>>166454, >>166455, >>166456, >>166457, >>166458
Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson - Bill Clinton & Diverting AF-1. A thread.
1) On Christmas Eve, 1997, I accompanied @BillClinton on a surprise visit to our troops deployed to Bosnia during that war. I was his Air Force Military Aide and carried the “nuclear football.” It was a closely kept secret and not even the press knew about the trip until we alerted them at the last minute, and they hauled ass to join us. Secrecy was paramount.
The itinerary was to fly the 747 from Andrews AFB to Aviano AB, IT, change to tactical C-17s with defensive systems to enter the combat zone and visit Sarajevo and Tuzla. And then return to Aviano to get back on the 747 and fly home. We’d be back on Christmas Day. That was the plan.
We flew on Marine One from the White House South Lawn to Andrews and boarded for our flight to Italy. I used to love flying on Marine One because, as an Air Force pilot, I got to talk on the radios.
We departed Andrews and started out over the Atlantic. When I was on AF-1, I never slept. I was working. I’d hang out in the cockpit, visit the USAF stewards, check on the president, and sit in my comfy chair and watch a movie. I had a secure sat phone and an unsecured phone at my elbow.
About halfway across “the pond” (Atlantic) I thought to check our arrival weather in Italy. Pilot thing. The forecast was dire. Aviano was closed. Our C-17s were already “staged” there but we can’t get in safely. I started looking at weather in and around Europe. It was all down. “Holy shit,” I thought.
I went to the cockpit to chat with the pilots. “What are you guys thinking?” Their filed alternate was Rome. Rome was also essentially closed AND they didn’t have the necessary security for the President of the United States. I said, “let me make some calls and find us a suitable alternative.”
We didn’t have a lot of time. I went to work. I called the Air Mobility Command TACC (operations) on the Sat Phone and asked for the senior controller. I explained our situation and told him we needed to divert to someplace we could get into AND have the C-17s takeoff at Aviano in 0/0 weather to meet us. I suggested Ramstein AB, Germany. I’d been there a million times and I knew it was a secure USAF base. If only the C-17s could get there!
The colonel was dumbfounded. I asked, “can I just talk to General Duncan McNabb?” Duncan was the CINC of Air Mobility Command (and also a buddy). He patched us through.
General McNabb got on the phone, I’d woken him up in the middle of the night, and I explained what was going on and what I wanted to do. He said, “goddamit Buzz, if this wasn’t you, I wouldn’t believe it!”
https://x.com/BuzzPatterson/status/1978803221088084086

California Republican Party @CAGOP - You can’t trust politicians with your money, so why trust them with your voice?
Vote NO on Prop 50!
Quote
Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh