On President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday, his Secret Service detail reflects on the assignment of a lifetime

Plains, Georgia — When former President Jimmy Carter exited the White House in 1981, few expected his no-frills hometown of Plains, Georgia — population 557 — to become his launch pad to the world — including his U.S. Secret Service detail. 

"We'd fly from the middle of nowhere Africa all the way back to nearby Americus, Georgia," recalled Alex Parker, longtime Special Agent in Charge of Carter's detail, who traveled to over 140 countries with the 39th president. 

Carter, a peanut farmer turned Navy submariner turned governor turned president turned humanitarian, earned yet another title as he turned 100 years old on Oct. 1. The longest protective mission of the U.S. Secret Service.