Larry Buendorf
Encyclopedia
Larry Buendorf is the Chief Security Officer of the United States Olympic Committee
. He is a former U.S. Navy pilot and Secret Service
agent. He is best known for his successful intervention during an assassination
attempt on then United States President
Gerald Ford
in 1975.
, son of Ruby and Merle Buendorf. Buendorf graduated from Wells High School in Minnesota in 1955. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Mankato State University in 1959. After service in the United States Navy as a pilot, he joined the Secret Service in 1970, where he was employed for 22 years.
.
in Sacramento
, walked across a park where a crowd had gathered. A woman in a red dress, who later was identified as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme
, was seen following Ford while he was shaking hands. Upon seeing a Colt M1911 pistol, Secret Service Special Agent Larry Buendorf stepped in front of Ford. Buendorf yelled "Gun!", alerting the other agents who evacuated Ford. He pulled the gun away and wrestled the woman to the ground, in the process slightly injuring his thumb and hand while placing the webbing of his thumb between the gun's cocked hammer and the slide of the pistol.
For his role in preventing the assassination attempt on President Ford, Buendorf was awarded the U.S. Treasury Meritorious Service Award and the United States Secret Service Valor Award.
During the years after the assassination attempt, Buendorf and President Ford maintained telephone contact every year on the September 5th anniversary of the attack. He also visited the former President and skied with him on occasion.
and Chula Vista, California
, a suburb of San Diego. The grounds of the Olympic Committee is open to the public and has a visitor's center and gift shop. As Chief Security Officer, Buendorf is responsible for security of the US Olympic Committee. However, he was not directly responsible for security at the Olympic Games when they were held in the United States in 1996 and 2002, as such tasks were performed by local, state, and federal government personnel, as well as contracted private security.
His philosophy for the Olympic Committee grounds security is "We don't want to create the environment of armed guards on the fence line." "That's not the kind of image we want for the Olympic movement. But we want it to be known there's a presence."
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
. He is a former U.S. Navy pilot and Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agent. He is best known for his successful intervention during an assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt on then United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in 1975.
Early life and Navy service
Buendorf was born in Wells, MinnesotaWells, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,494 people, 1,032 households, and 665 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,846.5 people per square mile . There were 1,097 housing units at an average density of 812.2 per square mile...
, son of Ruby and Merle Buendorf. Buendorf graduated from Wells High School in Minnesota in 1955. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Mankato State University in 1959. After service in the United States Navy as a pilot, he joined the Secret Service in 1970, where he was employed for 22 years.
Secret Service career
Buendorf was assigned to the Secret Service Office Chicago Field Office (1970-1972), Presidential Protective Division (1972-1977) and Denver Field Office (1977-1982). He was Special Agent in Charge, Omaha Field Office (1982-1983). Later, from 1983-1993, he was Special Agent in Charge of the Protective Division and, once again, assigned to protect President Gerald Ford and Mrs. FordBetty Ford
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...
.
Assassination attempt on U.S. President Gerald Ford
On September 5, 1975, President Gerald Ford, who had just given a speech at the California State CapitolCalifornia State Capitol
The California State Capitol is home to the government of California. The building houses the bicameral state legislature and the office of the governor....
in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, walked across a park where a crowd had gathered. A woman in a red dress, who later was identified as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme
Lynette Fromme
Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme is an American member of the Manson Family. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975...
, was seen following Ford while he was shaking hands. Upon seeing a Colt M1911 pistol, Secret Service Special Agent Larry Buendorf stepped in front of Ford. Buendorf yelled "Gun!", alerting the other agents who evacuated Ford. He pulled the gun away and wrestled the woman to the ground, in the process slightly injuring his thumb and hand while placing the webbing of his thumb between the gun's cocked hammer and the slide of the pistol.
For his role in preventing the assassination attempt on President Ford, Buendorf was awarded the U.S. Treasury Meritorious Service Award and the United States Secret Service Valor Award.
During the years after the assassination attempt, Buendorf and President Ford maintained telephone contact every year on the September 5th anniversary of the attack. He also visited the former President and skied with him on occasion.
U.S. Olympic Committee
Buendorf later became Chief Security Officer of the United States Olympic Committee in 1993 after retirement from the Secret Service. From the Olympic Committee headquarters in Colorado Springs, his office is able to monitor security images from other Olympic training sites in Lake Placid, New YorkLake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
and Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....
, a suburb of San Diego. The grounds of the Olympic Committee is open to the public and has a visitor's center and gift shop. As Chief Security Officer, Buendorf is responsible for security of the US Olympic Committee. However, he was not directly responsible for security at the Olympic Games when they were held in the United States in 1996 and 2002, as such tasks were performed by local, state, and federal government personnel, as well as contracted private security.
His philosophy for the Olympic Committee grounds security is "We don't want to create the environment of armed guards on the fence line." "That's not the kind of image we want for the Olympic movement. But we want it to be known there's a presence."