Marine One treasures for Bush
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QUANTICO, Va., Oct 30 (Reuters) – Aside from the treasured memories, President George W. Bush will probably take back to Texas a souvenir or two from his years in the White House.
And as president he gets more than just T-shirts and mugs.
On Thursday, the Marines and sailors who take care of Marine One presented Bush with a little piece of the presidential helicopter to take home.
Any helicopter that carries the president is called Marine One and only a handful of senior aides get a lift in it. When Bush goes out of town, he takes the helicopter from the White House South Lawn to Andrews Air Force Base where his plane, Air Force One, is waiting.
He also flies the helicopter to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland and has flown in Marine One for aerial views of disaster areas such as in the aftermath of hurricanes. And the fleet is also used occasionally to ferry foreign leaders to Camp David as well as Vice President Dick Cheney.
On Thursday Bush visited the Marine Helicopter Squadron One Hangar to thank those who fly and service the official helicopters and received a gift — a piece of the helicopter’s tail rotor and a window.
The rectangular window was framed. “It was a window that he used to look out,” White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
Stanzel sought to allay some concerns among the press corps traveling with Bush that the presidential flight may become a touch too breezy with a missing window, telling reporters dryly that the squadron had a few extra ones for the helicopters.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Bush arrives at the White House aboard Marine One)
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So souvenir hunting season begins….
and what is next? Pardons….who’ll make the list?
Maybe he’ll take some war crime charges with him back to Paraguay. I predict the next few days will be riveting. *Grin*
At least he won’t ravage the White House like Billy Bob’s staffers did upon departing or the huge number of highly questionable pardons Billy Bob did when he left office. Even as a convict, it payed to be a big contributor to Billy Bob’s campaign war chest – it bought you a pardon!