National Youth Leadership Forum

Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy

That's just a little bit about the Secret Service. If you want to learn more, go to the White House page and search for "Secret Service." You can also go to the official Secret Service page.

My trip was really cool. I spent the weekend with my mom at Fort Belvoir. I did ALL of my homework over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Tuesday, the group, all 350 of us, checked into our hotel. We had a few briefings that evening. On Wednesday, we went to Capitol Hill. I spent 2 hours looking around the Capitol, sat in on a Senate session, and then went to the Pentagon. The Pentagon was very cool, but I had been there before. It's basically a big office building.

Thursday, we split up to go to different places around the surrounding areas of DC. I went with a group to Quantico, Virginia. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's where the Marines go through Officer Candidate School, (OCS) and the Basic School, (TBS). There is also an indoor shooting range that uses the MILES gear. They are real guns stripped of their insides, filled with CO2 equipment, and hooked up to a computer. Then you get to shoot at a screen. We were shooting M16s and 9mm Berettas for almost 2 hours.

That evening, I attended a seminar held by a former US Secret Service special agent. He was really cool, and told us all about protecting "important people." I'm sorry, but I can't put any more on the Internet. You will have to meet me in person to find out more.

Friday brought a special surprise. The entire group went to Langley, Virginia, home of the Central Intelligence Agency. We first went to their auditorium to be briefed yet again. Except this time, it was by the Director of Central Intelligence, John E. McLaughlin. He told us as much as he could, without breaking any laws. Then we were briefed by the Director of the National Security Council. After that, one person from each directorate, Intelligence, Operations, Space and Technology, and Admissions, briefed us on what each of their divisions "actually" do, (yeah right).

Saturday was spent on the Mall. I went to the Natural History museum and Air and Space. They were both awesome! That night, we looked at all of the monuments and memorials around the Washington DC area. And the on Sunday, we went home. Yea!

Actually, my parents picked me up at the hotel. Then we went back to the Mall, specifically to the Natural History museum to see the Hope Diamond, the largest diamond in the world, and to go and look at the dinosaurs. That never gets old.

Anyway, I had a great time. As soon as my pictures get developed, I will put some up on here. Please come back often to see the updates. Oh yeah, here is some info on the US Secret Service. I hope you enjoy it.

When the United States Secret Service (USSS) was established, its main duty was to prevent the illegal production, or counterfeiting, of money. In the 1800s, America's monetary system was very disorganized. Bills and coins were issued by each state through individual banks, which generated many types of legal currency. With so many different kinds of bills in circulation, it was easy for people to counterfeit money. During President Lincoln's Administration, more than a third of the nation's money was counterfeit. On the advice of Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch, President Lincoln established a commission to stop this rapidly growing problem that was destroying the nation's economy, and on April 14, 1865, he created the United States Secret Service to carry out the commission's recommendations.

The Secret Service officially went to work on July 5, 1865. Its first chief was William Wood. Chief Wood, widely known for his heroism during the Civil War, was very successful in his first year, closing more than 200 counterfeiting plants. This success helped prove the value of the Secret Service, and in 1866 the National Headquarters was established in the Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C.

During the evening of the same day President Lincoln established the Secret Service, he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. The country mourned as news spread that the President had been shot. It was the first time in our nation's history that a President had been assassinated. As cries from citizens rang out, Congress began to think about adding Presidential protection to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service. However, it would take another 36 years and the assassination of two more Presidents -- James A. Garfield (March 4, 1881-September 10, 1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901) -- before the Congress added protection of the President to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

Since 1901, every President from Theodore Roosevelt on has been protected by the Secret Service. In 1917, threats against the President became a felony (a serious crime in the eyes of the law), and Secret Service protection was broadened to include all members of the First Family. In 1951, protection of the Vice President and the President-elect was added. After the assassination of Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) authorized the Secret Service to protect all Presidential candidates.

Today's Secret Service is made up of two primary divisions -- the Uniformed Division and the Special Agent Division. The primary role of the Uniformed Division is protection of the White House and its immediate surroundings, as well as the residence of the Vice President, and over 170 foreign embassies located in Washington, D.C. Originally named the White House Police, the Uniformed Division was established by an Act of Congress on July 1, 1922, during President Warren G. Harding's Administration (1921-1923).

The Special Agent Division is charged with two missions: protection and investigation. During the course of their careers, special agents carry out assignments in both of these areas. Their many investigative responsibilities include counterfeiting, forgery, and financial crimes. In addition to protecting the President, the Vice President, and their immediate families, agents also provide protection for foreign heads of state and heads of government visiting the United States.

 

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