Butler County Veteran of the Year James McMullen said his time in uniform started far differently than he had anticipated.

When McMullen finally received his orders after completing basic training, he was not sent overseas as he had hoped for. Instead, McMullen learned he had been assigned to HMX-1 or Marine Helicopter Squadron One in Quantico, Va., as an electrical system technician.

“I didn’t know Quantico, Virginia. I didn’t know what it was all about or that they even had an air station. I’m going to helicopters, that’s all I know,” McMullen said.

McMullen was told before he could report to the air station, he’d have to receive his security clearances, something he said he didn’t fully understand at the time.

A week later, McMullen traveled home to attend his sister’s wedding. When asked about his duty assignment, McMullen could only offer a vague answer, mentioning he was headed to Quantico and assigned to HMX-1.

“A guy two tables down overheard me and came right over. He was enlisted in the Navy and knew all about HMX and Marine One, which I’d never heard the term Marine One up to that point,” McMullen said.

Originally established in 1947 to test and evaluate military helicopters, HMX-1 later expanded to include presidential transportation and support.

At any given time, McMullen was responsible for five different aircraft, ensuring the electrical systems on board were in working order if the squadron was called to action.

“The Sikorsky, they have hydraulic power to fire up the jet engines, but you need electrical power to get the hydraulic power started,” McMullen said. “So, whenever that helicopter shuts down and if it's on a trip with the president, a hydraulic technician and an electrical technician are a part of the support crew.”

For added security, McMullen and the rest of the support crew were never dressed in their Marine Corps uniforms. Instead, they would wear charcoal gray suits with a white shirt and diagonally stripped tie. McMullen says the Secret Service wanted to ensure the crew blended into the background.

“We were not on the center stage. We’d be over under the trees just hoping the helicopter starts,” McMullen said.

McMullen’s job was to ensure the aircraft remained operational.

Once President Lyndon B. Johnson began campaigning, McMullen’s trips started becoming more frequent. He traveled to 38 states by helicopter, eight states by fixed wing aircraft and five states by train.

Much of the time, McMullen didn’t know where they were traveling due to security clearances. The destinations were on a need to know basis. McMullen’s mother, however, worked out a code with her son so she could keep track of him and know he was safe.

“I would call her collect and she would say, ‘The president went on a trip today and was in so and so.’ I’d have a specific response and she’d know exactly where I was,” McMullen said.

While McMullen never got to meet the president, he did get to meet the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, her daughters and, from a bit of a distance, Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

“The first lady was a gracious lady. The real honest to goodness perfect host,” McMullen said. “I mean, she’s interacting with us Marines in a hangar, imagine what she was like at a dinner party.”

McMullen said talking with Lady Bird Johnson was the equivalent to talking to the Queen of England for he and his fellow Marines.

The book, “Inside the President’s Helicopter,” written by Lt. Col. Gene T. Boyer, gives readers insight into a heated issue regarding an air-conditioning unit inside Marine One McMullen was familiar with.

“I remember reading the book and immediately knowing what (Boyer) was talking about, because I was somewhat involved,” McMullen said.

According to McMullen, he got a call to check up on an issue with an air conditioner inside one of the helicopters. He was told that the president intended to use the helicopter later that afternoon and it needed to be cleared to fly.

“So I go over and I run my test and it comes back that the unit is going to need a new compressor. So, when the officer of the day came strutting over he asked what the issue was,” McMullen explained.

Attempting to explain to the officer the unit would need a new compressor and was not cleared to fly, McMullen said the officer’s attitude immediately changed.

“He said, ‘that’s unacceptable, you have one hour.’ We go through this whole thing, and I’m nose to nose with him and eventually he tells me to just get out,” McMullen explained.

Per policy, the helicopter would not be cleared to fly unless McMullen or a higher ranking officer signed off on the aircraft, which, according to McMullen, the other officer did.

“So, half hour later the aircraft takes off, meaning the captain signed off on it and a half an hour after that the helicopter returned, meaning it didn’t even make it to Washington,” McMullen explained.

McMullen said he spent the rest of the day wondering what was going to happen. The next morning, McMullen arrived on base as usual. Shortly after arriving, he was told his commanding officer wanted to speak with him.

“I got to the electrical shop and the phone rings and it says, ‘First Sergeant wants to see you in his office on the double,’” McMullen said. “So I go over to his office and he tells me to explain to him in 25 words or less the events of the day before.”

McMullen said he was speechless, but managed to explain the situation from his perspective, after which he was dismissed.

“He didn’t even look up at me and I just stood there and again, without looking, he asks me, ‘Sergeant, don’t you know what dismissed means?’ So now I turn to leave and just as my hand touches the doorknob, I hear him say, ‘Oh by the way Sgt. McMullen, that was 27 words, not 25,’” McMullen said with a laugh.

It was only later on that he was told the captain he’d clashed with had been transferred off the base overnight, presumably because of the helicopters inoperable air conditioner.

When McMullen’s four years were up, he said the Marines hoped he would sign on for another tour of duty.

“They really wanted me to stay. And why not? I was already trained. I had experience and I held the necessary security clearances. The only SNAFU was that per policy, I would’ve had to serve somewhere else for one year before being allowed to come back to Virginia and I didn’t want to do that,” McMullen said.

Thinking back on his career, McMullen maintains a humble outlook on his time in the service. As he’s gotten older, however, he views his time at HMX with a new sense of pride and awe.

“You just start to think, ‘Wow, the citizens of the United States put their trust in me to provide a safe and comfortable aircraft for the President of the United States,’” McMullen said.