Larry Buendorf (born November 18, 1937) is a former Chief Security Officer of the
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
,
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
aviator, and
Secret Service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...
agent. He is best known for his successful intervention during an
assassination attempt on
United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Gerald Ford in 1975.
Early life and Navy service
Buendorf was born November 18, 1937, in
Wells, Minnesota
Wells is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,343 at the 2010 census.
History
Wells was laid out in 1869. The city was named for J.W. Wells, father in law of Clark W. Thompson.
The city contains a proper ...
, son of Ruby and Merle Buendorf. Buendorf graduated from Wells High School in Minnesota in 1955. He received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
[. usocpressbox.org] degree in
Business from
Mankato State University
Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...
in 1959. After service in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
as a
Naval Aviator in
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, he joined the Secret Service in 1970, where he was employed for 23 years.
[Alum Larry Buendorf saved President Ford's life in 1975]
Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) (2007-01-02). Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
Secret Service career
Buendorf was assigned to the Secret Service's 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. 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 Capitol
The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, a ...
in
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, walked across a park where a crowd had gathered.
[Election Is Crunch Time for U.S. Secret Service]
News.nationalgeographic.com (2010-10-28). Retrieved on 2013-07-15. A woman in a red dress, who later was identified as
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme
Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme (born October 22, 1948) is an American criminal who was a member of the Manson family, a cult led by Charles Manson. Though not involved in the Tate–LaBianca murders for which the Manson family is best known, ...
, was seen following Ford while he was shaking hands.
While Fromme pointed the gun at Ford, several people heard a "metallic click" sound.
As the red-robed Fromme shouted, "It wouldn't go off", Buendorf grabbed the gun, forced it from Fromme's hand, and brought her to the ground.
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.
[Borzilleri, Meri-Jo (2003-12-21) . usoc.gazette.com] From the Olympic Committee headquarters in
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
, his office is able to monitor security images from other Olympic training sites in
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303.
The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburg ...
, and
Chula Vista, California, a suburb of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
.
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 was responsible for security of the U.S. 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 was "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."
Buendorf retired from his position in 2018.
Other achievements
Buendorf has been inducted into the
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Acting credits
Buendorf appeared on the television documentary ''Inside the U.S. Secret Service'' in 2004.
Inside the U.S. Secret Service (2004) (TV)
imdb.com
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buendorf, Larry
1937 births
Living people
United States Secret Service agents
Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni
People from Colorado Springs, Colorado
People from Wells, Minnesota
Military personnel from Minnesota