Article from when President came to MS

Bush whisked to Canton to promote Social Security changes

By Andy Kanengiser
akanengiser@clarionledger.com

As Air Force One landed at 11:16 a.m. today in Jackson, word spread through the crowd waiting to glimpse President Bush that another Mississippi Guardsman had died.

After disembarking from the plane, Bush, who will be talking with workers at the Nissan plant in Canton about his plans for Social Security reform, presented the President's Volunteer Service Award to Ruth Wilson of Utica, who served as director of the Governor's Office for Voluntary Citizen Participation under three governors; was a founding member of the agency's successor, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service; and is a member of the Hinds County Mental Health Commission.

Greeting the president when he arrived were Sen. Trent Lott, Gov. Haley Barbour and his wife Marsha, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, 3rd District U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, state Republican Party chairman Jim Herring and state Adj. Gen. Harold Cross.Sen. Thad Cochran accompanied the president on the plane.
About 400 soldiers and military family members are waiting in the dining hall at the National Guard facility to to greet Bush when he departs this afternoon.
"President Bush hopes to speak as many deployed soldiers as possible when he departs the Jackson area at 2 p.m.," Cross said.

After welcoming ceremonies, a motorcade left immediately to take Bush to the Nissan plant, about a 25-minute trip from the Jackson airport.

Among those waiting to see Bush were Staff Sgt. Jerry Windham II, 40, of Florence, who is training rifle rangers from Pennsylvania who will be going over to Iraq pretty soon.
The 21-year Army National Guard veteran says he supports Bush's position in Iraq. "They need to finish with they got started," Windham said.

Army Sgt. Shane Barrentine, 34, of Byram brought his wife Penny and two young boys to see the president.
Barrentine is with the 155th Armored Brigade of the Mississippi Army National Guard. He is on leave but planning to return overseas.

At least a dozen soldiers of the 155th injured by explosive devices in recent weeks.

Staff Sgt. Tommy S. Little of Aliceville, Ala., who died Monday night, was with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 114th field Artillery in Columbus. Little died at Brooks Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle April 19 south of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Tim Powell, Guard spokesman. Little is the 10th Mississippi National Guard soldier to die in the war in Iraq. In all, 24 soldiers with ties to Mississippi have died in the conflict.

Bush, however, is at the Nissan plant to talk about his plans for revamping the Social Security system.

Expected to be with him on stage are DeLois Killen, dispatcher with Union Police Station and a retired fringescress with Midland Shirt Co.; Cynthia Roberts, human resources representative with Nissan North America Inc.; Coley Bailey, part owner of Bailey & Sons in Grenada; Deanie Smith, retired; Samuel Beard, president of Economic Security 2000.

He will be in speaking in the south end of plant, where quality control is done.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------