Military service lets security officer witness history-making moments

Military recruiting promotions promise troops they will get to see the world and make memories that will last a lifetime.

They undersold the experience to Darrin Sides.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department detective saw the world from his security forces post on Air Force One, responsible for protecting federal officials such as the secretaries of State and Defense, the first lady, congressional delegations and Vice President Al Gore.

"The high point of my military career was getting to travel along with the vice president, going places I never thought I'd go to," Sides said, ticking of a few of the locales — Moscow, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. "Being that close to history as it developed ... I went to Israel on the 50th anniversary of Israel and got to see the prime minister of Israel walking with the vice president of the United States. All of those experiences are really cool. They are something I would never have dreamed when I joined that I would be doing, and during that time, I just had to kind of pinch myself every day to make sure it was real."

Early military career

Darrin SidesCourtesy Cape Girardeau Police Department

Sides, a Cape Girardeau native, graduated from high school in Canada and began formulating a plan to pay for higher education. The plan led him to join the military in 1990, and he opted for the Air Force. After completing basic training, he continued military training as a security police officer. From 1990 to 1995, he was stationed in Germany, and then he spent four years stationed at Andrews Air Force Base — the airfield component of Joint Base Andrews, the base from which many of the nation's top military and civilian leaders travel around the world.

After a 14-year break from the military, Sides joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2013, deploying overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Earlier this year, he separated from the Guard and joined the Air Force Reserve.

He serves as a tech sergeant in the security forces.

Sides said his military service provided him with many life lessons, with one standing out.

Darrin Sides, second from right, is seen at Andrews Air Force Base as Secretary of Defense William Cohen boards an aircraft. Sides said his posting allowed him to travel the world, ultimately serving as a security officer for Vice President Al Gore.Courtesy Darrin Sides

"Integrity, the benefits of being a person who holds integrity dear, the important of having high integrity," he noted. "That's been a real trait that carried forward in my civilian life, and it has really served me well. It's trying to do the right thing every time even when nobody is looking over my shoulder."

The detective contended that is especially true for those in law enforcement.

"If you're not a person of integrity, you don't belong in law enforcement, and if you do make it in law enforcement, and you don't have high standards for yourself, I don't think you will last very long," he said. Sides also said military experience puts life into perspective.

"The small things don't stress you out much because you are focused on the big things. You don't let the small things get to you as much," he noted. "I think focusing on goals is important. Once you have a goal in mind, you find a way to get it done. I think it's that never-give-up attitude that has carried through."

Sides started his law enforcement career in 2004 in California at Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

"California was a lot of fun, but it was also very expensive," he said.

After returning to Missouri, Sides has worked for agencies in Scott County and Sikeston, Missouri, as well as two stints at Cape PD. He has 17 years' experience in the field.

Using the G.I. Bill, Sides is pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice and is about halfway through the program. He said he is taking his education slowly, following the advice of his wife to balance life, work and school.