President Ford's

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ALASKA WASHINGTON ANCHORAGE BELLEVUE IDAHO BELLINGHAM e t gs BOISE CHEHALIS IF YOU’D LIKE toG get a jumpr on e eatin breakfast or skip it. Or whether LEWISTON KENNEWICK a New Year’s resolution to lose it’s better to exercise before meals MONTANA OLYMPIA weight (permanently this time) and or after. Both are full of practical, GREAT FALLS SILVERDALE eat better, I encourage you to read actionable advice—backed up with SPOKANE NEW MEXICO TACOMA Dr. Michael Greger’s books—How cutting-edge science. ALBUQUERQUE VANCOUVER Not to Die and How Not to Diet. OREGON Bob Ford, MD YAKIMA The first, a New York Times PORTLAND PRESIDENT AND OWNER TUALATIN Best Seller, reveals groundbreaking Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute PRESIDENT FORD’S scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many causes of premature death and disability. 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They combed through tens of thousands How Not to Die Our Physicians Back Page of studies to answer simple www.pcli.com inside from Diabetes Getting to know Christmas Greetings questions like whether you should Dr. Jeffrey Mattson Editor: Rose Fischer/[email protected] WINTER 2019 August 8 and 9 brought dramatic change to the White House with four historical events that took place within an 18-hour period: » Nixon’s resignation speech the evening of the 8th » Nixon’s farewell to the White House staff the next morning » The helicopter departure of Nixon and his family » Gerald Ford’s swearing in as the 38th President of the United States Bill Brockett was the only person to physically attend all four. “At Nixon’s farewell speech to the White House staff, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” remembers Bill. “When the helicopter lifted off with the president and his family, it was almost like things went back to some sense of normalcy. Then, I immediately headed to the East Room for the swearing-in of Gerald Ford.” The unprecedented historical crisis of Richard Nixon’s presidency took place 45 years ago. “Watergate was overwhelming for the entire country,” maintains Bill. “The events of those days still make the hair stand up on the back of my neck.” GROWING UP IN SAN DIEGO Bill Brockett was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but when he was 3 his family moved to San Diego, California for a better climate. It helped ease his dad’s arthritis pain. Bill’s father worked in the aircraft industry before transitioning to the life insurance business. His mom worked at a bank but with her husband’s debilitating disease, she carried a heavy responsibility both at home and at work. “I was a pretty average kid, wasn’t particularly outstanding in anything, and stayed out of big trouble,” laughs Bill. He and his older brother swam competitively and spent hours at the beach body surfing. “My mom used to say, ‘Bill never meets a stranger. By the time he leaves the check-out with groceries, he and the checker have found at least five things they have in common.’” President Ford’s “My dad didn’t complain or talk about his difficulties with arthritis, but he was in a lot of pain,” asserts Bill. “Almost every day, my brother Dog Trainer or I would fasten the top button of his starched, white shirt and tie his shoes because he couldn’t. But he tried to do as much as he could with us. I remember playing catch, n August 6, 1974, I was walking down a hallway going fishing at the lake, and taking O near the Oval Office when a Secret Service a road trip to Oregon.” In late 1963, Bill’s parents agent took me by the arm, opened a closet door, and pushed traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, where his me inside. I was told to stay there until he let me out,” recalls dad underwent a kidney transplant. Bill and his dog JoJo heading The two boys stayed in California out on a retriever excursion. Bill Brockett. “Soon I heard footsteps shuffling by and voices, with family friends. But then their military uncle was assigned to including President Nixon’s. After the people were gone, the Germany and offered to let Bill live with his family for a agent opened the closet and apologized. He explained that Mr. Nixon did not year and go to school in Europe. “My dad’s transplant was successful until he want to see anybody, and they were trying their best to accommodate that.” contracted a serious infection and passed away in 1964. Although I remained in Germany for my freshman year of high school, losing my dad at 14 was the most Twenty-four-year-old Army Specialist Bill Brockett had been working with the White House traumatic thing that happened to me growing up.” Communications Agency for a little over a month. As a member of the military staff, his job was videotaping the news from the four major networks – ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS – for President FROM DOG TRAINER TO THE Nixon. Unfortunately, at this time, most of the broadcasts centered on Watergate and the cover-up, WHITE HOUSE which the young military professional recorded and filed every week in the National Archives. “Arriving back home in San Diego from “Two days later, on August 8, I was in Appointment Secretary Steve Bull’s office repairing a monitor Germany, I got a Springer Spaniel pup I named that wasn’t working properly,” says Bill. “Mr. Bull was on the phone to friends indicating that he did not Raider and began training him. I think it helped fill know what the president was going to say that night and did not know if he would have a job the next the void of my dad not being there,” reflects Bill. day. That evening, we went on live TV with Nixon’s resignation speech to the nation. There were five As soon as the teen got his driver’s license, Bill took people in the room – the President, two TV cameramen, a White House Staff member, and me.” Raider to a large dog training kennel nearby. When the owners saw Raider’s skills and what he could do, they offered Bill a position as a staff trainer. “I ended up training dogs, mostly retrievers, all through high school and college until I was drafted into the Army in 1970.” Bill studied law enforcement in college, but learned that he couldn’t be a law enforcement officer due to his acute nearsighted vision. “I took two years of college, but never finished my degree,” he muses. “I eventually did work in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as a volunteer and did wilderness firefighting with the Forest Service for 6 years.” When Bill was drafted into the army, he was sent to Germany instead of Vietnam. “I served 2½ years as a fire control crewman in the HAWK surface-to-air missile system,” he recounts. “Then, I re-enlisted in the Army school at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to take electronic training in television equipment repair. That’s how I got involved with the White House.” The White House needed a television equipment repair person, so, they sent a team to Fort Monmouth to interview Army students taking electronics. Bill was the top student in the class. After interviewing him, they selected Bill for the White House position. EARLY FORD PRESIDENCY “A lot of White House personnel lose their jobs when a new president is elected,” notes Bill. “But the The Fords take a relaxing stroll at Camp David. military staff who directly support the President usually stay. These are the people who carry the nuclear I finished, the three of them were talking in a huddle. Bill’s first encounter with President Ford came in suitcase, set up for speeches, videotape the news, and David looked at me and said, ‘You want the job? You late October of 1974 when the President returned other things.” Since Bill was part of the White House got it.’ I hadn’t even met President Ford yet, but that’s from an Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. military staff, he did not lose his job when President how I started working with his dog.” “I took Liberty to the Rose Garden to get her used Nixon departed. “Every day, I worked with Liberty before going to the sound of the helicopter, since the First Family “The Fords moved into the White House that to my regular White House job, so it was volunteer would eventually want her to ride in it,” He points August,” acknowledges Bill.

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