President Obama Departs MCAS Miramar

by Tommy Hough

A memorable day at MCAS Miramar on Monday, October 12, as a handful of area Democrats, off-duty Marines and yours truly got to shake President Obama's hand and get an up-close look at the Commander-In-Chief and Air Force One before the president departed San Diego at the end of a west coast visit to return to the rigors of Washington, D.C.

This was certainly my closest encounter with a sitting president. In 1992 I was able to shake candidate Bill Clinton's hand and exchange a few quick pleasantries when the-then governor of Arkansas made a stop in Columbus, Ohio, in the midst of his post-primary bus tour of the U.S.

At that same stop in Columbus I also shook then-Senator Al Gore's hand, as well as First Lady-to-be Hillary Clinton – now a presidential candidate herself, as well as a former senator and Secretary of State. Later in 1992 I also saw President George H.W. Bush's  motorcade from just feet away when the president made an 11th-hour visit to Ohio in the days before Election Day.

Special thanks to Congressman Scott Peters' district office for the invitation to MCAS Miramar, and thanks to Michael Johnson from the Veterans Democratic Club of San Diego for snapping the picture of me in front of Air Force One – enjoy the photos!

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