good evidence that there was no one else involved. Criminal investigators know that conspiracies usually unfold in due time, sooner rather than later, for many reasons. That time frame has long passed.

What emotions did you experience as you wrote and completed the book?

I experienced the same emotions as every agent who served with President Kennedy. Virtually every agent , including myself, carried the emotional impact of failure, guilt, and shame. This included agents, like me, who were not in Dallas. I was supposed to go to Dallas to assist Win Lawson, who was responsible for the advance, but by a set of circumstances, I rejoined my regular shift. After the assassination, no agent ever discussed the emotional impact that the event had on them. We remained silent and continued with our lives.

Writing the book felt like an emotional roller coaster for me. I was almost panicked that the story would not be told. The families of the deceased described the torment their loved ones felt over the assassination and were happy I was delivering their message. I was not alone. Then in one telephone call it was suggested that we have a reunion. This reunion was filmed for the Discovery Channel. It was an emotional outpouring that resulted in healing something that had been festering for 47 years. We, the members of the Kennedy Detail, never lost contact with one another. I am the sole surviving charter member of the Former Agents Association of the United States Secret Service and a past president of the organization. The organization, which was founded by members of the Kennedy Detail, now has 2500 members.

Could you recommend a book that you are reading now? It doesn't have to be about the assassination.

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking is on my bed stand. The next three months will be a challenge to complete it, but my curiosity usually wins out.

This article originally appeared in the newsletter BookSmack! Click here to subscribe.

Charlie Gittens, the first African American to join the United States Secret Service passed away on July 27th

2011-08-03T00:00:00.002-05:00

Charles Gittens - First African American Secret Service agent

Interview at the 33rd Annual National Press Club Book Fair and Authors' Night ...

2011-08-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

A fundraiser for the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library and The SEED Foundation held Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Watch Video Here

[The Kennedy Detail] - C-SPAN Video Library

Lincoln's Missing Bodyguard

2011-07-29T00:00:00.003-05:00

What happened to Officer John Parker, the man who chose the wrong night to leave his post at Ford's Theater?

By Paul Martin

After President Lincoln settled in to enjoy Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre, his guard left to drink at a nearby saloon, leaving Lincoln vulnerable.

When a celebrity-seeking couple crashed a White House state dinner last year, the issue of presidential security dominated the news. The Secret Service responded by putting three of its officers on administrative leave and scrambled to reassure the public that it takes the job of guarding the president very seriously. “We put forth the maximum effort all the time,” said Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan.

That kind of dedication to safeguarding the president didn’t always exist. It wasn’t until 1902 that the Secret Service, created in 1865 to eradicate counterfeit currency, assumed official full-time responsibility for protecting the president. Before that, security for the president could be unbelievably lax. The most astounding example was the scant protection afforded Abraham Lincoln on the night he was assassinated. Only one man, an unreliable Washington cop named John Frederick Parker, was assigned to guard the president at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865.

Today it’s hard to believe that a single policeman was Lincoln’s only protection, but 145 years ago the situation wasn’t that unusual. Lincoln was cavalier about his personal safety, despite the frequent threats he received and a near-miss attempt on his life in August 1864, as he rode a horse unescorted. He’d often take in a play or go to church without guards, and he hated being encumbered by the military escort assigned to him. Sometimes he walked alone at night between the White House and the War Department, a distance of about a quarter of a mile.

John Parker was an unlikely candidate to guard a president—or anyone for that matter. Born in Frederick County, Virginia, in 1830, Parker moved to Washington as a young man, originally earning his living as a carpenter. He became one of the capital’s first officers when the Metropolitan Police Force was organized in 1861. Parker’s record as a cop fell somewhere between pathetic and comical. He was hauled before the police board numerous times, facing a smorgasbord of charges that should have gotten him fired. But he received nothing more than an occasional reprimand. His infractions included conduct unbecoming an officer, using intemperate language and being drunk on duty. Charged with sleeping on a streetcar when he was supposed to be walking his beat, Parker declared that he’d heard ducks quacking on the tram and had climbed aboard to investigate. The charge was dismissed. When he was brought before the board for frequenting a whorehouse, Parker argued that the proprietress had sent for him.

