Presidential Sailor: White House Communications Agency Special Duty
Coolest job in the Navy
20 January 2015
Ever since reporting for duty at the White House Communications Agency, Chief Electronics Technician Tiffany Barber often finds herself retelling the moment she first met President Barack Obama.
It was 2010, and Barber was an audio-visual director at the agency. She was at the White House prepping the audio for a video address taping when a supervisor approached her and asked her to put the microphone on the president.
"I said 'Excuse me..? I need to do what?'" recalls Barber with a hint of irony in her voice. "They said 'yeah, yeah, yeah, just tell him you need to put the microphone on him.'"
Barber pinpoints this specific moment in time as a flashpoint of realization. She's not putting the microphone on just anyone; she's putting the microphone on arguably the most important person in the world.
"It's unlike any other command in the military, we make sure that the president, vice president, first lady, and any members at an event with them have lights and sound that are presidential quality," she said. "I have the coolest job in the Navy."
Would you be interested in a duty assignment like this? Check out the White House Communications Agency webpage for more information.