Murray bennett story part 7

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4 years ago

PLAYING WITH MP's, MEETING THE PRESIDENT AND A 5 COURSE MEAL

Murray and about 10 other enlisted men thought they would have some fun with the MPs one early morning at approximately 1:30 AM. The enlisted men despised the MPs primarily because of their better than thou attitude, anyway Murray and the other enlisted men kept a man on look out while they went out from the mess hall. The MPs used to regularly park their vehicle and go into the mess hall and screw around with the wacs which they were not supposed to be doing.

While the MPs were messing around in the mess hall, Murray, and his buddies with the man on watch went out and tipped over the MPs vehicle totally upside down. There was nothing the MPs could do about it when they found their vehicle topsy-turvy, after all the wacs could not help them flip it over. Murray and his buddies had a great laugh on that one and never saw those MPs on post again.

One time Murray had taken a courier to the White House and dropped him off and parked his olive drab car in the parking lot, while waiting for the courier he decided to move over to the passenger seat of the car and take a short snooze. He had on what is called an Eisenhower hat today, that is a hat that is pointed at both ends, anyway he slipped the hat down over his eyes and dozed off.

After a while he heard footsteps and then heard someone speak to him saying “how you doing son” this aroused him out of his dozed state, by the time he sat up in his seat and straightened out his hat and turned around to see who spoke to him he was looking in the face of Pres. Eisenhower. Neither spoke a word as Pres. Eisenhower was now returning back to the White House but Murray said his eyes must have been like saucers, he was in absolute shock to be face to face with the President of the United States and of course speechless.

Murray’s cousin Vince Baker who worked for the government at this time invited Murray to dinner, one evening, he was an extremely intelligent individual, he had the highest GS rating you could possibly have at that time. The government paid for a garden apartment for him at 2604 Pennsylvania Avenue. Mr. Baker was well known in government circles, at one time he had tutored both Bobby and Jack Kennedy at Harvard university.

Murray’s cousin picked him up in a cab and Murray was very surprised when he arrived at this very expensive French restaurant named Rive gauche, they had a five course dinner, Murray has never had a five course meal since. He does remember the main dish was Cornish game hens, that is about all he recalls except that it took them four hours to finish the entire meal. During the meal he was impressed when the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles walked by their table and said hello to his cousin by name, as if he had known him all his life. Within a few months after that occasion Mr. Dulles suddenly passed away unexpectedly

While Murray was at the State Department waiting to take three of Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles’s secretaries to his funeral, some gentleman from the State Department gave him a packet containing the seating arrangements for the funeral and asked him to deliver it to the White House. The most interesting part of this story is that he was told to deliver the packet to the front door of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue where Murray had never been.

Murray took the packet as he was ordered and left the State Department he drove up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, as he approached the White House gates they automatically opened for him and he entered and drove to the front doors of the White House. Murray got out of his vehicle and walked to the very front door of the White House which he said were enormous, with the packet and as he got to the door it was immediately opened by a full bird colonel. As he turned over the packet to the Col. he could clearly see inside.

Just inside the door was VP Nixon and Pres. Eisenhower, both just sitting there in the open. Imagine in today’s world a Pfc. driving through the White House gates up to the front doors and actually be able to have them open for him and immediately in his view would be the vice president and president of United States.

Please lets keep the prayers for Florentino and his daughter coming, may we hope to hear from him soon.

As always feel free to give any constructive criticism, or just small comments any are appreciated, thank you, thank you.