Or more accurately: that time that Air Force One was chartered just for myself, the Captain and one member of the cabinet.
I wasn't really allowed to talk about it until President Bush left office, then I got really busy. Now, I have time and you guys know how much I love to write. Enjoy!
It was the summer of 2007 and HN Dodson had been selected for the team less than 3 months prior. It was a weekend and I was happily alone watching the movie "Annie" when my pager went off. My heart started racing then experience told me that it was more likely another call for something less awesome than meeting the President, like my last calls for Vice President Biden or the First Lady. I went ahead and called the Captain, lol yes, full bird Captain to answer the call. Captain informed me that the President required immediate care and briefed me on the issue.
I hung up the phone and went to my closet (after I finished breakdancing of course), selecting a cream colored summer suit. I tossed on some lipstick, cheek color and pumps before hopping into Madeline and drove to the hospital to prepare. Several hours later I stood at the appointed meeting place wearing a suit and humping a field dental unit. Good thing I was conditioned. After that ordeal, I joked that I could do a 6 mile hump in heels, nay, broken heels.
Capt. and I waited for Carpet (essentially, White House Limo service). Carpet grabbed us and we were on our way, having no idea where we were going or how we were to get there. I just knew I had friggin' bandaids for my poor little feetsies just in case. We drove. Eventually, I noticed that we were entering Andrews Air Force Base. Huh, I thought. Must be getting a MAC flight. We drove towards an aircraft.. Then, to my amazement I saw the words "United States Of America" Ho-ly-SHIT!
In that moment, my life flashed before my eyes. I had that moment and I wasn't dying. My life was changing forever. Omgomgomgomg, that is Air Force One, THAT is AIRFORCE ONE!!! There were 5 people in my graduating class and even then I was in the middle. How in the blue smurf did I manage to pull this off? I am the exception, the realization came crashing down on me. I can do anything, be anything, anything I choose. After that moment frozen in time nothing is daunting to me. Nothing. No person, no thing, no event. I am Annie F*cking Dodson. Yes. Air Force One was chartered to send the world's finest Dental Team and one member of the Presidential Cabinet to the "Western Whitehouse", Waco, Tx.
In wonderment, I stepped out of the sedan cautiously and ascended the historical stairs to board the famous plane. Wow. I was a passenger of Air Force One. THE Air Force One. Once aboard we were informed that we were waiting on a member of the Presidential Cabinet and were offered a tour. Air Force One is like… a condo. It is spacious and I just remember the chandeliers. The President also had a flight jacket with his name on it. Everything was surreal. There was also a long, deep mahogany table. That is where, I was told, decisions were made.
We walked through the area for the press, it resembled first class on a normal plane. Everything else was just like a luxurious... room. Arguably nicer than the White House itself. (The WH has a lot of history... the rooms essentially stay the same over the years) The last stop was the cockpit. My little backwoods country ass was comfortably perched in the cockpit, THE cockpit of of Air Force One. As the Pilot droned on about his job, I sat there staring out of the thick, convex window at the expanse of airfield around us. I felt like a queen. All of this was for this aircraft and this aircraft's mission was to get us to Texas to take care of our Commander in Chief. I was on top of the world. I was flying.
I was eventually showed to my seat, a recliner in front of a big screen T.V. This is when I met the member of the Cabinet. He absolutely insisted that I choose a movie even though the flight was ridiculously short, certainly not the length of a movie. DC to Texas, on Airforce One which apparently is extremely souped up. The Airman ended up being like 4 ranks above me but insisted on taking care of me, every detail of my flight. I sat there, completely dazed with a perfect BLT served to me with fine china.
I suddenly realized that as soon as we touched down, HN Dodson's needs were a non-issue, lol. I would be going hard setting up and perfecting every last detail. I needed to use the restroom and the nice Airman let me go to my surprise as we were descending. It was like a bathroom in the fanciest hotel I have ever been in, there were hair ties, bobby pins, makeup compacts, hair brushes and lotions. I came out of the restroom, perfectly groomed….. and we were on the ground. Um.. uh... we landed? It was so insanely fluid that I did not detect the landing at all. How insane is that!?
President Bush is no longer in office so I may now talk about his Presidential Shenenigans, that is per my SEL at the time. I am still reluctant to quote our previous President, sometimes it got pretty wild. I guess that is for another day…
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