his name was jack sherwood. and there were only two secret service agents on that detail, by the way, who traveled with my parents. they had a staff of five people. my mother had no assistant. they were gone 70 days. they were in 17 countries, including vietnam, korea, iran, pakistan, afghanistan, 12 other countries. but, anyway, jack sherwood wrote in his diary, you know, the nixons are really shaking things up because they're not doing what is expected diplomatically of these usual trips. they're stopping their motorcade. they're getting out. they're shaking hands with people, rich and poor. they're meeting with labor leaders. they're meeting with agitators. they're meeting with communists. they're mingling. they're mixing. and that was that people to people contact of the good will trips that made them so effective. and that's why eisenhower sent them to all four continents in the next eight years. so that's the context of how my mother started out as the ambassador of good will with my father. >> dawn, you -

but anyway, jack sherwood wrote in his diary, the nixons are really shaking things up because they are not doing what is expected diplomatically of these usual trips. they are stopping their motorcade, they are getting out, they are shaking hands with people, rich and poor, they are meeting with labor leaders, they are meeting with quote -- unquote agitators and communists. they mingling and mixing. it was the people to people contact of the goodwill trips that made them so effective. that's why eisenhower was sent to all four continents in the next eight years. that's the context of how my mother started out as the ambassador of goodwill with my father. >> don, you -- julie mentioned the five staff members in the first term they traveled with. you joined the vice president's staff as a military aid early in the second term as vice president. i wonder if you could tell us a little bit about how you came to that position and kind of what the role was. and what was travel like for the vice presidential party during those years? >> well, i would like to, first of all, straighten the pacif