In November 1864, the Washington police force created the first permanent detail to protect the president, made up of four officers. Somehow, John Parker was named to the detail. Parker was the only one of the officers with a spotty record, so it was a tragic coincidence that he drew the assignment to guard the president that evening. As usual, Parker got off to a lousy start that fateful Friday. He was supposed to relieve Lincoln’s previous bodyguard at 4 p.m. but was three hours late.

Lincoln’s party arrived at the theater at around 9 p.m. The play, Our American Cousin, had already started when the president entered his box directly above the right side of the stage. The actors paused while the orchestra struck up “Hail to the Chief.” Lincoln bowed to the applauding audience and took his seat.

Parker was seated outside the president’s box, in the passageway beside the door. From where he sat, Parker couldn’t see the stage, so after Lincoln and his guests settled in, he moved to the first gallery to enjoy the play. Later, Parker committed an even greater folly: At intermission, he joined the footman and coachman of Lincoln’s carriage for drinks in the Star Saloon next door to Ford’s Theatre.

John Wilkes Booth entered the theater around 10 p.m.. Ironically, he’d also been in the Star Saloon, working up some liquid courage. When Booth crept up to the door to Lincoln’s box, Parker’s chair stood empty. Some of the audience may not have heard the fatal pistol shot, since Booth timed his attack to coincide with a scene in the play that always sparked loud laughter.

Read More

C-Span Q & A

2011-07-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

Program from Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010.

A legacy of service: Robert Roy Faison Jr.

2011-07-25T00:00:00.003-05:00

The Daily Herald

http://www.rrdailyherald.com

The United States knows Robert Roy Faison Jr. as the first black man assigned permanently to White House Detail.

In Seaboard, the former Coates High School graduate is remembered as a humble but strong man that wasn’t defined simply as the son of hardworking, sharecropping parents.

Known as “Bob” to family and friends, he died June 28 and will be buried next month in Arlington National Cemetery.

A 25-year United States Secret Service veteran who retired with the rank of Inspector, Bob provided personal protection service for United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

He retired in 1982, although his love for the Secret Service kept him working as a contractor for 10 more years.

Deputy Director of the U.S. Secret Service Keith Prewitt said Bob conducted part of his own background investigation. Prewitt described Bob as an outstanding role model and professional who was always easy to speak to and very good at coaching and mentoring.

“He was committed and engaged, but quietly competent,” Prewitt said. “He meant a lot to all of us.”

Gerald S. Blaine, former Secret Service agent and author of “The Kennedy Detail,” published by Simon and Schuster in November, said Bob joined the White House Detail in late 1963 and shared a shift with him.

“We were on the midnight shift when President Kennedy was in Fort Worth the night before the assassination,” Blaine said. “We flew to Austin where the president was to stay at LBJ’s ranch on the night of the 22nd. After the assassination, Bob and I were assigned to LBJ.”

Blaine said the Secret Service White House Detail was very select in approving agents for permanent duty.

Most agents, including Bob, did a 30-day assignment.

“At the end of the assignment, the agents would report any weaknesses in the individual that might preclude him for a permanent assignment,” Blaine said. “Bob was unanimously selected.”

Blaine said Bob’s inclusion on the Secret Service was not embraced by everyone outside the service.

He describes an incident in his book about Bob being requested to stay at another hotel that allowed blacks since the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth did not.

“The agents threatened to move President Kennedy to another hotel if Bob was not allowed to stay,” Blaine said. “The hotel finally allowed Bob to stay.”

Photos:

Robert Roy Faison Jr. is seen at age 21 shortly before heading off to the Korean War. He is a former Seaboard resident and Coates High School graduate

Robert Roy Faison Jr. takes the lead, walking out front of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s car. Faison, who died June 28, will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next month.

