Butler native serves as honorary pall bearer for Cheney’s funeral
Patrick Smith still remembers guarding Vice President Dick Cheney as he campaigned in Butler County during the 2004 presidential campaign.
Getting to see Cheney visit Saxonburg, and ride in the campaign bus down Main Street in Butler, is an experience the Butler native remembers.
“It was surreal,” Smith said. “Having him here, seeing the vice president ride down my old Main Street. It was incredible.”
Smith, who served in the Secret Service for over 30 years in six separate presidential administrations, served as an honorary pall bearer for Cheney’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday, Nov. 20.
Cheney, who was vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, died on Nov. 3. He was 84.
Smith, who was born and raised in Butler, said working in the Secret Service was a goal of his even when he was in school. It fueled his determination to get through college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and work his way up in the world.
“It was something I wanted to do at a young age and I worked toward that for a long time,” Smith said. “It was the reason I went to college. I had to have a four-year degree to even apply. That really motivated me and got me thorough.”
In his time with the Secret Service, Smith guarded six sitting presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He also guarded President Richard Nixon years after his resignation.
Smith has received various forms of local recognition for his work, including a distinguished alumni honor from Butler County Community College in 2008.
Eventually, Smith spent five years in charge of the protection of Cheney and his family.
Cheney was campaigning for Bush in Pennsylvania in mid-October, during their 2004 reelection campaign. Smith said they flew on Air Force 2 into Erie and rode the campaign bus down to Pittsburgh. They stopped along the way, including for a campaign stop at Penn’s Colony in Saxonburg. Smith can remember traveling on Interstate 79 and Route 422 and getting off in Butler to travel to Saxonburg.
According to reporting at the time, Cheney’s speech in front of about 1,000 people defended the Bush administration's commitment to the war in Iraq and combating terrorism, while criticizing the platform of Democratic Party nominee John Kerry; but Smith only remembers how exciting the whole day was.
“It was incredibly surreal and a thrill. I just went along, but it was a thrill going down the old Main Street I used to walk on as a kid,” Smith said. “He was the secretary of defense a while before he was the VP. He was very well read on all things military history. I was able to tell him about the first Jeep. He was very interested in that.
“That was a very special moment, having him here, where I grew up.”
In obituaries for Cheney that ran across the country, he was described as one of the most powerful vice presidents in history, criticized for his roles in the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq and other controversial foreign and domestic policies.
Smith, who knew Cheney on a more personal level than most, described him as a “patriot” who “cared about the country” and always prioritized his family more than himself.
“He cared about the country. He gave up a lot of things personally — as they do when they take these positions — but he really cared about his family,” Smith said. “When I was introduced to him, when I was taking over his security, he said ‘I want you to know, my children and grandchildren’s safety are more of a concern then my own.’ That was the very first thing that he said.”
After retiring from the Secret Service, Smith began a second career as a United States Marshal for the Western District of North Carolina.
Looking toward being in Washington, D.C., for Cheney’s funeral, Smith looked back on his career.
“When you’re a Secret Service agent, it doesn’t matter what someone’s politics are, you do your job. I’ve worked with Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. That is just not an issue,” Smith said. “I’m very honored by it, of course. It’s coming full circle. I’ll miss him (Cheney). I’m happy to be there to honor him, do what I can for him and his family.”
