Some highlights from Bernie in Greenville

[Fawke Em]

18. A note about the Secret Service.

The detail assigned to Bernie are VERY NICE and outgoing. You expect them to be stiff and hard-nosed, but his agents, while obviously intense and taking detail of the surroundings were jovial and kind.

I have some medical issues that sometimes make me have to, ahem, use the restroom often and I have an 8 year old. The arena wasn't open, but one really sweet SS guy had a female SS member escort us to the bathroom before it opened. You know why? I had stopped him before and talked with him. He said he'd been in SC for two weeks setting up this visit. I thanked him with a smile for protecting our guy.

So, when it was time I needed a favor, he was very happy to help.

Later, the guy patrolling the stage (a different person) had walked by us several times and didn't look at ALL approachable. VERY SERIOUS, but one of the other young women from Knoxville (we'd met and kind of "glommed" together) had dropped her placard over the dividing fence. She politely asked him to hand it to her and his tough veneer broke. He smiled brightly and bent over to pick it up for her.

Bernie also has many female SS agents in his detail. After he told the crowd to push back, one of the women came over to my daughter (after hearing her boss's instructions, I assume) and continued to make the crowd stand back.

Overall, I got the feeling they very much liked working for Bernie. Either that, or the Secret Service has undergone "friendly" training since the last time I dealt with them as a reporter. LOL!