Former Vice President Dick Cheney, 84, in Wyoming.

His legacy as a statesman is steeped in war — as Defense Secretary during Operation Desert Storm then as Vice President during the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today, Melanie Burkholder is a mental health counselor and Carlsbad City Council Member. But 20 years ago, she was a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting senior George W. Bush Administration officials.

Although based in Los Angeles, she says she worked a lot with Cheney, often during his visits to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

She remembers him as an avid outdoorsman.

"He really loved being outdoors and in nature," Burkholder said Wednesday. "Just a complete family man at the end of the day."

Because she was based on the West Coast, Burkholder mostly spent time with Chen

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