CARLEY OVER TO YOU.
CARLEY: HOURS FROM NOW THE
NATION WILL BEGIN FINAL
FAREWELLS TO THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, TRIBUTES FROM ACROSS
THE COUNTRY INCLUDING ONE MAN'S
WHOSE JOB WAS TO PROTECT VICE
PRESIDENT DURING CAMPAIGN IN
FLORIDA MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO,
TWO-TIME SENATE CANDIDATE JOINS
US NOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US THIS MORNING.
I HEAR YOU HAVE A PRETTY AMUSING
STORY ABOUT A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER
YOU HAD WITH THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT
HAPPENED?
>> GOOD MORNING, CARLEY, WELL,
AS YOU SAID, ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO
I WAS ON A PROTECTION DETAIL, I
WAS IN AIR FORCE EOD, DISPOSAL
AT THE TIME AND WE WERE ASSIGNED
TO SECRET SERVICE ON THE DETAIL
TO PROTECT THE VICE PRESIDENT AT
AN EVENT IN FLORIDA AND I WAS IN
THE LEAD CAR CLEARING MOTORCADE
ROUTE ON AN INTERSTATE AND MY
JOB WAS TO MAKE SURE THE
OVERPASSES WERE CLEAR, THERE
WEREN'T ABANDONED VEHICLE THAT
COULD BE DANGEROUS AND THOSE
KINDS OF THINGS AND WE SAW A
LARGE TRUCK WITH THE WORD
DYNAMITE ON THE SIDE OF THE
TRAILER ON OVERPASS SO I HAD TO
GET OUT THE POLICE CAR I WAS
RIDING IN AND MAKE MY WAY UP
THERE BUT AS I WAS MAKING MY WAY
UP TO TRY TO CLIMB UP THE HILL
TO OVERPASS I STEPPED DOWN ON
THE GRASS AND ENDED UP WATER
OVER MY HEAD.
[LAUGHTER]
>> IN SUIT AND TIE, SO I
PROMPTLY GOT OUT OF THE WATER,
WENT UP AND CLEARED THE VEHICLE,
GOT BACK IN THE VEHICLE AND WENT
AHEAD TO VENUE IN FRONT OF THE
VICE PRESIDENT'S MOTORCADE AND
HOPPED OUT OF CAR BECAUSE PART
OF MY JOB WAS TO CLEAR THE VENUE
ALSO AND THERE WAS A MAN WAITING
FOR ME THERE, HIS NAME WAS
GEORGE W. BUSH, HE LOOKED AT ME
AND MUCH YOUNGER VERSION OF
HIMSELF AS I WAS THEN TOO AND HE
LOOKED AT ME AND GRIN THE GRIN,
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, I TOLD HIM
THE STORY, WE CHUCKLED A LITTLE
BIT, HE PATTED ME ON THE BACK
AND I WENT ON MY WAY, EVENTUALLY
I DID SEE THE VICE PRESIDENT IN
THE VENUE AND HE GAVE ME A LOOK
AND A GRIN AND POINTED AT ME AND
THAT WAS -- HE WAS A GREAT
COMMANDER IN CHIEF WHEN HE DID
BECOME PRESIDENT.
I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT.
CARLEY: YEAH, NOTHING LIKE
LOOKING NOT YOUR BEST.
SORRY FOR THAT HAPPENING TO YOU.
NOW YOU SAY THAT BUSH 41, FORMER
PRESIDENT IS THE MOST
EXCEPTIONAL COMMANDER IN CHIEF
OF THE MILITARY YOU'VE EVER
SERVED UNDER, WHY?
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
HE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT I SERVED
UNDER THAT HAD COMBAT EXPERIENCE
WHICH I LATER GOT UNDER HIS
COMMAND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM
AND HE MADE THE DECISIONS THE
RIGHT WAY, HE TOLD HIS GENERALS
WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, THEY
CAME UP WITH A PLAN, THEY
APPROVED THE PLAN AND THEY WENT
OUT AND EXECUTED THE PLAN AND HE
MADE STRATEGIC DECISIONS TO END
THE CONFLICT WHEN IT WAS THE
APPROPRIATE TIME, BUILT
EXTREMELY GOOD COALITION THAT
WAS MADE UP ALL KINDS OF
COUNTRIES YOU WOULDN'T THINK OF
TODAY THAT FOUGHT THAT WAR IN
FIRST GULF WAR AND MADE RIGHT
DECISIONS AFTER THE WAR AND THE
MAN WHEN THE WALL CAME DOWN AND
THE SOVIET UNION FELL AND THE
COLD WAR ENDED, COMMANDER IN
CHIEF BUSH COULD HAVE MADE
HUNDREDS OF MISTAKES WITH THE
MOVEMENTS OF FORCES AND U.S.
FORCES IN EUROPE AND THOSE KINDS
OF THINGS BUT THEY WERE ALL DONE
ALMOST IN A FLAWLESS MANNER AND,
YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS LATER A
COMMANDER UNDER THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF THAT WAS BUSH 43I HAD
ALREADY KNEW THAT HE WOULD BE
GOOD COMMANDER IN CHIEF BUT HE
JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE COMBAT
EXPERIENCE, YOU COULD TELL THAT
WAS THERE BUT BUSH 41 REALLY
JUST DID IT RIGHT.
CARLEY: WITH THAT IN MIND, DO
YOU THINK HE'S BEEN GIVEN ENOUGH
CREDIT FOR ALL THAT HE
ACCOMPLISHED DURING HIS 4 YEARS
IN OFFICE?
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY NOT BUT YOU
KNOW WHAT, KNOWING HIM THE WAY
THAT WE KNOW HIM TODAY I THINK
HE JUST LOOKED AT THAT AND SAID,
WELL, IT IS WHAT IT IS, MY JOB
WAS TO SERVE AND HE HUMBLY MOVED
ON AND CONTINUED TO SERVE HIS
ENTIRE LIFE AND SERVING US
TODAY.
CARLEY: WHAT A HUMBLE MAN, THE
BUSH PRESIDENTS ON THE SCREEN,
ONE OF THE FINAL CONVERSATIONS
WAS WITH HIS SON, SHARED I LOVE
YOU MESSAGE, NOW IN A BETTER