Robert Roy Faison Jr., back left, stands in guard of President John F. Kennedy, third from right, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, center, during a White House event.

Secret Service agent Hobart native Lou Sims tells of Kennedy assassination ...

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

ZEKE CAMPFIELD

HOBART The day Louis Sims graduated from U.S. Secret Service School was certainly the most notorious day in the organization's history since its founding.

It was November 1963, and then-29-year-old Sims had recently arrived in Washington, D.C., from Chicago, where he had been working as an agent for two years. Having passed the agency's entrance exam with flying colors the highest score recorded at that time, he said graduation was an especially exciting time, even when it was interrupted with some pretty sordid news.

"The chief of the Secret Service was getting ready to speak; it was a noon graduation," Sims, now 77, said, recalling his early days recently in the living room of the Hobart home he shares with his wife, Gwen. "He got called out of the room for a phone call. He came back and said, 'The President has been shot in Dallas. Everyone report to the Washington field office.' You always think, if I would have been there, what could I have done? How could I have helped save his life?"

Born in 1934, the son of an insurance agent, Sims was a star athlete at Hobart High School and then at several prep colleges in Oklahoma, where he played baseball and basketball while pursuing a degree in business.

Shortly after his 1956 graduation from Panhandle State University he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was immediately recommended for U.S. Army Intelligence School in Baltimore.

"I was absolutely delighted because I intended to serve, so I figured hey, I'm going to learn as much as I can while I'm in there and get as much as I can out of it," Sims said.

He was a week off basic training when he married Gwen, his high school sweetheart, and in November 1957, he was assigned to Kansas City to work as an agent in Army intelligence, and then to Topeka, Kan., as a resident agent in Army intelligence. In Kansas City, Sims was conducting a background investigation and one of the references cited was former President Harry Truman, who was setting up his presidential library at the time. While he had Truman's ear, Sims figured he'd ask the former president what he thought about a Secret Service career.

"I said, 'I've only got a year left in Army intelligence and I'm thinking about joining the Secret Service. What do you think?' President Truman spoke up and said, 'If the outfit can be that close to me and not get in my hair, that's a pretty good outfit,'" Sims said.

After an interview and a four-hour test, he was told he qualified as a candidate for the service but that he would have to await assignment. In the meantime, he opened a life insurance business. It was 1960.

"If I never got that call from Secret Service, I've got a business," he said. "And after a few weeks we didn't know if we'd ever get the call, so we moved to Lawton."

Assigned to Chicago
In 1961, however, and after some haggling over his pay grade, Sims was assigned a special agent at the agency's field office in Chicago.

The Secret Service was tasked then, as it is now, with protecting the president and other elected national officials but also with investigating federal financial crimes, like forgery or counterfeiting of government obligations. In fact, though the Secret Service was founded by Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s, it wasn't until William McKinley's assassination in 1900 that it was assigned its bodyguard duties.

In Chicago, Sims found the job as intense as it was an adventure, sometimes finding himself going to work in the morning and not knowing exactly where he'd wind up by night. The job was round-the-clock and required an enormous amount of personal commitment, he said.

"You realized that it was your responsibility to see that the right investigation was done and the right steps were taken for the security of the president or his family or the vice president," Sims said. "You looked at everyone and made a decision on whether or not that person was a danger. Unless it went to the courthouse, nine times out of 10 it never even hit the newspaper."

In 1961, he was assigned to the Kennedy detail at the White House for a month. Kennedy was the first of six U.S. presidents Sims would protect, an experience he tends to tone down.

"Normally a Secret Service agent doesn't have personal discussions with the president or first family; most of it is about the security activities where's your guy, itineraries and that sort of thing. Normally you don't sit down and visit," he said. "But it was just, I don't know how you describe it, it was exciting and you felt very privileged, no matter who the president was."

