Former Marine One operator shares experiance with Presidents, Bush legacy continuing

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Marine One is an iconic mode of transportation for all Presidents. There’s a fleet of up to 11 identical helicopters flying in a group at a time, operated by crews referred to as HMX-1 “Nighthawks.”

The helicopter flying the President is referred to as “Marine One” anytime they are on board.

One of those helicopters that was a vital piece of making sure George H.W. Bush got where he needed to now sits at the Presidential Library and Museum in College Station. A new pavilion houses the helicopter and the Union Pacific 4141 locomotive that carried Bush to his final resting place.

Stephen Taylor, a retired Colonel for the United States Marine Corps spent years flying this nation’s leader on Marine One, including the exact helicopter that’s currently on display.

“After a quick look at my logbook between the two tours. I’ve flown this helicopter for about 100 hours,” Taylor said.

These tours included during the Ronald Regan Presidency with George H.W. Bush as Vice-President plus during the George W. Bush Presidency. Taylor says the new addition to the library has a lot of stories to tell.

“When they came on the helicopter, they were always very gracious and came up and said ‘hello’, maybe checked on the weather, we said a quick ‘hello’, and then they went back and sat down and then off we went,” he said. “One of the things that I always thought was valuable was the helicopters allowed the President to see and to be seen. So they were able to look out the window whether it be Normandy, whether it be the World Trade Center after 9/11, or natural disasters. The helicopter got them to many, many places that they wouldn’t have been able to see and then they were able to be seen.”

Taylor saw the helicopter for the first time since it landed in College Station on Wednesday. Now that it’s open to the public, Taylor says he’s excited for people to see the new exhibit and learn about the pieces of history in the Pavillion.

“We just had a walk through the library and through the museum and just a quick walk here to the pavilion and this absolutely fabulous display of this helicopter. And of course the locomotive next door as well. So the ability for people to come out and see a piece of history, which this helicopter is and represents is just absolutely wonderful,” he said.

Taylor said it was clear to him even during the Vice-Presidency, that George H.W. Bush was a hardworking and dedicated leader who utilized Marine One at all hours of the day to show up for the American people.

The Pavillion closes at 8:00 p.m. Thursday.