ghuinness
11-02-2004, 18:41
The President's Visit to the Space Coast
This was written by John Henderson of Rockledge, FL
and read on the air Tuesday, Nov. 2, Election Day.
On Saturday, President Bush was making a stop at the Space Coast Stadium just 2-3 miles down the road from our house. A couple of my friends arranged for tickets, and my wife, Sarah, got off work to go.
We arrived at the field, and our party was escorted into an empty area just in front of, and to one side of, the podium from which the president would speak. We were thrilled, as we were in a position where we expected the president to come around shaking hands. (My friends and I had gone to Daytona the Saturday before, and just missed out getting to shake the President's hand.)
It was already an exciting day. Marine One was an IMPRESSIVE sight landing in the outfield. (We were at about 2nd base). Buzz Aldrin spoke before the president. We almost saw an F-16 shoot down a wayward Piper Cub - we find out later that the 73-year-old pilot was commanded to turn away from the stadium, and turned toward the stadium instead.
The president was finishing his speech, and Sarah tells me, "I need some water. I'm blacking out." We had spent four hours standing in the sun, and despite her regularly drinking the water that was passed out throughout the event, the sun took its toll. Sarah was wedged into a narrow angle where two fences meet, and the place was packed. Now that the president was leaving the stage, the people handing out the water were gone. I felt kind of useless as a husband. There was NO ROOM to sit her down. There was no water. I was just hoping the president would get by, and crowd would begin to move, and I could do something.
The president came around shaking hands, moving toward our position. He shook my hand and those of people around, when I see his head suddenly turn in Sarah's direction. The President of the United States of America immediately recognized that Sarah was not well. He stopped all he was doing to focus his attention on her. He steadied her with both hands, and asked, "Are you OK?" At this point, she can't see. She can still hear, but thinks it's me talking to her. She said, "No." The President asked her, "Do you want me to get you some water?" She said, "Yes." Immediately the president spun around and yelled to his staff, "Get this lady some water now!"
In a few seconds, the secret service and his staff had several cups of water and ice pack in our hands. Someone is on the radio calling for medical attention. In a few seconds, eight or nine Brevard County Fire and Rescue people come running around the front of the crowd. They pull Sarah over the rail and lay her on the dirt in front of the stage. She's completely out at this time. Four of them pick her up by her arms and legs and run her through the crowd to the clubhouse. She momentarily regains enough consciousness to see people flying by. She said, "I thought, 'whatever.'" and passed back out.
I'm still stuck there. I can't get out through the crowd. I dare not jump over the fence to the area guarded by the secret service. A minute later, Jeb Bush, the Governor of the Great State of Florida, came over to where I was and asked, "Who was with that young lady?" I said, "I am. That's my wife." He said with urgency, "We need to get you out of here."
He grabs a secret service guy and waves down a medic. The secret service guy invited me over the fence, and the BCFR medic guides me quickly to the clubhouse. Sarah had some water and regained consciousness. They checked her blood pressure and glucose levels. She was headachy and hungry, but after a while, felt like going home.
She was just disappointed that she didn't get to shake the president's hand, and we had to tell her that she got more attention of the president that anyone there, but she didn't realize it. As I was standing there when the president was trying to take care of Sarah, I had a huge lump in my throat. Here's the President of the United States of America, very busy in the last days of the campaign, and thousands of people want his attention, but for a few moments, he blocked out everything he was doing because he saw someone who was hurting and in need and gave his full attention to that situation.
Others might use such a situation as a photo opportunity, but everyone around can tell that this man genuinely cared. He proved to me to be everything that I thought he was - a genuine man of integrity who really cares. I believe the same about his brother, Jeb, who, after the hand-shaking was done, could have left the field and began relaxing after a busy day, but came back to help out the husband of the woman who was taken away by the medics.
I think George and Barbara should be proud of the boys they raised!
This was written by John Henderson of Rockledge, FL
and read on the air Tuesday, Nov. 2, Election Day.
On Saturday, President Bush was making a stop at the Space Coast Stadium just 2-3 miles down the road from our house. A couple of my friends arranged for tickets, and my wife, Sarah, got off work to go.
We arrived at the field, and our party was escorted into an empty area just in front of, and to one side of, the podium from which the president would speak. We were thrilled, as we were in a position where we expected the president to come around shaking hands. (My friends and I had gone to Daytona the Saturday before, and just missed out getting to shake the President's hand.)
It was already an exciting day. Marine One was an IMPRESSIVE sight landing in the outfield. (We were at about 2nd base). Buzz Aldrin spoke before the president. We almost saw an F-16 shoot down a wayward Piper Cub - we find out later that the 73-year-old pilot was commanded to turn away from the stadium, and turned toward the stadium instead.
The president was finishing his speech, and Sarah tells me, "I need some water. I'm blacking out." We had spent four hours standing in the sun, and despite her regularly drinking the water that was passed out throughout the event, the sun took its toll. Sarah was wedged into a narrow angle where two fences meet, and the place was packed. Now that the president was leaving the stage, the people handing out the water were gone. I felt kind of useless as a husband. There was NO ROOM to sit her down. There was no water. I was just hoping the president would get by, and crowd would begin to move, and I could do something.
The president came around shaking hands, moving toward our position. He shook my hand and those of people around, when I see his head suddenly turn in Sarah's direction. The President of the United States of America immediately recognized that Sarah was not well. He stopped all he was doing to focus his attention on her. He steadied her with both hands, and asked, "Are you OK?" At this point, she can't see. She can still hear, but thinks it's me talking to her. She said, "No." The President asked her, "Do you want me to get you some water?" She said, "Yes." Immediately the president spun around and yelled to his staff, "Get this lady some water now!"
In a few seconds, the secret service and his staff had several cups of water and ice pack in our hands. Someone is on the radio calling for medical attention. In a few seconds, eight or nine Brevard County Fire and Rescue people come running around the front of the crowd. They pull Sarah over the rail and lay her on the dirt in front of the stage. She's completely out at this time. Four of them pick her up by her arms and legs and run her through the crowd to the clubhouse. She momentarily regains enough consciousness to see people flying by. She said, "I thought, 'whatever.'" and passed back out.
I'm still stuck there. I can't get out through the crowd. I dare not jump over the fence to the area guarded by the secret service. A minute later, Jeb Bush, the Governor of the Great State of Florida, came over to where I was and asked, "Who was with that young lady?" I said, "I am. That's my wife." He said with urgency, "We need to get you out of here."
He grabs a secret service guy and waves down a medic. The secret service guy invited me over the fence, and the BCFR medic guides me quickly to the clubhouse. Sarah had some water and regained consciousness. They checked her blood pressure and glucose levels. She was headachy and hungry, but after a while, felt like going home.
She was just disappointed that she didn't get to shake the president's hand, and we had to tell her that she got more attention of the president that anyone there, but she didn't realize it. As I was standing there when the president was trying to take care of Sarah, I had a huge lump in my throat. Here's the President of the United States of America, very busy in the last days of the campaign, and thousands of people want his attention, but for a few moments, he blocked out everything he was doing because he saw someone who was hurting and in need and gave his full attention to that situation.
Others might use such a situation as a photo opportunity, but everyone around can tell that this man genuinely cared. He proved to me to be everything that I thought he was - a genuine man of integrity who really cares. I believe the same about his brother, Jeb, who, after the hand-shaking was done, could have left the field and began relaxing after a busy day, but came back to help out the husband of the woman who was taken away by the medics.
I think George and Barbara should be proud of the boys they raised!