In 2007, President Georeg W. Bush presented Tuskegee Airman and Bro. Earl Middleton the Congressional Gold Medal. Bro. Middleton pledged Sigma at Claflin University.
Aboard Air Force One
By WENDY JEFFCOAT CRIDER, Time & Democrat Features Editor Monday, August 13, 2007Few people have had the same opportunities as Earl Middleton.
The founder and owner of Coldwell Banker Middleton and Associates has seen and done much in his 88 years — flown fighters as part of the elite Tuskegee Airmen, owned a successful business and, most recently, met the President of the United States and toured Air Force One.
“They let me walk right into it (Air Force One),” said Middleton, wearing a broad smile. “They did all but say, ‘Make yourselves at home.'”
Middleton didn’t have to travel very far from his Orangeburg home for the experience of a lifetime, as he was invited to Charleston Air Force Base on July 24 to meet President George W. Bush and be presented a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen.
Trained in Tuskegee, Ala., the Airmen were the first group of black fighter pilots allowed into the U.S. Army Air Corps. Upon graduating from Claflin University in 1942, Middleton trained as a Tuskegee airman cadet and served with the U.S. Army Air Corps until 1946.
While many of the Airmen received replicas during a special White House ceremony in March, Middleton was unable to make the trip. The original Congressional Gold Medal presented to the group is housed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
“Senator Lindsey Graham’s office found out that Earl didn’t receive his, so when Senator Graham invited President Bush to the Air Base to speak, they got in touch with us to bring Earl down for the president to present the medal to him,” said Middleton’s long-time friend and business partner, Joy Barnes, who made the trip with Middleton and his son, Kenneth.
Barnes said planning was meticulous for the trip. For example, the Middleton party had to arrive at the base by a specified time or they would not be allowed to enter, she said.
“The security around the president is very interesting,” Barnes said, adding that snipers were placed at both ends of the tarmac as Bush exited and entered Air Force One. “I know they try to keep it out of sight, but it’s there. They try to be as unobtrusive as possible.”
The group arrived in time to see the president’s plane land at Charleston Air Force Base and Bush exit. While he was speaking with troops, Barnes said she and the Middletons were given a grand tour of one of the two specially configured Boeing 747s by Bush’s personal stewardess, Wanda.
Following a long climb up the plane’s steep steps, the tour began in the president’s sleeping quarters, located at the front of Air Force One. The quarters include a personal bathroom and shower as well as an office for the president to conduct small meetings, Barnes said. She said outside the sleeping quarters — in which everything, including sheets and blankets, is imprinted with the Great Seal of the United States — are dual seats for Secret Service agents, who monitor the suite.
Beyond the Secret Service are four chairs comprising the senior staff quarters. Barnes said up to two doctors and a nurse are on board Air Force One at all times, and equipment is available to handle any medical emergency that may arise.
A bigger conference room exists just past those quarters, able to accommodate at least 20 people, she said, followed by seating for military and other aides and the press.
“When you get on Air Force One, you’re assigned a seat,” Barnes said. “You must stay there unless invited elsewhere. As you go from the front of the plane to the back, there’s a protocol to the placement,” which is easily recognizable by changes in carpet color and seat quality.
Air Force One is outfitted for more than 70 people, according to WhiteHouse.gov. Barnes said it is equipped with a “cadre of communication operations,” including capabilities for secure and non-secure voice, fax and data communications, as well as photocopying, printing and word processing.
“The whole scope of Air Force One, in my assessment, is majestic,” she said. “I wouldn’t say the interior is luxurious, but because of the symbols it carries and the power it projects, it’s awe-inspiring.”
The highlight of Earl Middleton’s time on one of the world’s most important planes, however, was not seeing the presidential quarters or meeting the dozens of people who requested a photograph with him.
To Middleton, that honor went to touring the cockpit and sitting in Air Force One’s main, left-hand pilot’s seat.
“It had me all shook up, I’ll tell you that,” the beaming Middleton said. “I haven’t done that since I was in the service.
“I don’t think I’ll ever do anything as big as that again.”
As Middleton enjoyed his view from the pilot’s seat, the “real” Air Force One pilot, Col. Mark Tillman, took a seat at Middleton’s right hand and entertained questions from the guests.
Tillman told them some interesting facts about Air Force One, such as how the plane is capable of landing in zero visibility because of its computer system, Barnes said, stressing how important it is to be able to land in any weather to ensure Bush stays on-schedule.
“We were so thrilled to be there,” Barnes said. “The major taking us around on base, they wouldn’t even let him go on with us.”
Following the tour, the trio exited the plane to wait for President Bush and the medal presentation.
“The president arrived in his motorcade and came right over to us. He was just oozing with energy,” Barnes said. “He’s very upbeat, very focused. He knew our names and everything.
“We spoke a few words with him, and then he made a very appropriate one- to two-minute presentation before giving Earl the medal. Then he got on the plane, waved, and they were taxiing out.”
Both Barnes and Middleton were impressed with the United States’ Commander-in-Chief.
“His focus, his energy, is just remarkable,” said Barnes, who has had the opportunity to meet former presidents Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. “The man just doesn’t blink.”
Middleton said Bush seemed just like your average Joe.
“He didn’t act like he was president,” he said. “He was very personable.”
Perhaps he was excited about the February 2008 release of his book, “Knowing Who I Am: A Black Entrepreneur’s Struggle and Success in the American South,” or knowing First Lady Laura Bush shares the same background as his late wife, Bernice, as a librarian, but Barnes said Middleton couldn’t resist the urge to pass along a special note to President Bush.
“Earl gave him a copy of his book release and said, “Take this to the madam,'” Barnes said. “The President put it in his pocket.”
All-in-all, July 24, 2007, will be a day they are not likely to forget.
“It was exciting,” Barnes said. “We were really thrilled that Senator Graham’s office was able to, in addition to having the president present Earl with the medal, get us a tour on Air Force One. There’s a certain excitement of just being in that atmosphere.
“They treated us like VIPs — they treated us like royalty at the Air Base.”
Middleton, who has never met a U.S. president, said it was something he will never forget.
“It was so different,” he said. “It was excellent. Everyone was just very hospitable and cordial.”