S.D. native coordinates president’s security

ABERDEEN (AP) – A South Dakotan directs a White House office deeply involved in presidential security.

In January, Aberdeen native Jeff Hurlbert became director of security with the White House Military Office, which coordinates all military support for President Bush.

He said, for example, if Bush travels out of the country, the White House Military Office coordinates the security arrangements. Hurlbert said his office works with the Secret Service, the FBI and other agencies that provide security.

He graduated from Aberdeen Roncalli High School in 1987 and from Notre Dame University in 1991. Hurlbert has been in the Air Force for 14 years.

“It is such a tremendous privilege and honor to work here,” he said. “Growing up, I would never have imagined that someday I would be working at the White House. I catch myself every day thinking, ‘What am I doing here? I’m just a kid from a small town in South Dakota.'”

He said the most challenging part of his job is “the minute-to-minute ebb and flow of the Washington political tide. We’re literally right smack in the middle of it.”

Hurlbert said his next assignment might involve obtaining a master’s degree in a field related to national security. He already has two master’s degrees: in business administration and in strategic intelligence.

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