While watching coverage of President Jimmy Carter’s remembrances, retired Secret Service agent Jack Gillen sees familiar faces.
“Watching his family and I wouldn’t have recognized them because we’ve all gotten 40-45 years older,” he said. “Thinking back to interactions that I had with them and thinking back to the little times of personal interaction that I had with President Carter and candidate-Carter.”
Gillen said law enforcement came easy to him since his father was an NYPD detective.
He served as a Secret Service agent from 1975 – 1982 and retired from the Lakeland Police Department in 2010.
President Carter’s daughter, Amy, was nine years old when Gillen protected her at school.
“Saturday Night Live used to do skits about us – the big agents sitting in the back classroom with all the little kids, all the 9 year olds,” said Gillen.
In the space he says Secret Service agents call the “I love me room”, Gillen has a signed picture of Amy Carter and a few from her father, the 39th president.
“To Jack Gillen, US Secret Service, best wishes, Jimmy Carter,” reads Gillen from one of the signed photos.
Gillen has a certificate from his detail at the famous “Camp David Summit,” when President Carter met with the leaders of Egypt and Israel.
“Being at an event like that was very historic,” said Gillen.
Gillen said it was stressful working for the Service Service, a 24/7 zero fail mission.
“There was always the threat of kidnapping. That’s why you could not let a foreign government kidnap a family member of the United States president,” said Gillen. “A lot of times the Secret Service makes it look easy but it’s not easy. It’s extremely stressful.”
Gillen remembers back to when he was on Carter’s detail before his election, when he was still a presidential candidate.
“I was standing in front of his room, standing post as we say and he opened the door and he said, ‘Agent, come on in. I have something for you guys.’ And he had two big fruit trays,” said Gillen.
Gillen said what he remembers most is Carter’s faith.
Sundays were often spent at First Baptist Church, where Gillen would listen closely to Carter’s Sunday school lectures.
“I don’t think he ever changed from governor of Georgia to former president of the United States,” said Gillen. “Looking back on President Carter’s life and the things he accomplished after his presidency, they’re pretty amazing.”
While he cannot attend, Gillen said the Carter family invited all agents who served on Carter’s detail throughout the years to his funeral Thursday.