A recent viral video showed President Barack Obama walking past the Marine standing outside his helicopter, before turning around and walking back to salute him.
It inspired us to look into the elite military unit that handles this work.
Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 does it with complex precision, flying decoy helicopters and support aircraft in addition to the high-tech custom bird that holds the president.
HMX-1 has been doing it for more than 50 years with zero mishaps.
National Geographic took a rare behind-the-scenes look at the unit in 2008. We've broken out the highlights.
Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 was founded in 1947, initially to develop helicopter tactics in warfare
Dwight Eisenhower was the first president to fly in a helicopter, during this ride to Camp David in July 1957
Just a few months later, Eisenhower was vacationing in Rhode Island when he was needed at the White House. Rather than make the 45 minute drive to Air Force One, he took an HMX-1 helicopter that was on standby nearby in case of emergencies. The trip took just seven minutes
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