Guam native Glen Tmekei Peterson is first Palauan in Secret Service

Glen Tmekei Peterson is a Guam son who also happened to be the first person of Palauan descent to be sworn-into the U.S. Secret Service. Now he oversees field operations in several states, to include Washington and Alaska. Joan Aguon Charfauros has more on the special agent.

Peterson recalls the moment when President Ronald Reagan visited Guam in 1984. "I think I was just in middle school and going to the airport and just seeing Air Force One land and President Reagan coming off and doing her speech....just looking around and seeing the security. I remember looking on the roof and seeing the snipers and seeing all the secret service and thinking wow, this is pretty cool," he said.

Little did Peterson know that some twenty years later he would be sworn in as a secret service agent. Peterson, who was born and raised on Guam, currently serves as a special agent in charge of Secret Service operations in Washington, Oregon, Northern Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Formerly of Tamuning and a 1989 graduate of George Washington High School, he is also the first person of Palauan descent to be sworn into the secret service. 

The 51-year-old says when he was considering becoming a federal agent, he did his research of different agencies and was quite interested in the type of work the FBI and secret service did.

"Secret Service specifically because of our dual mission - investigations and protection. So, looking for something a bit challenging, that drew me to that agency more," he said.

Peterson has a background in law enforcement and it definitely prepared him for his role in the secret service, saying, "Right out of college my first job was working for Outrigger hotels in Hawaii and I eventually joined the Honolulu Police Department briefly....I found that pretty interesting."

When asked if he has any memorable moments in his career, a couple came to mind. "The first time I ever protected the president of Palau- that was pretty cool for me. I was a brand new agent, I think it was in 2002, the president at the time was Tommy Remengeseau, so he put me on the president of Palau's details and I have to prove myself to my boss....I believe you now and anything you tell me now from now on, I'll believe what you say," he said.

"Another memorable moment was back in 2016, I was covering President Obama's visit to Midway Island, it's a very  historical site, I was in charge of providing logistics. It was just a pretty cool place to be, there's no cars on that island, so we did our advance on bicycles so that was very unique."

He says that he could not do what he does with the incredible support of his family.  "Starting from my grandparents, my parents, my siblings, my wife and kids now...I still have my network of friends and family on Guam and Palau-I rely on them for support too. I think these are attributes that really make us who we really are, anywhere we end up in the world, we always have home to reach out to and get that support. Everyone is always so encouraging to me, no matter where I end up. I think that sense of community, I think that makes it easy for us to get into the civil service or military, we understand the importance of serving those we care about.," he said.

And he offers this, "Don't ever feel you're not good enough to fulfill your dreams. I know that growing up on Guam you have limited access to certain things. But when I look back, and growing up there around family and friends who up to this day I still feel very close to- I wouldn't change that for the world. I think you really should set goals and you'll be very surprised at what you can accomplish, just be sure to reach for the stars and never give up. I also think.finding your voice is very important.  don't second guess yourself, be confident in everything you do because I consider us as Pacific Islanders, we're very special people- our island heritage, we bring a unique outlook."