[Heidi Collins, Cnn Anchor:] Through all the sadness, he stood at her side, a citadel of strength and comfort for a grieving first lady.
[Unidentified Male:] Bless you, Nancy.
[Collins:] Tonight, Major General Galen Jackman. And
[Children:] One nation under God.
[Collins:] One nation under God, the Supreme Court says those words can stay in the classroom and, at least for now, the Pledge of Allegiance will not change. Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us tonight. I'm Heidi Collins. Paula is on assignment in Washington tonight. As the nation mourned the death of President Ronald Reagan, I was struck by one man in particular who was by Nancy Reagan's side almost every time she appeared in public. His name is Major General Galen Jackman. And Paula joins us in Washington now with his story.
[Paula Zahn, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you, Heidi. Throughout the week, we have seen the seamen, privates and airmen who carried the coffin of her husband, but it was Major General Jackman's steady, gentle hand that helped guide Nancy Reagan through her grief.
[Zahn:] In the beginning, they were strangers. By now, you'd imagine they'd become lifelong friends. Major General Galen Jackman was first lady Nancy Reagan's official military escort throughout the weeklong national farewell to her husband. The two first met in California the day after the president passed away. Each step of the way, he was by her side, guiding her through the formalities. He traveled with her to the nation's capital, offering his steady arm as she walked down the street, drawing cheers from a supportive crowd. All week, General Jackman was a tower of strength for her through every emotional moment. He held the former first lady steady as she said goodbye to her husband for the last time. Galen Jackman is 53 years old and commands the Military District of Washington. He is the public face of the unit that oversees all of the ceremonies in and around the capital involving visiting heads of state and high-ranking personnel. And when a veteran is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, his spit-and-polish troops are the pallbearers. He commanded the 4,000 men and women needed for President Reagan's state funeral. just two weeks ago, General Jackman coordinated the dedication of the national World War II Memorial and stood side-by-side President Bush during the 136th observation of Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns. But General Jackman will be best remembered for those six days with Nancy Reagan, a bonding of strangers now linked for all time. And joining me now, Major General Galen Jackman for his first prime-time interview. It's an honor to be with you tonight. Welcome.
[Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman, Commander, Military District Of Washington:] Thanks, Paula.
[Zahn:] When you met Nancy Reagan for the first time, it was basically the day after her husband had died. Was it intimidating to know that she was going to lean on you during such a turbulent time of her life?
[Jackman:] Well, you know, it was a great honor for me to escort her and it was a privilege to represent all of the military men and women in our armed forces. I was confident, because, frankly, we rehearsed this about twice a year, and I also had the great assistance of my mother. I called her early in the process and asked her for some advice on the approach. So, when I met her the first time, I was confident that we were going to get through this in good fashion.
[Zahn:] You knew that, at times, your role would be pretty invasive. So what did your mother tell you to do to make Mrs. Reagan feel comfortable?
[Jackman:] Well, she told me to approach this with love and dignity and respect and play it by ear. She's always been a great one in terms of compassion, and so I've learned a lot from her over the years.
[Zahn:] Did Mrs. Reagan tell you what she needed from you?
[Jackman:] She did. As we progressed a little bit further, I think my instincts grew. I knew how much to tell her and how much not to tell her. She did not want a lot of detail. And so we progressed, I think, very, very well. And after a while, we just went through this without without talking a lot about the major dance steps that we were going to do together.
[Zahn:] Without violating her privacy, what kind of details did she need to know?
[Jackman:] She wanted to know the basic movements. For example, when we arrived out here at the airfield in Washington, she wanted to know, you know, what we were going to do. And I told her basically that we would go up to the head of the cordon, that her husband would be lifted down from the aircraft, and the coffin would be moved through the cordon and loaded on the hearse, and then we would depart, go in the vehicle. She did not need to know a lot of the details of all of the timings and the cues that we were using to make sure it went smooth.
[Zahn:] Describe to us what it was like once the two of you had more interaction with the public. I remember in particular covering the procession, where there was that moment where the only thing you could hear in this hushed crowd was, "We love you, Nancy."
[Jackman:] Well, we often just talked about the tremendous outpouring of support from the American people. I think she was very taken by the support, whether it was the crowds that would say something, or the signs that we would see, or the displays of the American flag, or, frankly, just the numbers of people that we saw out there. And she continued to remark throughout the entire ceremony how touched she was by the outpouring of support from America.
[Zahn:] There was another moment I remember during her early hours in the Rotunda where she walked up to the casket and smoothed out the flag on the casket and then lowered her head onto the casket, as though appearing to be kissing the casket. You were right there beside her. How overwhelmed were you with not only the emotion of what you were witnessing, but certainly the history that you were seeing?
[Jackman:] I think that, when you're close to a lady like that, it was very apparent that she had deep and abiding love for her husband and her family. And that was apparent, I think, in just about everything that she did. She often referred to the president by his first name, Ronnie. You know, where are they going to take Ronnie now, you know? And so, I just had a great appreciation for how deeply in love she was with her husband.
[Zahn:] Did she talk much about that?
[Jackman:] She didn't talk a lot about that, but it was just apparent, I think, in her mannerisms and when she was around her family and some of the things that she discussed with her family. It was very apparent.
[Zahn:] What is it that will be seared into your memory about this experience, the one who had the most intimate contact with Nancy Reagan throughout the week?
[Jackman:] I think that there are a couple. The first is, I am so very proud of our service men and women and our civil servants. We had about 4,000 people that were involved in this ceremony, a total of 11 events from beginning to end. They performed magnificently, and that will always stand out in my mind. I can remember back during the Kennedy funeral watching those soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marine and Coast Guardsmen performing then. And so I was very proud to see that. I think the second thing is, when we left the limousine on Constitution Avenue, when we transferred the casket from the hearse onto the caisson, there was some great outpouring of support, remarks. We talked a little bit about Sergeant York, the horse, her husband's boots there. And that was just a tremendous procession, so I think that was a second. And I think, third, and probably the thing that struck me the most that I wasn't prepared for, was the ride from Point Mugu up to the library on the last day, the numbers of people that were lining the highway. They had signs. They had flags. They had hands over their heart. Some of them were crying, but it was clear that the Californians and America absolutely loved this president. And I think that it was just a tremendous, tremendous time for our country.
[Zahn:] Do you think you and Mrs. Reagan will stay in touch with each other?
[Jackman:] I certainly will. I plan to sit down and write her and tell her, again, what an honor it was for me to escort her.
[Zahn:] Well, it's an honor for us to have you share your story with us tonight. General Jackman, we saw many, many hours of you by her side. Thank you.
[Jackman:] Thank you, Paula.
[Zahn:] Heidi.
[Collins:] Nancy Reagan may have seemed frail during her husband's funeral, but she's leading a vigorous charge for stem cell research.
[Nancy Reagan, First Lady:] There are so many diseases that can be cured or at least helped. We've lost so much time already and I just really can't bear to lose anymore.
[Collins:] The clash between stem cell science and politics just ahead. Then, a bit later, Saudi Arabia was once safe for Westerners. Now the kingdom is plagued with kidnappings and killings. What's happening and why? When we return.