Something Ventured, Something Gained: My Quest to Become a White House Fellow

By Raymond C. Wilson

Early in my military career, I set out to become a White House Fellow. This book tells the story of my journey to achieve that goal. Along the way, I served as Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Bradley; acted as Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army; participated in Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm; and met three U.S. Presidents (Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush). When all was said and done, I learned that it is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: Dec 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215560082

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

SOMETHING VENTURED

SOMETHING GAINED

MY QUEST TO BECOME A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

SOMETHING VENTURED

SOMETHING GAINED

MY QUEST TO BECOME A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2023 Raymond C. Wilson

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Cover Photo: White House Fellows Class of 1984-85

Also by Raymond C. Wilson

Commander in Chief

The Hessians Are Coming

Martyr of the Race Course

America’s Five-Star Warriors

Boy Generals of the Civil War

All about Space Flight for Kids

The Men Who Saved West Point

Neil Armstrong: American Pioneer

Plane Went Down in Gander Town

Elvis Presley: His Music and Movies

The Men Who Saved the Liberty Bell

Elvis Presley: You’re in the Army Now

Whether or Not It’s a Weather Balloon?

Sleepy Hollow: Facts Behind the Fiction

The King and I: My Family Ties to Elvis

Lance of Longinus: The Spear of Destiny

Family Trees of the American Presidents

Janet Stewart: Royal Daughter & Mistress

POTUS & FLOTUS: Washington to Biden

Washington’s Life Guards: Conquer or Die

Game On: History of Video Games for Kids

Tecumseh’s Revenge: The Curse of Tippecanoe

Pennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters

Gone Squatchin': In Search of the Elusive Bigfoot

Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

George Smith Patton: Four Men Who Shared the Name

McKee Family of Pennsylvania: Loyalists and Patriots

European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents

24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) - Point of the Spear

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)

The Making of Patton - An Academy Award Winning Movie

‘Twas Whose Night Before Christmas? Moore Vs. Livingston

If These Walls Could Talk: Huling Hotel and Pack Horse Inn

George Armstrong Custer and the Royal Buffalo Hunt of 1872

Beyond the Bighorn: The Afterlife of George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer and the Pennypackers of Pennsylvania

Kennedy Family of Pennsylvania and Their Native American Kin

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

14th Cavalry Group in World War II - Story of Cavalryman Bill Null

Patton: Soldier Who Saved His Life and the One Who Caused His Death

Custer’s Luck Has Run Out: George Armstrong Custer’s Changing Image

Dead on Arrival: President John F. Kennedy’s Assassination in Dallas, Texas

Space Pioneers: Animals That Paved the Way for Human Space Exploration

Out of Necessity: George Washington’s Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preparation for First Attempt

White House Fellows Class of 1978-79

Preparation for Second Attempt

White House Fellows Class of 1984-85

Afterword

Bibliography

About Raymond C. Wilson

Introduction

Staff Sergeant Raymond C. Wilson (circa 1977)

While serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in 1977, I read an article about the White House Fellows Program. That article immediately caught my attention so I sent off a letter to the appropriate office in Washington, D.C. and expressed my interest in this program.

Weeks later, I received a packet of information about the White House Fellows Program in the mail. Reading through the literature, I learned that the White House Fellows Program was suggested by John W. Gardner (President of the Carnegie Corporation) and established by Lyndon B. Johnson (President of the United States) in October 1964.

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and John W. Gardner (then President of Carnegie Corporation)

President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs. I also learned that White House Fellows typically spend one year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House Staff, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.

The education program for White House Fellows is intended to enhance the leadership and other learning experiences in the work assignment. The education program increases the Fellows' exposure to knowledge from renowned leaders from the private and public sectors. Each class meets with dozens of individuals including Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, senior White House officials, Members of Congress, military leaders, journalists, historians, business executives, and foreign heads of state. These sessions generally take place over breakfast or lunch during the work week, and are off-the-record, lively and frank.

Another component of the education program involves the study of U.S. policy in action across the country and abroad, during several policy study trips throughout the year. Fellows visit military bases to broaden