Occupation | |
---|---|
Occupation type | Military |
Activity sectors | Public sector |
Description | |
Competencies | Military commission, Single marital status, Impeccable appearance |
Related jobs | Protocol (diplomacy) |
A White House social aide is a United States Armed Forces officer assigned to attend to the personal needs of visiting dignitaries at the White House and to facilitate interactions with the President of the United States and the First Lady of the United States. White House social aides were first appointed in 1902; as of 2014, there were 45 such officers.
The first White House social aides were appointed in 1902 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. [1] Until 1969 only men were permitted to serve as social aides; in that year, Richard Nixon approved the appointment of female social aides. [2] As of 2014, there were 45 social aides. [2] Social aides have been drawn from the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, and the National Guard of the United States. [2] [3]
White House social aides report to a coordinator in the office of the White House Social Secretary. [2] Their duties include managing "guests who attend social functions at the White House, [facilitating] interactions with the president and first lady and [escorting] dignitaries". [4] In the past, this has included entertaining single guests, such as providing dance companions; initiating small talk with lonely guests during teas; directing the flow of traffic at receiving lines; and greeting visitors. [5] [2]
When visitors are received by the President of the United States, three social aides are assigned to coordinate the interaction: the "whispering aide" who whispers the visitor's name to the president, the "introducing aide" who presents the visitor to the president, and the "pulling off aide" who encourages the visitor to step away once the president signals the interaction has concluded. [5]
Social aides are also expected to identify and resolve social miscues; during one visit by King Hussein of Jordan to the White House during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, a reporter attempted to cut in on the king to ask him questions during social dancing. According to The New York Times , a social aide "came to the rescue by cutting in and deftly waltzing the young woman off the dance floor". [5]
White House social aides must be commissioned officers with a rank no higher than major (or lieutenant commander in the Navy or Coast Guard), be assigned to Washington, D.C., and have "impeccable appearance". [2] [6]
According to a statement provided to The New York Times, the past restriction on married social aides was due to the significant evening demands placed on aides that might interfere with their marital relationship. [5] However, Stephen Bauer – who served as a social aide – has written that the prohibition on wedded aides is to prevent a scandal developing in the event a social aide is invited into a romantic relationship with a guest. [7] This is no longer a requirement as of early 2021.
Because social aides have direct access to the President of the United States, prospective aides must successfully pass a Yankee White review demonstrating their "unquestionable loyalty to the United States". [3] [8]
The Society of White House Military Aides grew from an idea of camaraderie and friendship shared through their unique experiences while serving their nation’s presidents. It is their purpose to continue to renew those friendships through the society and preserve the history and honor of their service. Their members represent military aides from twelve administrations, comprising both current and past White House social and presidential aides from the Roosevelt Administration to that of George W. Bush, and five branches of the service: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard. Honorary members include social secretaries to the President and those members of the White House Military Office who worked directly with military aides.
Since its founding in 1991 by Chairman Kenn Riordan, Jr. (Reagan), the society has grown from fifty aides to over 600 aides and has been incorporated with legal counsel. The two most senior members served as aides to President Roosevelt; another, White House Curator, Mr. Rex Scouten, served ten presidents. Included in their ranks are two presidents of the American Red Cross; members of the Council of Foreign Relations; a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; a CINCPAC; two women who retired as the highest ranking in their services; a U.S. Senator; the founder of C-SPAN; a founding partner of the Carlyle Group; three university presidents; and a CEO of PepsiCo. All were White House social or presidential aides, and members. [12]
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States.
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Charles Spittal Robb is an American former U.S. Marine Corps officer and politician who served as the 64th governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and a United States senator representing Virginia from 1989 until 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Robb sought a third term in the U.S. Senate in 2000, but was defeated by Republican George Allen, another former governor.
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Lynda Bird Johnson Robb is the elder daughter of the 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. She served as chairwoman of the Board of Reading is Fundamental, the nation's largest children's literacy organization, as well as chairwoman of the President's Advisory Committee for Women. She is a magazine editor who served as First Lady of Virginia from 1982 to 1986, and as Second Lady of Virginia from 1978 to 1982. She is the oldest living child of a U.S. president, following the death of John Eisenhower on December 21, 2013.
The White House Communications Agency (WHCA), originally known as the White House Signal Corps (WHSC) and then the White House Signal Detachment (WHSD), was officially formed by the United States Department of War on March 25, 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The organization was created to provide secure normal, secret, and emergency communications requirements in support of the president. The organization provided mobile radio, Teletype, telegraph, telephone and cryptographic aides in the White House and at "Shangri-La". The organizational mission was to provide a premier communication system that would enable the president to lead the nation effectively.
The White House Military Office (WHMO) is a department within the White House Office that provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation, medical support, emergency medical services and hospitality services. The White House Military Office is headed by the White House Military Office Director.
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941. The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions so as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign.
Marcelite J. Harris was an American who became the first African-American female general officer of the United States Air Force.
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