So of course it was only natural that when Kennedy was shot that fateful day in Dallas, Sims took it as kind of personal.

For four dark days, as he described them, Sims was among a crew of depressed agents tasked with handling logistics of the memorial. The day of the funeral, Sims walked alongside President Johnson's limousine during the motorcade from the Lincoln Memorial to the entranceway of Arlington National Cemetery.

Relied on his experience
"You're thinking about the job, but also, 'Here's a guy from Hobart up here where everybody in the country is focusing right now,'" he said. "And I will tell you how very true I relied on all that experience growing up in Hobart, Oklahoma, doing that job. You learn how to do everything here, and, if something needed to be done, you did it, no matter what it was."

Reforms put in place
The occasion marked serious reform for the Secret Service, and Sims was among the new agents who rode the tide as its budget was boosted and its personnel increased many times over. He was one of about 350 special agents when he went into the service, which operated then on about a $4 million budget. Today's Secret Service has more than 6,500 employees, including 3,200 agents, and operates with an annual budget of $1.4 billion.

The build-up after Kennedy's assassination did not stop until the Secret Service was ultimately swallowed by the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003, Sims said.

"The recommendations of the Warren Commission kind of changed our whole direction," he said. "No question that's what got the appropriations up where we could have the number of people we needed to do the job and get the right equipment. That was just the time when things began to happen, and they began with the assassination of President Kennedy and went from there."

The Kennedy funeral wasn't the last time Sims felt the eyes of the country upon him.

Read More

Thanks from a Former Agent

2011-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR EMMY® NOMINATED TEAM FOR THE KENNEDY DETAIL

2011-07-18T19:34:00.005-05:00

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL PROGRAMMING – LONG FORM

The Kennedy Detail

Discovery Channel

Executive Producers

Ken Atchity, Brooke Runnette, Chi‑Li Wong, Jay Renfroe, David Garfinkle

Co‑Executive Producer

Vince DiPersio

Producers

Mom and Kate at the Airforce Academy Meeting JFK

2011-07-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your service to our nation!!

2011-07-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Mr. Blaine,

I am an Assistant United States Attorney in Pensacola, Florida. Today I was telling our local USSS agent, SA Kevin Clifton, how great your book was and he shared that very recently, he and a group of agents got to visit with the Kennedy Detail agents who were in Jacksonville doing a promotional on the book. I was spell-bound as he told me of his visit with you guys. There is not a finer, more dedicated, more professional group of agents that I have worked with in 33 years than those in the Secret Service. Thank you for your exemplary and sacrificial service to our nation and for sharing the history which you lived through this wonderful book!!

Len Register

AUSA - Pensacola

The Wright Angle Reviews The Kennedy Detail

2011-07-13T00:00:00.007-05:00

Memories of six seconds in Dallas

By Scott Wright

http://www.postpaper.com

I spend a lot of my spare time reading, and over the July 4 holiday I finished a book titled “The Kennedy Detail” by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin. It was a page-turning, 448-page read about the federal agents charged with guarding our 35th president.

First, a little background to explain my interest: Nearly 20 years ago, during Christmas break while I was in college, I traveled to Texas with my friend John. His father, who lived in Houston, had given him tickets to the Cotton Bowl and John asked me to come along. I'll never forget sitting in a freezing, drizzling rain and watching Florida State and Texas A&M slip, slide and stumble to a boring 10-2 final score.

The night before the game had been much more exciting. John and I drove from Houston into downtown Dallas and parked within walking distance of Dealey Plaza, where President Kennedy was killed on Nov. 22, 1963. It was a dark and dreary night. There haven't been many times in my life when I've felt more haunted that I did standing on the sidewalk between the grassy knoll and the painted “X” on Elm Street where a bullet once exploded Jack Kennedy's head right before his lovely young wife's eyes.

