I have always found just as much enjoyment in recognizing the achievements and accomplishments of others as those of my own. I also consider myself rich with friends, many who have gone on to achieve the highest levels of success in their chosen fields. Some are physicians, others have been politicians or sportswriters and then there are those whose service was perhaps even more impactful, but remained anonymous to most. One such person is my long-time friend Jim Napolitano, known by his close friends as “Nappi.”
It was years after moving back to New York from Texas our lives reconnected through a “mutual friend.” My wife and I had a special events company at the time that catered to many well-known politicians and high profile clients and one such client asked us to handle the event for her daughter’s wedding at their mansion on Long Island’s north shore, also known in many of author Nelson DeMille’s books as “The Gold Coast.” President George H.W. Bush was supposed to be in attendance and wasn’t able to be present so he sent his son Neil to represent the family. While setting up one of the arrangements on the home’s grand staircase Neil Bush walked over and introduced himself to me while complimenting us on the work we were doing. I then asked him if he was from Houston and shared with him that I thought we had a mutual friend in common, Jim Napolitano, who at this time was part of the team protecting the Bush family. To my surprise, Neil Bush said to me, “You know Nappi?” Before I knew it I was sitting on the staircase with Neil Bush and the Secret Service agents sharing stories of my summer escapades with Nappi.
Years passed and during that time Jim went through the ranks with the Secret Service starting as a Criminal Investigator, where he was moved through different squads for exceeding quotas of arrests and closed cases, and then to the “West African Task Force” where his responsibility was to thwart and arrest Soviet-backed Nigerians who were fraudulently obtaining birth certificates and drivers licenses to obtain numerous credit cards to buy and sell merchandise illegally. However, this is just the tip of Jim’s illustrious career. “Agent Napolitano” was selected to work on a task force that investigated “The Supernote”, a far superior counterfeit note being used by Middle East terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaida, and was successful in helping standing up the Supernote Task Force that was comprised of the U.S. Secret Service, CIA, and DEA. He was the 160th agent to ever become part of the elite Counter Assault Team under the Presidential Protection Division, which included “training with the Tier 1 Special Operations Forces”. He was a Rescue Swimmer for Presidents George H.W. Bush 41, George W. Bush 43, and Bill Clinton and their families. He was only 1 of 42 agents to be a member of both the C.A.T. and Rescue Swimmer Teams. He went on to be an instructor in Control Tactics and Rescue Swimming, further becoming manager in Water Safety and Emergency Medicine, among other courses he directed for Special Agents.
As if this isn’t an impressive enough background during his 23 years as a Secret Service Special Agent, Jim has protected three Presidents and their families and was personally instructed by President Reagan to make sure he and his team provided the utmost protection for Presidential Candidate Reverend Jessie Jackson. Since retiring from the Secret Service, Jim was Security Representative for Marathon Oil, traveling throughout the Middle East safeguarding the employees and their assets. In June of 2013 he took his vast array of skill sets and went on to become Chief of Police for the City of Montgomery, Texas for six years.
Recalling the events of 9-11, Jim shared with me that at that time he was the Resident Agent in charge of the Waco Resident Office. Jim was responsible for security around the President’s Crawford Ranch which was known as the “Western White House.” He was responsible for “hundreds of agents, arranging staff, military assets and other governmental entities,” according to an article written in the Montgomery County (Texas) newspaper “Golden Hammer.”
