My brother, Bob, enlisted into the Army in 1966 and after completing Basic at Fort Ord, he was sent to Fort Devens for ASA training. He was initially trained as a slow speed Morse Interceptor. Bob applied for OCS and was given a class date, so he became un-deployable.
The Army changed their policy about allowing HS graduates to be eligible for commissions. Bob was placed into a holding company and attended fast speed Morse interceptor and Hanoi Dialect Vietnamese training. After not being deployed for a almost a year, my brother signed a waiver allowing him to be deployed.
Bob was sent to Udorn AFB in Thailand and my Mom sent me a hometown news release about his assignment. I was stationed at the Third Mobile Strike Force Command (B-36) as a recon team leader at the time.
I took my R&R to Bangkok and tried to call Bob to invite him to come to Bangkok and party with me. I went to the US Embassy and tried to call him on the Military landline. I went through 3 different LD stations (Karat, LD) before I was connected with Udorn’s Base operator. I told the operator that I was trying to reach my Brother and that I didn’t know his unit number but that he was in ASA. The line went dead. I tried all afternoon to get through and every time I reached Udorn the Line went Dead!
That night I was in my Hotel Room getting ready to go out, when there was a knock at my door. Two guys in cheap suits, Military low quarter shoes and GI haircuts were standing there . They showed me MI Credentials and asked to come in. Once they closed the door, one of them asked me if it was me that violated National Security by stating on an unsecure land line that my brother was in an ASA unit.
He told me that it is classified that ASA operates outside of the US and West Germany. I showed him the Hometown News Release that my Mom had mailed to me and told him that the Merced Sunstar had received the release from the PIO at Fort Devens. That was the last that I heard of the issue!
Mike
B-36
ASA
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