Ever met a spook? What were they like? Growing up at the cottage there was

On September 5, 1975, President Gerald Ford, who had just given a speech at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, walked across a park where a crowd had gathered.<3> A woman in a red dress, who later was identified as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, was seen following Ford while he was shaking hands.<4><3> Upon seeing a Colt M1911 pistol, Secret Service Special Agent Larry Buendorf stepped in front of Ford. Buendorf yelled "Gun!", alerting the other agents who evacuated Ford. He pulled the gun away and wrestled the woman to the ground, in the process slightly injuring his thumb and hand while placing the webbing of his thumb between the gun's cocked hammer and the slide of the pistol.<3>

For his role in preventing the assassination attempt on President Ford, Buendorf was awarded the U.S. Treasury Meritorious Service Award and the United States Secret Service Valor Award.<1>

During the years after the assassination attempt, Buendorf and President Ford maintained telephone contact every year on the September 5th anniversary of the attack. He also visited the former President and skied with him on occasion.<2><5>