Bodyguards Best of the Best: The United States Secret Service

As the "Leader of the Free World", it is not secret that the President of the United States of America may have more than a few enemies. For this reason, the United States Secret Service is charged with the duty of protecting the President, Vice-President, President Elect, former President and their immediate families. As bodyguards to some of the most powerful people in the country, the job of a Secret Serviceman can be stressful, dangerous and very complicated.

Originally, the USSS was established under the United States Treasury Department in 1965 to help identify and curb counterfeit currency. It served, for a brief period during and after the Civil War, as an espionage and counterespionage agency. In 1901, the USSS was placed in charge of protecting the President after the assassination of President McKinley. Since 1902, the Secret Service has been the official fulltime bodyguard staff of the Office of the President.

Though generally referred to casually as simply the Secret Service, the USSS is an agency with many roles. The specific duty of bodyguards to the President of the United States and his family is reserved for the Secret Service Presidential Protective Detail. These elite bodyguards travel everywhere with the President, including Air Force One, Marine One, the White House, the Capital Building, public appearances and motorcades. They are heavily armed, trained in protection and defense, and work with local police and military to help ensure the safety of the Presidential family.

In addition to the Presidential Protective Detail, the USSS includes additional security personnel and bodyguards to make up the entire Secret Service Uniformed Division. Originally a separate organization known as the White House Police Force, the USUD is similar to the Capitol Police. They are in charge of the actual White House and surrounding grounds. In addition, they also act as bodyguards for diplomatic missions of foreign countries that are in and around Washington D.C.

As the USSS was initially placed solely in the role of bodyguard to the President and immediate family, changes have been as deemed necessary throughout the years. Following the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy who was running for the Presidential Office, congress expanded the role of the USSS. The new law stated that the USSS would provide bodyguard protection for Presidential hopefuls within 120 days of the general election. At the same time, Presidents' widows and children were afforded protection, the widows until death or remarriage, and the children until age sixteen. Prior to a 1994 legislative change, former Presidents received protection from Secret Service bodyguards for the duration of their lifetime. However, the new legislation stated that all Presidents elected after January 1, 1997 would receive Secret Service protection for ten years prior to leaving office.

Many members of the USSS have received commendation for their courage and valor as bodyguards to the President, Vice-President and their families. In 1902, William Craig became the first Secret Service bodyguard to lose his life on the job. In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate President Truman. Private Leslie Coffelt was fatally wounded but managed to take out one of the men with one shot to the head. He remains the only agent to die while defending a president from an assassination attempt.

Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy attempted to shield President Reagan from an assassination attempt but suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen himself. Both McCarthy and Reagan received wounds from which they recovered, and which may have been fatal if not for the training and protection of the Secret Service bodyguards. The United States Secret Service has been immortalized in television and film as an elite group of bodyguards that follow the president, wear cool suits with sunglasses and talk to each other in earpieces. While the reality is not quite so simple, Secret Servicemen dedicate their lives to protecting the nation's leader and see it as a reward in itself.