Though public officials like a president always have an entourage of protection agents around them, there is always one person who is closest: This person is the detail leader.
“If you’re looking at the Secret Service from the outside, and you see the president on TV, you have many agents who are around him. There is usually one guy that is right behind him who will also get into the limo with him: That’s the detail leader,” he explained. “Anytime the president leaves the house or does anything, there is always a detail leader with him. You have other agents, but there is the one guy who he is closest to.”
As Bush’s detail leader, Vermillion spent ample time with the former president, often one-on-one, whether at his Texas ranch or at an event.
“When you lose all the people that were involved in the White House, sometimes you’ll find it’s even just you and the president as far as communications,” said Vermillion. “He’s telling you what to do for the day and so forth. It was great working with him. We did everything from the World Series to speeches to working on the ranch, golf, you name it.”
Beyond the requisite training, being an effective detail requires a level of confidence—not only the confidence one has in themselves, but also the confidence the protectee has in their agent. He credits lessons learned at VMI for his success in this role.
“With someone that is as busy as a former president, they want to know what they need to be accomplished will be accomplished,” Vermillion explained. “They need to have trust in you and clarity. I felt like this is something that I have done and that I’ve applied throughout my professional life from VMI.”
“It instilled a sense of duty, which I don’t think any school gives you a better sense of duty than VMI,” said Vermillion. “At VMI, you’re always doing the right thing. You have this great, ethical sense, and you feel it’s your duty to always do your job as effectively as possible. As you progress through the process, they entrust you to perform certain highly visible, important duties.”
His lessons in duty, ethical leadership, and perseverance were key to his effectiveness as a detail leader.
“You must do as good as you can at VMI, and you must, at the end of the day, be successful,” said Vermillion. “If you apply that to something like being a detail leader, I am not going to embarrass myself or the agency I work for by, for example, communicating something that’s not true.”
“Or, if something doesn’t go the way it should, despite our best efforts, I would try to make it clear that, yes, I’ve had this hiccup and this has changed,” Vermillion continued. “I’m fixing it, and it’s going to be done. [Protectees] want that level of confidence … VMI is good at teaching you that despite obstacles and challenges, you have the capability to come up with a solution.”
The exciting demands of being a special agent did not come without a cost at times though. “Secret Service can be tough on a family, especially when you’re doing protection: You’re missing birthdays, holidays, et cetera,” said Vermillion. Still, after 17 years in the Secret Service, Vermillion said he had no intention of leaving.
Yet, nine years ago, when a private, Texas-based company approached him with a job offer, he realized the change would prove to be a positive career direction and decision for his family. He also happened to cross paths again with the Institute, as one of the previous owners of this company attended VMI in the 19th century.
Today, Vermillion’s son, Cadet Carter Vermillion, member of the Rat Mass of 2023+3, also attends VMI, embarking on his own challenge at the Institute. Asked what advice he gave his son before matriculation this August, Vermillion said he told him to focus on succeeding in responsibilities and challenges moment by moment and day by day. He also stressed the value of relationships made and how those will carry him through.
As he witnesses his son’s Rat Line experience, Vermillion said it has assured him the VMI experience and system have not changed. He feels the core tenets of the VMI experience—those that have impacted him throughout his life and career—remain intact.
“In this time, there has been a lot of talk about if VMI has changed, and with all that’s going on in the world, if VMI can survive in this new world,” Vermillion reflected. “I don’t live in Virginia, so I am only around VMI during reunions. But I can tell you as a parent and from what I’ve heard talking to my son and what I’ve seen visiting him, the core critical tenants of the Rat Line have not changed.”
Vermillion feels present-day cadets will experience the same character and leadership growth he saw in himself while at the Institute. “The cadet experience exists just as it existed when I was a cadet. … The things that made VMI unique are still there. There’s no other school in the nation that puts kids, 18-year-old kids, in such a Spartan atmosphere, an adversarial atmosphere that builds them into what ultimately becomes a full-functioning cadet and adult.”