The author describes that moment in shocking, gruesome detail. In a chapter titled “Six Seconds in Dallas,” Blaine retraces the final path of the motorcade in minute detail that includes the fatal shot, which caused one of the author's fellow agents to “suck in his breath as the horrific image became forever etched into his soul.”

I have given plenty of thought, through the years, to the person – or people – responsible for killing the president. John and I even spent part of our vacation inside a Dallas theater watching the brand-new Oliver Stone film “JFK.” We walked out convinced we knew the entire truth. Absolutely, we agreed, the CIA, or Castro, or the Mafia, or some organized group had to have been responsible for something so horrible. The cause of the death that changed our nation forever couldn't have been the work of one lone nut.

Or could it? By the time I picked up Blaine's book a few weeks ago, I had been convinced for several years that Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed a lone nut with some firearms acumen who simply got lucky. When Blaine and his peers all pretty much said the same thing in his book, that was good enough for me.

Some will surely argue that Blaine's book is another part of the “massive conspiracy” we've all been hearing about for the past 50 years. But after reading about how Blaine and Clint Hill (Mrs. Kennedy's Secret Service agent) and all the other agents who were there that day had their lives changed forever, their futures turned upside down, and their careers cut short (for the most part), it's not hard to realize that the disaster they saw unfold before their eyes that day in Dallas was no grandly-engineered scheme. Instead, it was a damned nightmare come to life – one that Jerry Blaine and all the other Secret Service agents on the Kennedy Detail relived over and over, every day, for the rest of their lives.

The inside of the dust jacket reads, in part: “Drawing on the memories of his fellow agents, Jerry Blaine captures the energetic, crowd-loving young president, who banned agents from his car and often plunged into raucous crowds with little warning. He describes the careful planning that went into JFK's Texas swing, the worries and concerns that agents, working long hours with little food or rest, had during the trip. And he describes the intensely private first lady and her first-ever political appearance with her husband, just months after losing a newborn baby.”

This book is all of that, and a lot more. If you enjoy learning about little-known aspects of American history, I highly recommend “The Kennedy Detail.” The book is available at www.amazon.com in hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions.

Managing Editor Scott Wright has been with The Post since 1998. He is a two-time winner of the Society of Professional Journalists' Green Eyeshade Award for humorous commentary. He is also the author of "A History of Weiss Lake" and "Fire on the Mountain: The Undefeated 1985 Sand Rock Wildcats," both available at www.amazon.com. He is a native of Cherokee County.

Former Secret Service agent: Betty Ford looked after us

2011-07-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Written by

The Associated Press

GRAND RAPIDS — An ex-Secret Service agent says former First Lady Betty Ford was like “a mother” to him and his colleagues.

Mike Shannon signed a condolence book for Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids. He was among many who came to express their sympathy to the Ford family after Betty Ford's death in California on Friday.

Shannon told WOOD-TV that he protected the Fords, and Betty Ford was always concerned about the agents and their families. He says she once sent him home with a bag of oranges for his wife.

The museum says its lobby will be open around the clock until further notice so people can sign the book.

Her body will be sent to Michigan for burial at the museum alongside her husband.

http://www.thetimesherald.com

Thank you for writing the book ...

2011-07-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine:

Thank you so much for writing the book and sharing.

I was in Mrs. Smiths’, 4th grade classroom on the South Side of Pittsburgh. I remember the smell of the classroom, the sound of the rubber tip of the teacher’s pointer on the pull down map; I can still see tears running down the faces of my classmates and teachers, I remember the tightness in my chest and the inability to swallow. As I was reading your book, I recalled the voice of Walter Cronkite announcing the time of death of President Kennedy.

After school, we still drove to Youngstown, Ohio to spend the weekend with family. Seven of us remained glued to the TV for the next four days. None of us understood why we lost a president that day. No explanations were sufficient.

Thank you for writing the book and answering questions that have remained unanswered since 1963. I understand more now.

Thank you to all the Secret Service agents who have served our Presidents.

