The image of the FBI has always been one of stuffiness, little personality, and an all business attitude. Having met and worked with several agents over the years, I can say they did everything they could to maintain such a persona.
And I have to be honest, I was never much a fan.
Then I met Jack Owens, retired FBI agent and author of yesterday’s book that I reviewed, Don’t Shoot! We’re Republicans!.
Jack is the exact opposite of what you expect in a former FBI agent. Funny and quick-witted, I forgot that I was interviewing someone who no doubt has access to all my darkest secrets, my library check-out history, and the insurmountable number of traffic violations I’ve accumulated over the years.
So I wondered, “Have I misjudged these guys all these years?” Seems I may have. According to Jack, “Agents have wonderful senses of humor behind the scenes, which the public does not always see because we tend to be all business and professional doing interviews and appearing before the media. We look starchy in our suits and wingtips, but the humor is there.”
Good to know, Jack. If my next opportunity to be in the presence of the FBI isn’t while I’m under arrest, I’ll try to get him or her to crack a smile or two.
But enough about the Bureau, they get enough publicity. I wanted to talk about Jack, the man.
Jack is the father of six children. Many times while their Dad was out saving society, they were home making their own sacrifices. But his hard work and pride in his career influenced at least two of children; middle son, Duane, is an agent with the Washington field office. And one daughter would like to join the Bureau but is first dedicating herself to husband and children; such dedication no doubt learned from her father as well.
So how did he manage a job that demands so much of its agents and still find time to raise such wonderful kids. “Although I experienced odd hours at work, my children came first. I wanted them to know that they came first,” says Jack. He continued by saying that children of law enforcement officers should take pride in their parents profession and accomplishments, but they should also expect, even demand, an attentive parent. “Not a parent who lives solely for The Job,” he said.
That’s great advice. So simple, yet so true.
While I’m willing to give Jack a lot of credit (except for his love of Alabama Crimson Tide football which is HUGE no-no in my book of BIG ORANGE Volunteers), somehow I don’t think he learned that on his own. I’d be willing to bet he learned many of those heart lessons from the women in his life. And Jack has many women. More than most men would could ever imagine dealing with on a daily basis.
In addition to his three daughters, Jack is married to Patricia, his second wife and mother of his three youngest children. He and Pat also have a good friendship with his ex-wife Ginni, mother of his three oldest children who is now retired and living in North Carolina. Jack tells me, “We are good friends, reveling in the glories of our three sons and six, soon to be seven, grandchildren. My three daughters with Pat love Ginni and she loves them back.”
Well, color me impressed. Really. In a time where there are so many stories of exes murdering exes, new spouses fighting with ex spouses and vice versa, and children abused by their stepparents, it is so refreshing to see a blended family that is truly blended and making it work. I admire it.
Of course, I wonder if Ginni isn’t just thrilled to let another woman deal with Jack’s “moxie.” She had to deal with more than her fair share even before he was sworn in.
And God bless Patricia for being the one willing to take him on. I know what it’s like to live with a man who sees the humor in everything, and sometimes it’s not easy.
While Jack looks toward the brighter side of things, there is a serious side to the man also. Take for example, September 11, 2001. “Our Pearl Harbor,” Jack says. Even though he was two years into retirement, he (like most Americans) took it as a personal affront and begged, along with hundreds of other agents, to be reactivated. Unfortunately, they was turned down.
So what does a man, who spent the biggest portion of his life fighting crime, do when his country is being attacked and the FBI won’t let him do what he can to fight back? “I went back to my hummingbird feeders,” he says.
What else could he do?
Maybe jot down some words in a notebook that he wants to use in a future book? Like, “maharajah; boiled camel hump; goosepimples; a frown in a suit; praying mantises; jerked buffalo; foppery and display; lustrous eyes; clusterfuck; ‘scuse me; hoop-dee-doo,” just to name a few – and those are just the ones he couldn’t find room for in a book.
If you haven’t already, grab a copy of Don’t Shoot! We’re Republicans and learn more about this all American, Alabama lovin’, crime fighting, women’s advocate, funny man known as Jack Owens.
