Three-Time Presidential Secret Service Agent Ken Valentine

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Ken Valentine, a former US Secret Service agent who protected three presidents (Clinton, Bush, Obama) over 24 years. Valentine discusses his childhood in rural Indiana, following his FBI agent father’s footsteps, his decision to pursue Secret Service over the FBI, battling Crohn’s disease in college, and the lengthy hiring process (1992-1996) before beginning training. He also shares perspectives on faith, carry preferences influenced by his protective service background, and serves on the board of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Key takeaways

• Valentine’s father, an FBI agent, steered him toward Secret Service rather than the FBI, recognizing Valentine would benefit from variety and action over specialized investigation work
• Valentine credits his stable, two-parent childhood and strong role models (father and uncle both in federal law enforcement) as foundational to his career success
• Valentine had Crohn’s disease requiring colon surgery in college but reports doctors can no longer find traces of it; he carries concealed firearms prioritizing concealability over caliber, a mindset Valentine attributes partly to his Secret Service experience
• The Secret Service hiring process took Valentine four years (1992-1996) involving multiple relocations and jobs including UPS, parole officer, and insurance claims adjuster before finally being hired

Episode details: published July 14, 2024 · 451.1K views · 3:38:20 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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