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Rubbing Elbows with the D.C. Crowd
While serving in the military, Hattiesburg cardiologist Ben Carmichael was a member of a medical team that attended President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower, who was recovering from a heart attack, died in 1969, shortly after Carmichael left Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.
"President Eisenhower was such a gentleman, so nice and polite. No matter what time of day or night you went to see him, he was always gracious and thanked you for your time. He knew the right way to talk to people, and was elected president partly by being at the right place at the right time," said Carmichael, who cherishes a framed letter of appreciation given to him by Eisenhower.
At his next military stop – Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas – Carmichael attended President Lyndon B. Johnson.
"Once or twice, I went with the team doctor to check on President Johnson at the LBJ ranch near Austin. We'd board a Huey helicopter and off we'd go. LBJ always wanted to be president. He was definitely not the gentleman. He was a very rough man, a big Texan."
Carmichael said both world leaders had completely different personalities and approaches to life, yet quickly added that "Mrs. Eisenhower and Mrs. LBJ were gracious ladies in every respect."
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