I Am a Secret Service Agent: My Life Spent Protecting the President

Dan Emmett · Charles Maynard

Jun 2017 · Macmillan + ORM

About this ebook

Adapted from Within Arm'’s Length for a younger audience, a rare inside look at the Secret Service from an agent who protected Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

Dan Emmett was just eight years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. From that moment forward, he knew he wanted to become a Secret Service agent, one of an elite group of highly trained men and women dedicated to preserving the life of the President of the United States at any cost, including sacrificing their own lives if necessary. Armed with single-minded determination and a never-quit attitude, he did just that. Selected over thousands of other highly qualified applicants to become an agent, he was eventually chosen to be one of the best of the best and provided protection worldwide for Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush.

I Am a Secret Service Agent skillfully describes the duties and challenges of conducting presidential advances, dealing with the media, driving the President in a bullet-proof limousine, running alongside him through the streets of Washington, and flying with him on Air Force One. With fascinating anecdotes, Emmett weaves keen insight into the unique culture and history of the Secret Service with the inner workings of the White House. I Am A Secret Service Agent is a must read for young adults interested in a career in federal law enforcement.

Ratings and reviews

This is a fascinating look at what it actually takes to become (and stay) a secret service agent. The author became interested in the secret service as a young child when President Kennedy was assassinated. He moved throughout his young adulthood with a linear focus on his career goal - first with college, then the marines, finally, with a persistence that few possess, to join the secret service. I found the authors experiences interesting and a bit humbling - there are very few jobs that require you to requalify every eight weeks. That the men and women comprising the presidential protective detail do this willingly was sobering. Anyone interested in the secret service will appreciate this book. I gave this four stars instead of five because of the first couple of chapters. I found the large number of simple sentences distracting. This was only present in the beginning of the book and I am very glad that I continued to read.

Great book

Fantastic book

About the author

After a stint in the Marine Corps, DAN EMMETT joined the United States Secret Service, serving on the elite Counter Assault Team before being selected for the most coveted of all assignments in the Secret Service, the Presidential Protective Division. After 21 years as an agent, Emmett retired from the Secret Service and joined the CIA for six more years. Today, he is an adjunct professor as well as a security consultant for both private industry and the United States government. Emmett is the author of Within Arm's Length and it's YA adaptation, I Am a Secret Service Agent.