A Visit to the White House

Turning the pages of time back when America was innocent when I fulfilled a longtime dream of mine. A time when my only worry was what was for chow that evening. Bored seeing New York City or even New Jersey, Paul Huff and I decided to drive from where we were stationed then, McGuire AFB to Washington, DC. The city of government where carved stone buildings that reflect architectural styles neoclassical, Georgian, gothic, the White House, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the US Capitol and many other well-known structures. After an eight hour drive we reached our destination, as we drove closer to DC back in the Spring of 1956 I could see the rows of Japanese cherry blossom trees. Not surprising as two young sailors we weren’t interested in the performing arts and music but really keyed up to take in the sights and if we were very lucky spare time with any girls who might spend time with young over sexed sailors. Somehow the girls avoided us like the plague. Please remember this was time before video tapes, freeways, fast food restaurants, speedy TV dinners, or big government, big corporations, Space Needle, Space Shuttle… but when gasoline cost 0.25 cents per gallon, and you could have a decent hamburger cost less than one dollar, which included a coke and french fries… no chaos in our lives.

Finding a modest hotel room without a bathroom we checked in for the night… after a good night’s sleep we were ready to sightsee our country’s capitol. Jumping out of bed I knew it was going to be a very long day. No Internet to browse – if you’d had ask someone then they’d probably answered then, “What the hell is an Internet!” After having breakfast Paul and I went to the White House – it was then the home of President Eisenhower. Yes, as I recall now he was a bit hard headed nevertheless, his two terms were peaceful, and the country was prosperous. Why? Ike let the country run itself… Nothing like stepping into a hot frying pan! He was no dummy. As we approached the White House it was an scene to remember now, there were no fences, gates, metal detectors, no silent alarms, no guys we didn’t find guards like our now action heroes Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jackie Chan guarding the president. As set here 50 some years later I am sure the president was totally safe. Besides it was the weekend and the US government was closed for the weekend. The word infrastructure was not invented yet.