Clark Lippert:  

I graduated from UNO in 1969, with an unusual double major, Math and Speech Dramatics. I went into the Air Force as an Airman First Class. Thank you ROTC. In basic training I started out as a Squad Leader and ended up the Dorm Chief. From Basic Training, I went to Keesler Air Force Base for tech school. Somehow, I was made a yellow rope, which was like being a platoon leader. What it really meant was that I got to march other airmen to their work duties while waiting to start training. I did however work a blood drive at Keesler. I was having a ball with all the blood donors, keeping them from passing out and such. This one guy came in and told me as he finished giving blood that he had a tendency to faint. He was probably about 6’ 5” tall and out weighted me by a good 60 pounds. I told him I’d help him, but if he passed out, I’d probably run for it. What I didn’t know, at the time, was that a Major over-heard my conversation. I found out later, from a nurse that he wanted me up on charges. The nurse told me that the nurse in charge chewed him out on the spot, telling him that because of my kidding with the donors, they had had fewer people getting sick after giving blood. I wanted computer training but got radio repair instead. I was in a fast track class, which proved to be to my advantage. I was one of 300 radio trainees invited to a meeting for a special assignment. The speaker told us that they were looking for some radio repair people to work in an agency called WHCA (White House Communications Agency). It included people from all branches of the Military. He told us a few things about the agency, one of them being that we wouldn’t be wearing uniforms. That was the big selling point for me. They took a 10 minute break and when we returned for their second round about the agency there were only about 150 of us that came back. After the second break, there were at most maybe 75 of us still interested. They told us that to actually get accepted, we would have to pass an extensive security clearance, conducted by Military Intelligence, the FBI, and the Secret Service. If we got through that much, we would have to take and pass a polygraph test. Of the 75, only 3 of us qualified for the polygraph test, but only 2 of us took the test. We both got accepted into WHCA. Somewhere between Keesler Air Force Base, Omaha, and Washington DC things changed. The President arrived at Andrews AFB, late at night. WHCA’s AV department set up some light for the Secret Service, to light Air Force One’s arrival. The Secret Service was happy and the White House Press was elated. Now the AV Department needed someone with lighting experience. I had taken a lighting class, therefore, when I arrived, I was the new lighting recruit for the agency. I was introduced to a Cleve Ryan, the network...Expand for more