(Providence, Rhode Island)

Al Haig—a genuine American hero and leader—died today at the age of 85.

Sadly, he may best be remembered for one widely- misinterpreted news conference following the assassination attempt (and near death) of President Ronald Reagan. While Vice President Bush was in an airplane, Haig rushed to the White House briefing room, trying to calm a jittery nation:

“Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State in that order; and should the President decide he wants to transfer the helm to the Vice President, he will do so. He has not done that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending return of the Vice President and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.”

Haig was pilloried for making a power grab, at worst, and misinterpreting the Constitutional line of presidential succession, at best. To me it was neither.

As a senior in college at the time—and a reporter for the Marquette University radio station—all I saw was a man trying to reassure the public and let the world know the United States was standing tall in crisis. I am old enough to remember the panic of the Kennedy assassination, only 17 years prior. The nation’s collective nerves were still raw, and Haig was trying to calm people. It was not a palace coup, as some portrayed it.

I like that in a leader—a willingness to take both blame and responsibility—no matter what the critics might say. It is a quality sadly lacking in our leaders of all parties today. It’s always “blame the other guy,” when things go bad; and “I get all the credit,” when things go well.

Years later Al Haig wrote of that day, March 30, 1981: “I wasn't talking about transition. I was talking about the executive branch, who is running the government. That was the question asked. It was not, ‘Who is in line should the President die?’"

Haig was also the subject of much controversy when he was President Nixon’s Chief of Staff at the end of Watergate. Haig negotiated the transfer of power to Vice-President Ford at one of the most vulnerable moments in this nation’s history. Again, an example of Haig's trying to show that America was strong, not weak. It was something he made a career of. (He's pictured to the right above, with Secretary of State Kissinger, President Nixon and Vice-President Ford.)
People forget Haig was a decorated soldier first, before politics. Here is a partial summary from a commendation he received during the Vietnam War, for commanding his helicopter and ground forces under heavy enemy fire:

“When two of his companies were engaged by a large hostile force, Colonel Haig landed amid a hail of fire, personally took charge of the units, called for artillery and air fire support, and succeeded in soundly defeating the insurgent force...the next day a barrage of 400 rounds was fired by the Viet Cong, but it was ineffective because of the warning and preparations by Colonel Haig. As the barrage subsided, a force three times larger than his began a series of human wave assaults on the camp. Heedless of the danger himself, Colonel Haig repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to survey the battlefield. His personal courage and determination, and his skillful employment of every defense and support tactic possible, inspired his men to fight with previously unimagined power. Although his force was outnumbered three to one, Colonel Haig succeeded in inflicting 592 casualties on the Viet Cong... (HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2318 (May 22, 1967).”

Haig received a Purple Heart, among many other military honors. Aside from his work in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations, he served in the military under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Carter. That’s service to nine presidents! Pretty impressive.

My only interview with Al Haig took place in 1986 at the Jockey Club in Ocala, Florida, where he was campaigning for the Republican Congressional candidate. Two things I will always remember about that day were Haig’s gregarious personality and his iron-grip handshake. This was a man who was tough-as-nails, and who stood up and was a leader no matter what criticism followed. Too many so-called leaders hang around to take credit when things are good, but blame others when things go bad.

Al Haig was always there for this country, accepting responsibility and “taking the bullet”-- good, bad or indifferent. We could use more leaders like him!

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