12 years old at a LBJ rally in charleston, sc
like my Dad, was a AuH2O supporter
as an air force load master, he hauled the president's car around, so he felt constrained from saying anything himself
which is probably why he brought his wise ass kid
so, during the president's remarks, i would heckle him. repeatedly. and the audience would laugh at each comment. it was awkward laughter and i loved it
even tho he was president, we both knew i had the advantage as Johnson could not snidely respond to a kid, no matter how rude i was
within the month Dad got orders to report overseas, no longer responsible for hauling the presidential limo
always wondered if that was just a coincidence
attended a jefferson-jackson state demo banquet where John Glenn was the featured speaker
my federal co-worker knew he was my personal hero as a kid, in part responsible for majoring in aerospace engineering
and she happened to have previously been his constituency staffer back in ohio
she agreed to make introductions and to also inquire about what (low level) staff positions might be available
this was a huge deal
however, i bartended at the VFW the weekend immediately prior to the event
as a result of that experience i showed up at the J-J function with a vividly fresh black eye, courtesy of a blind-sided punch thrown by a fellow who resented the attention i was receiving from a certain woman in the club
when i met Senator Glenn he inquired about the cause of the black eye. when i asked whether he would believe it was a racquetball injury, he laughed
no surprise, a job offer was not forthcoming
that said, the thing i most regret at a political function was refusing to shake the outstretched hand of Hubert Humphrey when he visited my college while on the campaign trail. yep, i was a jerk back then, too