The U.S. Secret Service protected the former president and his family for nearly 50 years
When Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29 at age 100, he was the longest-living former president, and the longest-living post White House. That also made him and his family the longest protective mission of the U.S. Secret Service, which worked with the Carter family for nearly half a century.
When Carter left the White House in January, 1981, few expected him to return to his humble home in Plains, Georgia (population 552 in 2023). But he did. He used that home for the rest of his life as his humanitarian and peace-building work took him all over the world.
Following his death, the Secret Service posted its condolences online, saying, “It was an honor to protect him and his family.”
On Instagram, the Secret Service posted a reel dedicated to the former president and wrote: “Deacon (his code name), your commitment to peace and human rights touched countless lives around the globe. You dedicated your life to service and compassion, leaving a legacy of integrity and grace. Your wisdom and quiet strength will be deeply missed.”
Around the world
The former president took his Secret Service detail around the world with him. Former Special Agent in Charge Bill Bush accompanied him to 127 countries, including going through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into North Korea after the Korean War ended. He also provided security for Carter’s 1994 mission to Haiti, aimed at stopping a full-scale U.S. invasion.
Alex Parker, another former Special Agent in Charge, went with Carter to the Middle East in 2008, a mission that included meeting with leaders of Hamas. According to a CBS story, the Secret Service had been warned that threatening intelligence had surfaced and they should cancel the trip. Carter read the intelligence briefly and told Parker, “We’re still going.” On their way home, he told Parker, ‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to bring peace to Israel and trying to bring peace to the Palestinians.’” Parker traveled to 140 countries with Carter and provided security for 21 years.
At church
A deeply religious man, the “Deacon” taught Sunday School until 2023. “One Sunday in particular, the sermon was talking about making the world a better place,” Special Agent in Charge Don Witham recalled. “And [the former president] very quietly put down his head and said, ‘I’ve tried,’ to himself. And I reached forward with both my hands and put them on his shoulders, and I said, ‘And sir, you’ve succeeded.’”
“That moment was special for me, because as a 98-year-old man, he’s still questioning whether he’s done enough,” Witham continued in a report by CBS News. “Even though he’s been to Africa and eradicated diseases. He’s built homes for people that didn’t have them. He’s fed those that are in need of food. He did all of this — yet he’s still questioning at 98 years old, whether he’s done enough.”
Continuing the legacy
Another retired Secret Service agent has fond memories of his friend: Denny Schlindwein, now living in Clayton, North Carolina, who protected the president’s grandchildren during the Carter’s White House years. He subsequently also provided security detail for the former president at his Georgia home and when he traveled.
Schlindwein now spends time volunteering to build ramps for homes that need wheelchair access, continuing the philanthropic legacy of his former boss and friend. The Schlindwein home is filled with memories and mementos of the friendship he and his family shared with the Carters — letters and photographs exchanged through the years and even a wooden butcher block that the former president built with Schlindwien for Schlindwein’s wife, Sally.
“The most cherished thing in my 25 years with the Secret Service is to say that I actually had a friend that was the president,” he told a local TV station. “He would be my favorite person I ever met in my career, without a doubt.”
The former president will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol from 7 p.m. to midnight on Jan. 7, and from 7 a.m. on Jan. 8 to 7 a.m. on January 9. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 9 at Washington National Cathedral.
Originally published in the Deseret News
