He carried the “nuclear football,” the briefcase containing all the data needed for the United States to launch a nuclear attack.
He tracked the location of Osama bin Laden on a satellite phone.
And for two years, retired Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson followed President Bill Clinton across the globe as his senior military aide.
Once, as Patterson told a crowd of students Tuesday in Dey Hall, he even walked in on the president and Monica Lewinsky.
But it wasn’t until 1996 that Patterson said he became political. When the administration’s job offer first arrived, he thought it was a prank.
“I didn’t start out to be a conservative pundit,” Patterson said.
After serving 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, including several tours of duty as a combat pilot, Patterson got a call from the White House inviting him to serve as Clinton’s senior military aide.
He accepted and moved to Washington, D.C., two weeks later.
Patterson said he voted for Ronald Reagan but didn’t vote again until he cast a ballot for George W. Bush in 2000. He said his political views developed during his time in the White House.