White House ornament celebrates Army aviation

“The White House does not belong to the people who live there,” Steward McLaurin told the crowd assembled in the Army Aviation Museum on Fort Rucker Monday, Sept. 23. “It belongs to all of you.”

McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1961 with a mission of enhancing the public's understanding and appreciation of the White House.

Funding for the White House Historical Association comes from the sale of publications and gift items and private and corporate contributions.

Since 1981 the White House Historical Association has designed, manufactured and sold the Official White House Christmas Ornaments, each year featuring one of the United States presidents.

This year the featured president is President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the official Christmas ornament is a miniature replica of the VCH-34 Army One helicopter that transported Eisenhower during his two terms as president. Eisenhower was the first sitting president to fly in a helicopter.

The original white-topped VCH-34 Army One is housed in the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker. The first Army presidential pilot was then-Maj. William A. Howell of Ozark, who went on to become the U.S. Army Aviation Museum's first curator. Howell’s niece Karen Stewart and her husband, Mike, were present at the ceremony Monday during which Gov. Kay Ivey and United States Rep. Martha Roby were presented replicas of the official ornament.

The official White House Christmas Ornaments are made each year by a family run, veteran founded business in Rhode Island.

One side of the ornament shows the presidential seal which was featured on the Army One helicopter. It also represents Eisenhower’s two terms as United States Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief.

The other side of the helicopter ornament has five stars, representing Eisenhower’s rank as general when he helped lead United States and Allied Forces to victory in World War II.

“The selection of President Eisenhower’s helicopter as this year’s ornament is especially meaningful to Alabama,” Ivey said. “Not only are we proud to be the home of the original Army One helicopter but we’re also proud to be the home to Lockheed Martin.” Since Eisenhower’s first use in 1957, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, has built the presidential helicopter.

“The Sikorsky helicopter, along with the the rest of the collection of the military aircraft that’s here at Fort Rucker, are a source of pride for all of us in Alabama,” Ivey said. “It’s hard to imagine that Christmas is right around the corner as hot as it is here in Alabama, but I look forward to seeing a little piece of Alabama hanging from a tree during the holidays.”

Roby agreed. “We all know how special and critical Fort Rucker is, not only to the Wiregrass and our state, but to the safety and defense of this great nation,” Roby said. “We all should be incredibly proud that President Eisenhower first began using Army helicopters as a mode of presidential transportation.

“This historic honor by the White House is a true testament to the legacy and continued success of Army Aviation in our country,” she added.

Enterprise Mayor William “Bill” Cooper was among those invited to the commemorative celebration and he commented on the significance of the ornament highlighting the area. “We in Enterprise are celebrating the centennial of the Boll Weevil and the Bicentennial of the state and now we have the honor of the White House Christmas Ornament bringing national attention to our area.

“I think it was such an honor for this ceremony to happen here at the aviation museum on Fort Rucker,” Cooper said with a smile. “So here in Alabama is a very important piece of White House history.”