... but it's been a bit of a thorn in my side at various times over the years. When joining the Army, Vietnam was going strong and ... I'll be honest, I didn't really want to go. I had a good life, hottie girlfriend, even hotter car, I was in college as a Mechanical Engineering major and had a personal job offer from the number two man in command at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas. Life was good and although, at the time, I thought the draft had ruined my life, looking back, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Admittedly, the only reason I joined, was because the mandatory draft was implemented just the year before and I drew a very low number which guaranteed me that I'd be drafted. According to my recruiter, they were drafting Marines for Vietnam at the time. I decided to join, then use the G.I. Bill to complete my education. After my entrance exams, I was approached by an officer who took me into his office, closed the door and in a low voice, asked if I'd be interested in going into Military Intelligence (ASA, the military arm of the NSA). He said I'd had the highest test scores of the whole group that had been tested at the induction station that day and I was the only one being offered the opportunity. The only caveat was, due to all the extra schooling and training, it required a 4-year enlistment instead of the usual 3-years for Regular Army enlistment. (the main reason I chose the Army in the first place - DUH!) He also informed me that there was NO ASA in Vietnam. That sold me and I signed on as a spy!
Ok, I completed my training and was handed my orders for Phu Bai Vietnam! I had learned I wasn't lied to .... our unit was NOT in Vietnam, we actually wore the patch of the unit we were ASSIGNED to and were not ASA, but a "Radio Research Group". I'd been had! But, that's neither here not there, we did our jobs and moved on. When I got out of the military and was debriefed, I was told I was to tell NOBODY about any missions I was assigned to while in country, in fact, we were never to tell anybody we actually WERE in country! I was told ALL knowledge would be classified TOP SECRET (I had the highest clearance available at the time, TOP SECRET CRYPTO) for a minimum of 10 years before it would be declassified ... BUT, some info would never be declassified! When I asked how I'd know what was declassified and what was not, nobody could give me an answer! Oh well. I've got a buddy who lives in Nevada and to this day, he STILL refuses to discuss our missions (even with me) as he thinks his phones are bugged and the NSA is monitoring our cell phones. Goofy, but we've remained close over the years.
Anyway, I just received a message from a Richard F. White - Former Intelligence/Counter Intelligence at U.S. Army (1969–1996). I don't know him personally, but he's a member of a FB group I belong to. It seems we're no longer relegated to the shadows and can now blab about all the worthless info we know! Whoopie-ding! Here's his message and a bit of history. I forgot to mention we were always told to be careful as the VC had a bounty on our heads.
There is a special group of men, who were (and sometimes still are) frequently accused of lying about having served in Vietnam - the men who belonged to the Army Security Agency.
From the first days of the fighting in Vietnam in 1961 until 2016, the fact that members of the Army Security Agency were physically in Vietnam during the War was classified TOP SECRET so we were officially called “Radio Research’. For example, instead of it being the “8th Army Security Agency Field Station” in Phu Bai, it was called the “8th Radio Research Field Station”. (NOTE: After being assigned to the 8th, I was reassigned to the Vietnamese Mission at the 7th RRFS in Thailand)
On December 22, 1961, Specialist 4th Class James Davis, a member of the Army Security Agency, was killed in an ambush in Saigon, making him one of the first American soldiers killed in the Vietnam war - but his family was not allowed to put the words “Army Security Agency” on his tombstone.
By the 1990s, the Army stopped arresting and prosecuting former Army Security Agency men who violated the TOP SECRET classification and had told people they had served in Vietnam.
Prior to declassification, if you told anyone that you had served in Vietnam AND that you had served in the Army Security Agency, people would accuse you of “Stolen Valor” since “the Army Security Agency was not in Vietnam”.
Finally, in 2016, the fact that the Army Security Agency was in Vietnam was declassified.
ASA Vietnam notice 1.jpg
Here's a copy of the actual Vietnamese bounty poster:
ASA Vietnam notice 2.jpg
Translated:
ASA Vietnam notice 3.jpg
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