You never know who you might run into at a Hyatt hotel, and for Earl Smith, an encounter on the job at Hyatt Regency Austin years ago is one he'll remember forever.

While in the hotel elevator with then Senator Barack Obama, Earl gifted the Senator a military patch he had treasured for 40 years from his uniform during service in Vietnam. Years later, he learned that President Obama still carries that patch with him in his pocket. As Washington Post reporter Karen Tumulty...