In 1988 I picked up Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. "Bebe" Rebozo, best friends of former President Nixon, from a chartered helicopter that they were going to take to the Rebezos' home on one of the outlying Bahamian islands with the former president. His Continental flight from Newark was running late so the Rebozos and I had breakfast at the airport McDonald's while waiting for him. They were very interesting and down to earth people. Bebe asked me if I'd like to have a photo standing with the former president and I said "of course!" A short while later we picked up Mr. Nixon and his security agent from his flight at the gate and I transported everyone out to the waiting helicopter. Before Mr. Nixon boarded the helicopter he posed with me and with Jim Murphy who was one of my senior agents at the time. The Rebozos, the former president and his private security agent (President Nixon turned down Secret Service protection that he was eligible for) then departed to the Bahamas.

I had some 8x10 prints made and kept one in my office in case I had an opportunity to have the former President sign it in the future. In 1989 his office made arrangements with me to transport him and his private security agent from a chartered helicopter clearing Customs at GAC on the north side of the airport to the main terminal to catch a Continental flight to Newark. The helicopter arrived early, his departure flight was late, and we had considerable time to kill because he preferred to board last. He normally flew first class and his last minute arrival wouldn't interrupt the coach boarding process. I asked if they'd like to see our gate assignment office while killing time and he said "sure, let's go!" I'll never forget our airfield agent Tom Hampton's (retired Navy LCDR) look on his face when he turned around and saw Richard Nixon standing behind him while assigning gates. The former president shook hands with everyone and then we went out to the van to talk for several minutes before going to his flight's departure gate. We talked about military service, Viet Nam, and my service in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve and I told him that I really admired him for getting our troops and our POW's out of that quagmire that was so deadly to my generation. During that time I whipped out this photo and asked if he would sign it and he said sure, he'd be glad to do it.

Richard M. Nixon was our 37th President, serving from 1969 to 1974. He was our Vice President under President Eisenhower from 1952 to 1960. As President he succeeded in getting our troops out of Viet Nam. His biography is at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rn37.html

Former President Nixon passed away on April 22nd, 1994. Mr. Rebozo passed away on May 8, 1998 of a brain aneurysm at the age of 85.

The below link is a great video about our Prisoners of War returning home at the war's conclusion and a huge dinner that President Nixon held under a giant tent on the south lawn of the White House to welcome all of our POW's home. A 40th Anniversary dinner was held at the Nixon Library in 2013 and there is footage of that event too. http://www.youtube.com/embed/LemllfcAY8A President Nixon was a hero to our POW's and he was a hero of mine for that reason.