My best regards,

Michelle Z

Unpublished Photos from JFK's Election

2011-07-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

Paul Schutzer / TIME & LIFE Pictures

During a speech before the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, Kennedy famously told the largely skeptical gathering, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic."

Kennedy on the stump, October 1960.

Cop tracks down presidential limo's seal

2011-07-06T00:00:00.007-05:00

http://news.blogs.cnn.com

Magnetism is the only thing that keeps the presidential seal on the president's limousine.

The round, gold-trimmed presidential seal is an impressive symbol affixed to the door of the limousine known as "The Beast." It appears to be a permanent part of the limo. But in reality, it's a magnetic seal that comes on and off, vulnerable to wind and elements just like anything we'd put on our own cars. And Thursday night, the seal came off during President Obama's motorcade to the airport after his fundraising visit to Philadelphia, ending up alongside Interstate 76. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said agents and Philadelphia police returned to the area off the freeway that night and looked for it, but were unable to find it in the dark. But the next day, a Philadelphia police officer found it on the side of the road. The Philadelphia Daily News reports the officer had been part of the motorcade the night before and was helping a disabled car when he spotted it. It was brought to the Secret Service field office and is being returned to Washington. "It happens periodically," Donovan said. "They're only magnetic. They're not put on any special way."

Secret Service created July 5, 1865

2011-07-05T16:07:00.002-05:00

http://washingtonexaminer.com

By: Scott McCabe | Examiner Staff Writer Follow Him @Scott_McCabe |

On this day, July 5, 1865, the U.S. Secret Service was created in Washington to arrest counterfeiters.

During President Lincoln's administration, more than a third of the nation's money was counterfeit. On April 14, 1965, the day he would be assassinated, Lincoln established a commission to stop the counterfeiting problem.

The Secret Service evolved into the country's first domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency. After the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, Congress informally requested that the Secret Service provide presidential protection. In 1902, William Craig became the first agent to be killed riding in the presidential carriage. Now, there are more than 3,200 Secret Service agents.

-Scott McCabe

The Kennedy Detail's Robert Faison

2011-07-05T10:45:00.004-05:00

Robert Roy Faison, 81, of Palm Coast, FL passed away at Stuart F. Meyer Hospice on June 28, 2011. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 5th at 11:00 am at Palm Coast United Methodist Church, 5200 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast.

Bob was a Special Agent with the US Secret Service, he was the first African American permanently assigned to the White House and served during the Kennedy and Johnson administration. Bob traveled to thirty countries while assigned to the White House Detail. He was the third African American Special Agent hired by the Secret Service.

Bob was assigned to the midnight shift in Fort Worth Texas the night before President Kennedy's assassination. The Shift had flown to Austin where they received word the President had been shot. The shift immediately flew to Washington DC and protected President Johnson at his home the night of the assassination.

Bob served his country in the US Army, during the war in Korea. He rose to the rank of Warrant Officer, and was the youngest 1st Sgt. in a combat infantry company. He was awarded the Bronze Star while in Korea.

Bob was commissioned by the Secret Service in 1962 and was assigned to the Washington Field Office. He was assigned to President Kennedy in October 1963 after serving a thirty day temporary assignment on the Detail. He retired from the Secret Service after achieving the rank of Inspector.
He was a member of the Palm Coast United Methodist Church, a fifty year member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, The African American Cultural Society, and the Association of Former Agents of the Secret Service, the NAACP, and the Eagles Golf Club.

Bob will be missed by his fellow agents.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Life With The Secret Service

2011-07-01T00:00:00.006-05:00

http://www.newsweek.com

The Obamas have a head start among First Families in learning to live with the Secret Service's constant presence.

How would you feel if a frowning man in dark sunglasses and wires in his ears grabbed the back of your pants every time you walked into a crowd? That's just one of many less-than-enjoyable aspects of presidential life that the Obama family have been living with, ever since they were christened with their recently-released official Secret Service code names: Renegade (Barack), Renaissance (Michelle), Radiance (Malia), and Rosebud (Sasha).

