Closest (physically) you've been to a Head of State?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Six to eight feet away. On three different occasions.

  1. Early in President Clinton’s first term. In a small town in Connecticut. He did a pharmacy visit, then a speech at a private school in the town. Small mom n pop pharmacy. I stood behind a tripod videotaping his statements. No more than eight feet away.

  2. I was the Steadicam Operator who shot what became an infamous interview between Leonardo Dicaprio and President Bill Clinton at The White House. The opening of the interview was a roughly 60-second tracking shot along the path next to the Rose Garden, turning to the covered walkway outside of the West Wing and finishing as the two participants sat down in the white wrought iron chairs just outside of the French doors to the Oval Office. I then stood still for 59 minutes as we shot an hour long interview.

  3. In the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, I walked President Clinton out of the tunnel and onto the field so that he could join two other dignitaries ( I think the head of the AOG and Juan Samaranch, then President of the IOC ) to stand for the U.S. National Anthem. I’m the one hustling with a Steadicam strapped to my body just behind the three men in the first 10 seconds of this clip. :smiley: When I started the shot in the opening of the tunnel, it was just the President and myself and the young lady carrying the RF Transmit device. I was no more than 6 feet away from him until we crossed the track line and I faded back a bit to complete my shot- which is the point where the linked video starts.

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Princess Grace of Monaco and the King of Greece (at separate times) from about 20 feet above them when they came on board the 6th Fleet flagship to have a reception with the Fleet Admiral. We (the whole crew) had lobster for dinner when the Princess visited.

Nixon when his inaugural parade passed. (I was in DC for an unrelated professional conference.)

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I was driving home late at night with my best friend K.C. when a motorcycle cop flagged us down and told us to pull over and park. He would say why (though it was clear we weren’t in any trouble) but the reason became clear 10 minutes later, when George H.W. Bush’s motorcade passed by. (Pity that my rocket launcher was locked in the trunk…)

This may or may not count, but I may have been conceived in the very same dorm room where our current Prez was college R.A. (It was definitely the same building, that’s been verified.)