“I was at Baylor University’s Rec Center,” Jim recalled, “when I saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center and immediately changed into my battle dress uniform…I called the ranch and there was no answer on any of the lines which was highly unusual and increased our level of high alert….I was able to get in touch with the Major in charge of the DPS regional office in Waco and requested as many troopers he could spare. Two agents and several Texas State Troopers raced to the ranch….Upon arrival two agents who were allowing various construction trucks entry into the ranch for ongoing work being performed told us how the construction crews had accidentally cut the power to the ranch and it was currently being reconnected.” In the meantime, Jim had been in contact with the team and President Bush, who had been in Sarasota reading to second-grade school children and upon being briefed of the attack, had been immediately rushed onto Airforce One. Jim recalls hearing the President expressing his frustration that he wanted to get back to Washington D.C., not circling for hours in Air Force One out of harm’s way. While President Bush and Airforce One were on high alert, Jim was equally frustrated and wanted to head to the areas of attack, but headquarters and the FAA said they were expecting “inbound (flights) coming to the ranch.” With the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on fire, and Flight 93 supposedly headed for Camp David before turning into a different location, Washington and Waco both weren’t options for the President to land. I remember calling Jim that day and asking if they were safe, and him saying, “Gary, I can’t stay on the phone we’re expecting incoming.”
Firefighter Tim Brown in the meantime was able to make it to the Command Post when the south tower fell and fortunately, he and the Command Structure were able to escape. Upon hearing this story, I couldn’t help but think how some people run from adversity while others like Jim and his family run to preserve the lives of others.
As much as I intended to embrace this theme, I found I was continually approached by many asking how to navigate a real estate market that seems more like a runaway train. What started as their euphoric journey to a new beginning has become anything but, as we are experiencing what has become a feeding frenzy. Wasn’t March supposed to come in like a lion, marking the beginning of spring, and exiting like a lamb? If that is the case, then April and May must be monsters and our “Spring” has more than sprung. Of course, I am referencing the real estate market and not the weather, as by all accounts our temperatures this season have been some of the most enjoyable we’ve experienced in a long time.
Spring is a wonderful time of year and this year it is even more special as not only are flowers and trees coming into full bloom but so are we as a community now that many of the restrictions that have governed much of our lives for the past year are being lifted. The lesson we learned from the “pause” the pandemic forced on us was to enjoy each other and the pleasures life gives us. If we’ve learned our lessons from the past we don’t need to panic every time we encounter something we’ve never experienced before. Spring is in full bloom this season and perhaps more bright and full of appreciation and hope than ever before.
Recently we had dinner with a couple who introduced Gail and me on a blind date 35 years ago. They are from New York where the husband has had a jewelry business in the heart of New York’s Diamond District for many years. We were dining outside in St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota and this couple was looking around like two kids entering Disney World, amazed at the number of people out and about enjoying the shops, restaurants, and beautiful evening weather. They had been to Florida many times before but this time was extra special as New York has been shut down to a large degree, and according to the husband, New York City has become a ghost town of sorts with rising crime rates and the closure of many businesses. However, despite the depressing news from New York, our conversations are always full of laughter as the husband has an uncanny sense of humor and like most wives, she just rolls her eyes.
While many have grown depressed being quarantined in their homes for months up north, the husband has maintained his sense of humor. He said, “You try to get creative, and when weather permits, you try to make the most of your time outdoors.” Being an avid tennis player who also enjoys the game of golf I asked, what other things he had tried. He replied, “Skeet shooting.” Detecting the puzzled look on my face he said, “I thought I’d give it a try….As a Jew we don’t hunt, we order in, but I figured it was something new and different. Unfortunately, birds were dropping from the trees and a plane fell out of the sky, but while I seemed to hit everything else, I couldn’t hit those clay pigeons.” I was so glad he hadn’t lost his sense of humor!
found it amazing to see the change in perspective as years ago Florida was only seen as a place to retire, and now couples like our friends are giving serious consideration to possibly making the move themselves in the not too distant future, which we couldn’t be happier if they did. What I also found interesting is most of the husband’s Florida clients are in the Palm Beach area, which years ago seemed like the place they would eventually relocate, however, they shared with us how they wanted to get away from the stress, congestion, and the “personalities” they deal with daily and are finding southwest Florida provides everything they could want. I have to agree as I still find myself wondering in amazement that we live in a place people come to vacation.
While most people would like to talk about themselves, Gary and Gail have always put their clients first, and their diverse backgrounds have provided their clients an unparalleled level of service and knowledge throughout the past years.