I love to go back into my mind and recall those days when all those I worked with knew just who they were and what they stood for. Men, like me, who enlisted into what was then the “Army Security Agency” or (ASA), later to become the U.S. Army “Intelligence and Security Command” or (INSCOM). Each of us knew that we were going to be gathering intelligence, analyze intelligence, and providing what was called the “product” to one of the “Agencies”, depending on who was requesting the data that we would protect with our lives, after all, they were “Secrets” then, unlike today when if one of our spineless servicemen did not pass it to one of our enemies, then certainly today someone in our own “Government” would release it! Oh, to relive those good old days when we all knew the bad guys were really bad and we, the “Americans”, and yes, our Allies, who we would never think of betraying, were the good guys, and we all loved being the good guys…..
When I go back into the depths of my mind, I often think of a couple of things that I have written about before, but during times like this, it is worth going back and reliving some of those days again, actually, I miss them, along with those patriots I was so lucky to have worked with over the years. For me, once trained, it all started when I went to England, married my wife, and would soon go to Greece, then Vietnam, and then I think about traveling to East Africa, on the way we had to fly over Beirut Lebanon, now that was something to recall. Even though it was 1968, Israel and Lebanon were not exactly getting along, and I was not allowed to fly over Egypt and other countries due to what I carried with me, but Lebanon, well, we had to land there for some reason and I recall that landing as well as I would flying into Asmara Ethiopia. There were bomb craters in the runway from Israel shelling Beirut in response to taking fire from them. I tried to imagine the pilot trying to maneuver the aircraft around and/or between the craters and all of us were unsure what to expect as the landing was not one of choice but forced by a very unfriendly Lebanon Government, who made us all get off the craft, leaving all of our belongings behind, then crowding us into a small room where we had to wait as the armed Lebanese soldiers searched the plane, then each of us as we reentered the plane. I was more amazed at how calm my wife was, knowing how afraid she had to be. The unknown is always something that will make the bravest of us feel a little fear, and anyone who denies that is someone who fails to know what the truth is or is ashamed of facing it. But we made it out all together without any further incident and were soon back on our way to the land of thirteen months of sunshine, “Ethiopia”.
Looking back on those days when keeping secrets meant not only keeping yours, but your “Allies” who were with you in this fight against terrorism, oh yea, we had a war on terror even back then, we also had a government who did not compromise our secrets, nor give away our friends secrets to win over an enemy’s favor! I fail to understand what has happened that the general population of the United States of America changed in their thinking, changed enough to elect “Progressives” into power, not only in Congress, both house and senate, but the Whitehouse! Where did we go wrong, this is a rhetorical question that need not be answered, for any answer would be wild speculation and I have had enough of that to fill a life time, the truth is what it is and nothing can change that, only further confuse this simple mind of mine. I can recall standing back to back with men who were men, not afraid to give it all to keep our country safe and secure, never consider selling it out as our own President has done by stabbing our best friend and Ally in the back by giving Britain’s nuclear secrets to the Russians to win over their agreement to sign a new SALT agreement. Why, no how could we do that to our friends, again, a rhetorical question that needs no answer. I worked with the Brits in England, Germany, Greece, East Africa, and places I cannot say. I would be to ashamed to look any of those I worked with in the eye today, they trusted us, as we did them, but I would bet my last dollar bill that they have not sold us out, for any reason. That is not the British way, they have honor, and at one time I know we did as well.
I keep hearing about how our “Intelligence” failed to see what was coming in the Middle East, especially “Egypt”, just as “Intelligence” was to blame for Iraq, and many other failures by our Government. I just don’t buy that, I know what we did, could do, and I know how good we were, and I know with every beat of my heart that our Intelligence men and women did not make mistakes like those they are accused of. No one will ever convince me those wonderful, bright and well trained men and women, who give so much to keep our nation free, make those kinds of mistakes. It just does not happen, not when I was in, and I don’t believe that those wonderful heroes are any different when it comes to making sure they get it right the first time, because in that business you seldom get a second chance! Our failures come from a little higher up than those out in the field. It comes from the “Policy Makers” and they pass the buck to those who put their lives at risk to collect, analyze and disseminate that critical information called “Intelligence” with classifications such as “Confidential”, “Secret”, “Top Secret” with Top Secret having caveats such as SI (Special Intelligence) – That is what I was involved with – and that included “Code Word” classifications which I cannot go into. I worked and trained in most of the disciplines, (SIGINT) – (COMENT) – AND (HUMENT), all very specific and required specialized training, and those I knew in that business were all skilled and effective, and we just did not make mistakes, and although we did not get it all, we seldom failed to get what we had to and that is just a fact! How a government can criticize our Intelligence Community when it is our very Government Officials, from the halls of Congress, to the Whitehouse, that compromise what we should hold sacred, safeguard with our lives, as many of us did, but not those in “high places”, they just point the finger, knowing that we took our oaths far more serious than many of them, so we could not confirm or deny any accusations made as to our successes or failures, and I can tell you that in our day, back in the 20 plus years I served, we did not have the kind of failures our young men and women are accused of today, by those high and mighty “Progressives” who sell out our friends, and even our own wonderful patriot heroes.
I do remember how good it was, and it really was!
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