The Obamas have had some time to adjust; they have had a Secret Service detail since May 2007, the earliest one ever assigned to a presidential contender. The detail was assigned because of concerns that the African-American candidate might face greater dangers. Those concerns were not misplaced, as evidenced by the discovery of several plots to do the candidate harm this fall.

The Obamas aren't the only ones keeping the Secret Service busy. Since 9/11, the ranks of the protected have swelled to include key cabinet and congressional leaders, and even their assistants. Files are kept on some 40,000 U.S. citizens, including about 400 deemed by the agency to pose a specific threat. Using gadgets that would make James Bond envious, agents sweep offices and hotel rooms for surveillance devices, test food for poison and measure air quality to check for dangerous bacteria. The cute code names might make for good stories, but they're functionally obsolete; Secret Service agents actually rely on modern encryption technology to help keep discussions about those they protect confidential.

Of course, all the technology and planning in the world can't protect a candidate or president if he won't do what he's told. Some politicians have been cooperative—Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, for example—while others have gone rogue; Bill Clinton, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson all loved to make mischief. What can agents expect from the new First Family? With the help of two valuable books on the subject—"The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency" and "Standing Next To History: An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service"—and interviews with an agency staffer, NEWSWEEK compiled a tip sheet of anecdotes from administrations-past illustrating the sundry ways Renegade, Renaissance, Radiance, and Rosebud might manage to stir up trouble for the folks in the dark glasses.

Lesson 1: Expect the Unexpected
At a pet show at Ethel Kennedy's Virginia estate, Secret Service agents had to scoop up and whisk away Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy when Suzy, a 6,000 pound elephant, charged in her direction. With Amy in his arms, the agent jumped over a split-rail fence—which the rogue elephant soon splintered—and carted the First Daughter to safety inside Kennedy's house, while crowds scattered and trainers struggled to get Suzy back under control.

Lesson 2: Agents Protect, Not Serve
President Jimmy Carter, accustomed to asking his state trooper guards to do errands for him, initially used his Secret Service detail as bag carriers—much to their dismay. He eventually backed off, but other presidents have requested such favors as babysitting and providing a fourth for a bridge game; all of which, agents have complained, detracted from their ability to do their jobs. Jackie Kennedy was the opposite: after JFK died, her children continued to have protection until they were 18. She insisted that the guards remain as inconspicuous as possible—and that they not pick up after or run errands for her children.

With Respect

2011-06-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Mr. Blaine,

I just finished reading “The Kennedy Detail”, and just so you know, I have never sent a letter like this before.

I became aware of your book after you and Mr. Hill appeared on the FOX 5 San Diego morning show. My daughter, Anna Belle, a writer on the show, had the honor of speaking with you both. If I may jog your memory a bit, in the course of conversation, she relayed that her grandpa was also named Gerald but with a hard “G”. You both signed a copy of the book for her. She called me on her way home in tears and began telling me about your conversation and the pride, sorrow, loss and love of Country she felt and how grateful she was in her heart to have been in the presence of true heroes and learn of their commitments and sacrifices.

I finished the book yesterday and found myself wiping away the tears for the same reasons my 26 year old daughter did. I was 3 1/2 years old on that fateful day and remember, as do most American’s, and the world, exactly where I was.

I want to thank you for finally dispelling all the myths and theories about the assassination, but mostly for giving young people a chance to feel what it means to completely commit yourself to a job, a lifestyle, a career, for the greater good and ask nothing in return. I think our young people today need to know that and I believe your book is a great start. The rest of us “old folk” surely will benefit too!!!!!

Thank you again for the kindness you showed my daughter. She will never forget you. Her Grandpa G.G. (Gerald Guy) is now in possession of the copy you signed for her and, to say the least, he is a proud Grandpa!

With greatest respect.

