Military Officer - February 2007 - (Page 84)

encore Top-Secret Mission With high-level security clearances in place, these soldiers are ready for their classiﬁed assignment. But it won’t be mission accomplished without a good laugh. S hortly after Army basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., my ﬁrst assignment began Dec. 6, 1951, with the Army Security Agency (ASA) at Arlington Hall Station in Virginia. This was a former women’s college that had been taken over by the Army during World War II, converted into a small post, and renamed East Coast Headquarters for the ASA. I was assigned to the security guard company, whose mission was to provide security to the post as well as the large buildings, all ringed with double barbed wire and patrolled with troops — and sometimes guard dogs — 24 hours a day. All personnel in our company were required to have a top-secret security clearance, so we thought we were a select group with excellent esprit de corps, and we took pride in our jobs as we shepherded in the hundreds of civilians and military personnel that worked in the buildings. In addition to our regular duties, we were required to be proﬁcient with the Army’s basic weapons and to be qualiﬁed with them accordingly. Our small base had no facility for weapons training, so we had to rely on nearby installations for support. On the eve of small-arms qualiﬁcation, we were briefed on our mission and told we would be leaving the next day. We were warned to keep quiet and not discuss the mission with any of the other troops, as it was a classiﬁed matter. Before dawn the following day, we packed up and were bused through the countryside across Virginia and Maryland. At about sun-up we arrived at a military 84 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2007 post’s carbine ﬁring range. We were stopped by guards at the entrance, and our OIC as well as the NCOICs were required to verify that all troops entering were security-cleared, properly identiﬁed, and informed of the security provisions of this area. In a short time, we zeroed in our M-1 carbines and commenced ﬁring. At about 10 a.m. we ceased ﬁring for a well-deserved break, and most of us lay down on the grass and stretched out. The silence was broken by an all-too-familiar sound that rang out and resounded through the nearby trees. It was a sound I will never forget: The Good Humor ice cream man had arrived. He drove up — unescorted — playing music and ringing bells, ready for business. We all roared with laughter, my best buddy Joe rolling on the ground in hysterics. Needless to say, it was some time before we could compose ourselves to resume ﬁring. Upon departure, we discovered we were at Fort Meade, Md., and on our return to Arlington Hall, we had some more jolly laughs about the “top-secret mission” worthy of our security clearance. MO — James H. Yandle is a retired Army major. He is an active member of the Portsmouth (Va.) Chapter. For submission information, see page 18. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - February 2007

Military Officer - February 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Building Stability Reaching Out, Reaching Up 5 Tax-Season Strategies A Capital Event MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index Member Books Sounding Taps MOAA Calendar Encore

Military Officer - February 2007

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