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Former DEA Administrator Peter Bensinger at the DEA Museum.
The DEA Museum collects oral histories from retired agents and employees to preserve and share DEA’s story. In 2021 Deputy Director Steve Stuart traveled to the annual conference for the Association of Federal Narcotics Agents (AFNA) to conduct interviews. This essential work adds new voices to the Museum’s growing collection and ensures that DEA agents and employees participate in preserving their history.
An impressive slate of speakers welcomed conference attendees to sunny Orlando, Florida. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram greeted guests by video. DEA Museum Director Jan McKay Wrzesinski delivered a special introduction to the newly renovated Museum, also by video. She encouraged viewers to visit its reimagined exhibits in Arlington, Virginia, share their stories with staff, and consider donating artifacts, photographs, videos, or documents to the collection.
Between catching up with past colleagues and celebrating AFNA’s award recipients, former agents and employees met with Stuart to reflect on their careers. Among them was former DEA Administrator Peter Bensinger, whose wealth of knowledge and deep respect for DEA left a lasting impression on the Museum’s deputy director. Bensinger recalled his service under three U.S. presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. His long, distinguished career is now one of many stories preserved in the Museum’s collection.
While the conference has ended, the Museum’s work of collecting oral histories continues. Retired agents and employees are encouraged to leave a lasting legacy by contributing their own stories to the collection. Online meeting platforms also make recording those who cannot travel to Arlington or AFNA’s events easier. Every virtual and in-person interview adds valuable perspectives to DEA’s dynamic history, and Stuart is eager to collect more.
Special thanks to DEA’s audiovisual team for its vital part in recording oral histories at the conference.