Betsy Guy Baumbaugh

with Joe Palleo - White House

2011-06-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Essence of Life Chronicles Reviews The Kennedy Detail

2011-06-26T02:26:00.011-05:00

by Luanne Stevenson

http://essenceoflifechronicles.com

The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence was written by Gerald Blaine, one of 34 Secret Service Agents who protected John Fitzgerald Kennedy and who also served as an agent protecting two other Presidents on the White House Detail. It was written along with Lisa McCubbin, an award-winning journalist who has worked for three major television news networks, and the story includes contributions from most of the Secret Service agents who were on the Kennedy Detail.

Recently published by Gallery Books (November 2, 2010), it’s an authoritative account that shares historical facts and personal recollections. The story is told in third person, taking into account personal recollections shared by other Kennedy Secret Service agents who contributed to the book. It details events of November 22, 1963, and the aftermath, but also shares the human side of being a Secret Service agent: how they were traumatized by the events of that day and the sacrifices their wives made by raising children alone as their husbands traveled with the President.Blaine and McCubbin also disclose a variety of behind-the scenes-stories related to the assassination as well as the authors’ conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. It shares information on what the job was like in the 1960s: carrying index cards in their pockets of suspected threats or individuals, running 8 or more miles alongside the presidential limo wearing black polished shoes that left their feet blistered, long hours that included no breaks for eating and very little sleep, and the amount of planning and work that went into advances (trips to secure areas before the presidential visit).

It also illustrated the times. Life in the 1960s was racially charged (a black Secret Service agent was almost denied a room in a Texas hotel due to racial prejudice), and the Bay of Pigs was fresh in the minds of many Cubans.

The Kennedy Detail takes the reader on a ride that is fast paced, intelligent, emotional, moving, humorous, sad, and historically factual. For example,I smiled when I learned how JFK got short sleeved shirts for all his agents to wear while protecting him in Florida. I enjoyed JFK's humor and personable demeanor. According to Blaine, JFK loved to tease and even told one new agent, “I heard you didn’t vote for me.” Watching the agent's facial expression change from a smile to "horror," Kennedy just smiled, patted his shoulder, and walked away. I was also charmed by stories about the “Kiddie detail,” remembering how John Jr., almost three years old, loved watching helicopters land in his back yard.

Genuine photographs (taken of the Secret Service agents, their families, their work, trips, the President and his family, the motorcades) were shared in various sections of the book. This allowed the reader to go back in time and remember or learn what it was like during Kennedy's presidency. Kennedy quotes were shared at the beginning of each chapter and were subtly missed as the book switched gears and described the Johnson years, following Camelot. The quotes illustrated Kennedy's sharp mind and vision. My personal favorite was located at the beginning of chapter 14: "For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."

Blaine and McCubbin's sharp ability to re-tell events made me feel like I was a “fly on the wall,” watching the men who protected the President. I was able to visualize what it was like waiting outside Kennedy’s hospital room as the doctors frantically tried to save the President’s life. I felt the sadness Jacqueline Kennedy must have felt after losing her infant son Patrick and later her husband. I felt the trauma that scarred many agents over the past 50 years and understood that through the writing of this book many of them began to heal.

It's is a remarkable story about a remarkable group of men protecting one remarkable man and his family. I highly recommend the book. The Kennedy Detail is a wonderful read and makes the perfect gift for anyone who loves history and is interested in learning details about the “six seconds in Dallas” that took place on November 22, 1963.

originally published on blogcritcs.org

Print/online journalist, freelance writer and VP of Editing for DocUmeant Publishing Company, published ghost writer. Formerly wrote for the Boston Examiner as a “special-kids-and –special-education” contributor.

In Lu's spare time, she writes for essenceoflifechronicles.com, a blog on life topics, parenting and personal improvement.

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Member of JFK's Secret Service Detail

Speaking Topics

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About Blaine, Gerald:

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Call Simon & Schuster at 1-866-248-3049 Or

Complete Online Request Form