Famous People Who've met me...They ask me why I do it - I say, "Love of Country."

My trip to Kosovo for six months in 2001 was quite the adventure.  It was pre 9/11 so things were pretty tame in the military operations world.  We were doing security/stabilization operations and not much was going on.  Some of

the events included helping the Kosovo people re-establish a sense of community so we tried to help them have city fairs, carnivals, etc., that they were denied for so much time thanks to the Serbs and now the Albanians (which is by the way known as the most atheistic country in the world).  One event my Chaplain section got involved in was a city fair in Ferizaj, a local city with about 20,000 people, 10,000 of which turned out for a concert led by "yours truly" (picture to the right - note the UN in between the Albanian and U.S. Flags).  In the picture to the left part of the event featured these really pretty girls who did traditional Kosovo dance.  To the left in the picture is the best musician in the world, Chaplain (MAJ) Steve Cantrell who I can't say enough good about and who plays every known instrument in the world.

It was amazing.  People were trying to crawl on the stage.  Men were climbing onto apartment rooftops across the street about 10 stories up (dangerous I say), just to hear me strum away with "Johnny Be Good" and a finale with my E4 drummer singing "California Dreamin," followed by "Amazing Grace."  Hello?   But it was all good fun and we had fun doing it. 

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld came over in May 2001 (Can't remember the month), but we were all a little like, huh? since he was really a Navy/Air Force kid of guy...the pilot 'bravado' thing.  He spoke for awhile in the big tent we had on Camp Bondsteel where we showed movies and I was not sure I'd get close to him but things transpired in such a way that I was able to jostle alongside him as he was shaking hands in the crowd.  He lost the 101st jacket fairly soon afterward. 

The big event came on 26 June 2001 when the POTUS and FLOTUS (President of the U.S. and First Lady of the U.S.) visit came about.  The planning for that on our part started almost as soon as we arrived in country.  The stuff that goes into that planning is amazing.  The First Lady came to dedicate an education center in south Camp Bondsteel and the President got a secret squirrel briefing from the General at the same time.  He would then give the traditional rousing Presidential

speech to inspire us to fight the good fight then sign the Defense authorization bill which included our raise for the next year.  The cool thing was that they were going to meet up in my chapel which happened to sit at the top of a hill on Camp Bondsteel.   They also used my chapel for their restroom break (uhhhh????) and also to catch their breath before the speech.   You know what's wierd as I sit here in Columbia, SC?  The security was almost non-existent.  We were in Muslim central.  The security they had was less than what is put upon an 80 year old trying to get through the TSA at your local airport while Islamic Terrorists slip through undetected.  

How could you get to my chapel on the hill to listen to the President?  They set up ONE metal detector at the bottom of the hill - ONE - and you had to pass through that to get to see him.   Since I had a uniform on and I told them I was the Task Force Chaplain, they let me walk around.  [I miss the good old days].   Another cool thing was that they used my chapel as the commo center so the Secret Service set up the official Presidential Phone outside my office.  I got my poor assistant Sonny Ferrell all aghast when I decided to pick it up and make a call to the commies.  See picture left.

What could be next?  One of the things that will never happen again is the kinds of people who were on the plane.  The President, his wife, his Chief of Staff Andy Card, AND his secretary of State, Condaleeza Rice, who happened to give me a 'squeeze' when I had a picture taken with her - notice the position of her right hand and my left arm.  Those two Colonels were so jealous of me afterward (COL A.J. Tata on left, now a famous writer and General and on the right COL Albert Brooks, now also a General and who served as the Pentagon spokesman during the Iraqi Invasion).    Anyway, those types of important people can never travel on the same plane again thanks to the cowardly terroristic homicide murderers.                   

The Public Affairs people were giving me all kinds of grief on how to act when the President and First Lady come into the Chapel.  Being me, and with a slightly elevated case of ADHD that day, I saw her coming up the back sidewalk and came out to give her a big hug which she returned.  I was able to actually sit down with Mrs. Bush for a few minutes before I introduced her to the Chaplains and assistants from the Task Force Unit Ministry Teams.   The picture of me at left is when I was escorting her in the chapel.  The best musician in the world Chaplain Steve Cantrell took the picture.  You don't meet many people of her calibre.  She gave me a huge hug when she left the chapel and of course her advance people had filled her in that I was a Methodist as she is.  There are classy ladies and there's Mrs. Bush who define it. 

My President came in next and I could tell right off he was a John Wayne kind of a man who was in control and who said my name as he walked over and shook my hand.   I thank God to this day he was President on 11 September 2001.  I can't imagine how Gore would have handled all that when there was no money to be made selling phony carbon offsets and the vast inexperience he garnered watching the indecision in Kosovo by his former boss. 

So how do I address the President?  I reach back and pound out a very provocative, "How's it going Sir?" 

I'm thinking to myself, "great move dip :(   And how does he respond? "Great Chaplain, how's things going with you?" then he gives me a big pat on the back.  Not alot of time to talk at that time since his people were all over and everyone who had been promised a picture with him were there.  I did get one final chance to say, "Take it easy Mr. President," to which he responded, "You too Chappie."  I pat him on the back as he's leaving to head out the front door. 

I'm always asked why do all this?  Of course it's cool meeting the President and all but when you consider the time away from home, an unknown amount of danger around you all day...They ask me why?  I say, Love of Country."

Here's a picture of the gravestone of George Rifenbary in the Newton Cemetery.  He's the father of Zida (Rifenbary) Kircher and the mother of Leon, Sr., my father.  Very little is kow about the Rifenbary Family but I have some new contacts so hopefully will learn more.