We waited even more for Tuesday’s visit to Fort Bragg because Mr. Bush was making a stop at a military base. The Armed Forces are known for their attention to detail, especially in security screenings. Here is an idea of what it takes to get in to see the President, and the hurdles we face in getting our story on the air.

4:00 AM- The worst part of covering a Presidential Visit is the “pre-set”. The Secret Service requires that all of our electronic gadgets are in place hours before the President arrives. My photographer, Mike Hanson, and I leave our hotel rooms in Fayetteville and load up our video equipment into our station vehicle. We try not to pack too much gear because we never know what we might be forced to leave behind (more on that in a moment).

4:30 AM- Mike and I arrive at the Stryker golf club at Fort Bragg. We are joined by at least 7 other North Carolina television stations, but we’re surprised to learn we are the only Charlotte TV station covering the President’s visit. The Army’s bomb sniffing dogs are brought in to inspect all of the news trucks as we stand nearby, trying to stay awake.

4:50 AM- The German Shepherds are whisked away and we are introduced to the White House press contacts for the day. We’re told they can answer any questions we have about the President’s visit. We do not see the press contacts again.

5:00 AM- A military spokesman (who will become invaluable later) asks the 40 or so media types still standing in the parking lot to divide into two groups. One group will be escorted to Pope Air Force Base, where Air Force One will be landing in four hours. The remaining group, which includes Mike and me, will be escorted onto base at Fort Bragg where the President will be speaking.

5:10 AM- We are told to get back into our station vehicles and follow the Military Police escort onto the base. Soldiers wave the convoy of at least 10 vans and cars through the barbed wire fence. We drive over steel barricades which have been installed since 9-11, metal gates which can instantly rise from the pavement should someone decide to run past the soldiers standing guard at the checkpoint.

5:20 AM- After traveling about one mile onto base, we arrive at the famous Iron Mike statue. The Army has hung massive spotlights which make the place appear as though it is mid-afternoon, even though we won’t see the sun for another hour.

5:30 AM- Mike and I set up our camera, tripod and audio equipment. A soldier is rehearsing his speaking role for the day. We will hear “ladies and gentleman, please turn off your cell phones at this time” for the next 15 minutes. At least we know the microphones work.

5:50 AM- We are told we must leave our station vehicles on base as the Army escorts us back to Stryker golf club. The Secret Service will now do their own security sweep and we are not allowed to stay.

6:00 AM- Back at Stryker golf club, the press is hungry. It will be 2 hours before we are allowed to return to base (and our vehicles). Now stranded, we learn the golf club has a “grill”, but it will not open for 30 minutes. We pass the time by waiting in line for our official pass from the White House which will allow us access to the President’s speech.

6:15 AM- We grab a seat at the “grill”. A very friendly staff of 3 notices a growing crowd and decides to fire up the griddle a few minutes earlier than planned. The press is happy.

6:30 AM- Mike and I talk strategy over eggs. This is the 7th time Mike has covered a Presidential visit and my 5th encounter with the Commander in Chief. We know from experience we won’t get any closer than about 150 feet from President Bush, so we try to think of other people we want to talk with to make our coverage more interesting to the viewers. I spend some time reading background information on Fort Bragg, the President’s recent visits and the people expected to attend the speech.

8:00 AM- The press is growing. We load onto shuttle buses and are joined by dozens of print journalists. The print folks have the advantage of sleeping in because they don’t have as many electronic gizmos for the Secret Service to examine. They get to skip the early morning “pre-set”.

8:15 AM- The Army’s bus is almost exactly like a school bus, very basic. While the North Carolina press rides on stiff vinyl school bus seats, the national media arrives on chartered buses, a much more luxurious way to travel. They deserve a smoother ride, as most of those passengers travel with the President for several months out of the year. I’m getting tired after four hours and we have not yet seen Mr. Bush.

8:20 AM- Hundreds of people are lined up at portable metal detectors now manned by Secret Service and soldiers. The Army has invited 3500 soldiers and their families, and nearly all of them are standing in a parking lot. The line must be close to ½ mile long. The media is escorted past the waiting crowd to the front of the line. Mike and I cannot help but feel guilty. We hope they don’t have to wait much longer.

8:25 AM- A soldier standing guard at the metal detector informs the media that we will not be allowed to bring in our cell phones. Even the most veteran journalists are near panic. Taking away a reporter’s cell phone is almost as bad as taking away a notepad and pen. We cannot function, file our reports, or transmit our picture without them. The military spokesman intervenes, the cell phones are approved, and a riot is averted.

8:30 AM- We walk about ¼ mile to the Iron Mike statue. We are relived to find our equipment remains in place and everything is still functioning properly. Although our camera is positioned to capture the President’s speech to the troops, only one crew is allowed to join the President on his tour of Fort Bragg and the Army Special Ops Command. Mike and I make arrangements with the designated “pool” crew to make a copy of their footage later in the day. I spend the next 90 minutes reviewing notes, reading relevant news of the day, and plan the logistics of filing our reports for the early evening newscasts.

9:30 AM- The crowd of soldiers, spouses and children are offered bottles of water as they finally make their way past the metal detectors. However, they must drink the water immediately, or discard the bottles. No water is allowed near the stage.

10:00 AM- This is the first Presidential visit I have covered where the Commander In Chief is right on time. I suppose the Army may have played a role in this.

10:20 AM- The President continues his speech. A few women in the crowd are escorted away from the stage, apparently suffering from the rising heat and humidity. Most of the press is sweating profusely. I wonder why how the President is able to keep cool, he does not appear to be sweating.

10:30 AM- Mister Bush wraps up his remarks, and turns to shake hands with soldiers who have been standing behind the podium. The first signs of sweat are visible, the President’s back is drenched. We are unable to find a White House spokesperson or any other source to explain how the President is seemingly able to keep his face and chest dry in sweltering heat.

10:45 AM- The Army spokesperson is a huge help again. He tracks down Captain Chip Eldridge. Captain Eldridge was cited in the President’s speech for his remarkable commitment to the Army, even after he lost his left leg in a 2004 mine explosion. Our interview with Captain Eldridge is a key part of our coverage. The crowd of 3500 people disappears within minutes. The Army dismantles the stage, there is suddenly almost no evidence the President was just here.

11:00 AM-5:45 PM- Mike and I spend the next several hours reviewing videotape, relaying our notes to the newsroom in Charlotte and taking care of several technical aspects necessary to get our report on the air. We are thankful we are not part of the national press corps which travels constantly with the President. We’re okay waking up early whenever the Commander-In-Chief pays a visit to the Carolinas.