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September 2009 Edition
The Young Patriots of Washington
DC.....feel proud, feel assured
Sitting here in Newport Beach, far away
from our nation's capital, it's easy to take 'aim' at
Washington DC politics and government bureaucracy....I've
been doing it for years. And in these challenging times, I
seem even more frustrated and perplexed. Why are we in this
mess? Actually, I know why: There is no accountability in
Washington and throwing good money after bad ain’t the right
way to do it, but that’s another story altogether.
It wasn't always like this, though. It
started innocently enough – my nephew, Ryan Eddy, 32, the
oldest of my late brother Richard’s four sons surprised me
several years ago with a phone call: "Uncle Bill, I'm going
to be working in the White House!" "What did you say?" "The
White House?" "Yes!" In 2003, my bright young nephew went to
work for George Bush in the Office of Science and Technology
Policy, as a special assistant to President Bush's Science
Advisor. Ryan moved from the Arizona statehouse -- where he
had worked for Governor Jane Hull -- to Washington DC to
pursue a possible career in politics or government. It’s
important you know that all four of my nephews including
Kevin, Steven and John are bright young men too and are
successfully pursuing their own careers. All four boys are
like sons to me.
After a year in DC, Ryan landed this plum
assignment in the White House where he worked on a multitude
of issues surrounding the Federal government’s research and
development agenda. He also gave in depth guided tours of
the East and West wings of the White House. Each tour is
fascinating and provides historical insight into the
building of the White house and the President who occupied
it. Two years later he moved over to the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) where he became the Chief Policy
Advisor and Chief Media spokesperson and strategist for the
newly created Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)
within DHS. This newly formed office was responsible for
combating the threat of nuclear terrorism and Ryan was part
of building the office from the ground up.
"After the end of the Cold War, we
focused our attention on combating the nuclear threat
overseas, but not in the United States," Ryan noted, "and
our job at the DNDO was to create programs and awareness of
a possible nuclear attack to our country. It was a whole new
initiative and a mission that was very easy to become
passionate about. We were trying to do everything we could
to prevent a nuclear attack inside the US; quite a daunting
task."
Ryan Eddy and Russ Knocke
Now, let me shift to another marvelous
young man -- Russ Knocke, 34, one of Ryan's best friends.
Russ and Ryan hooked up in 1999 at Governor Hull's office in
Phoenix. Russ helped the then Governor Janet Napolitano make
the transition to the Statehouse. He moved to Washington DC
in the Spring of 2003.
Russ was one of the first employees of
DHS, and initially focused on "citizenship and immigration
services": He was instrumental in creating public affairs
strategies for immigration, adjudicating green cards, and
helping government agencies implement programs necessary to
facilitate the existing US immigration laws. Soon they moved
into offices at the Nebraska Avenue Complex, which was
primarily occupied by the U.S. Navy. Russ describes it "as a
mess -- stuff was piled everywhere....desks, chairs, and
boxes in the hallways. I remember one of my co-workers was
the first to get an office with a door -- which was really a
big deal. I worked 16-hour days, often slept on my office
floor, and actually had to find a home for my dog, because I
was never home. It was very chaotic then." And after a brief
stint as Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Immigration
and Customers Enforcement department, his job shifted again:
He was appointed as Chief Spokesperson and head of media
relations for the DHS and Secretary of Homeland Security
Michael Chertoff, surely one of the highest profile jobs in
the US at the time. "There was a sense of intense 'mission
and dedication'. 9/11 was fresh in everyone's mind”. Russ
remembers.
Russ worked in the Public Affairs office, which was 'home'
to the Homeland Secretary, lawyers, security people and
staff. "It was very crowded and at times, I had to stand in
the hallway and listen to what was going on in the
conference room". He remembers those early days of using his
home computer, his own cell phone and Hotmail account, and
just 'making do' to get the work done. A Time magazine
reporter related to Russ that DHS "....was a department that
lived on caffeine and Blackberrys”.
Both Ryan and Russ recall how dedicated
everyone was in Washington DC. As Russ noted, "when you have
to be 100 percent right all the time, as we did at DHS, few
people take notice. That's what is expected. But everyone
will notice when something goes wrong, and the consequences
are huge."
Moving on…political appointees lose
their jobs.
Both Ryan and Russ were political
appointees and each lost their job shortly after the
election of President Barack Obama. Ryan was first to go,
and because Russ had a strong relationship with the new DHS
Secretary, Janet Napolitano, and stayed on for several
months to smooth over the transition. The 'end' was not
unanticipated -- Ryan left and in January 2009 went to work
for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in
Richland, Washington. "This is the 'other' Washington – a
little more laid back, great schools and a great place to
raise the family." Ryan and his wife, Monica, just had their
second child a month ago.
PNNL is one of 10 Department of Energy
national laboratories that focus on a host of issues ranging
from energy, environment, and security. In his new job as
Deputy Director of the Northwest Regional Technology Center
at PNNL where DHC Secretary, Ryan is helping the emergency
responder community in the greater northwest region
articulate their technology needs and help connect them back
to DHS.
After his brief stay-over with
Napolitano's transition team, Russ moved to Boston to be
with Julie, his fiancé. She is a third year law student at
Boston College. They are getting married later this month.
Russ does some consulting and is weighing his post DC
options.
So what are your impressions of
working in "DC"?
Without question, these two young men
have enjoyed a great measure of success in our Nation's
capital and in history, too. Even though both were sort of
put out to pasture because they were political appointees,
they both share a passionate memory and appreciation of
their time in Washington DC, serving our country. I saw this
first hand during my many business and personal visits to
our nation’s capital. Ryan introduced me to many sharp young
men and women who really give a damn about the future of
this country and are dedicated to making a difference. Some
stay in Washington, while others elect to pursue careers in
the private sector.
"Regardless of the party in power....we
have a whole host of dedicated people, young and old, who
want the best for their country. At Homeland Security, for
example, we all signed up for and were passionate about
insuring America doesn't have to live through another 9/11.
At the end of the day," Ryan said, "you have a very loyal
group of committed civil service professionals who really
believe in making America great.”
Russ agrees -- "We were honored and
privileged to be there in a very critical and important time
in our Nation's history. We are proud to have served our
country."
There you have it: Young patriots
-- in their early 30s -- each making a great contribution to
our country. I am very proud of these young me. And in two
weeks, I'm going to be there at Russ and Julie's wedding in
Newport, Rhode Island. Ryan will be their best man. I will
be sitting there reflecting on how lucky we are in America
to have such fine young men and women serving our country.
You should, too.
The Eddy Company is one of America's leading specialty
retail leasing consultants. For information, please
contact Bill Eddy at our Newport Beach office --
949-640-7475. Or e-mail us at
bill@theeddycompany.com or visit our web site --
www.theeddycompany.com
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