Veterans Day

I was an SP-4 in the Army Security Agency from 1961 through 1964, and spent 18 months in Asmara, Eritrea, East Africa as a radio traffic analyst. This was long before the days of satellites. There were two football field sized grids of high antennas that allowed us to intercept Middle Eastern radio traffic.

We worked 24/7 and copied messages from Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba, among other traffic from that part of the globe. Asmara was quite high in elevation and one would often pass through clouds on our way down to the Red Sea at Massawa for rest and relaxation.

Asmara had been built up by the Italians during their occupation up until after World War II. When I was there, it was just beginning a slow state of decline, as almost all of the Italians who ran and maintained it had been forced to leave. It was a wonderful little town with tree-lined avenues and an ideal climate that stayed around 80 degrees. There was a short rainy season when it would pour for an hour or two, then the sun would come out and it would be another beautiful day. The people were friendly, though curious of what we were doing there which, of course, was top secret at that time.

Asmara was considered a hardship post, but we were able to take MAT’s flights to anywhere in the world (except home) on our leaves. Houseboys made our beds, shined our shoes and cleaned the barracks. The food was excellent. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, there was a traditional roast pig complete with an apple in its mouth. Jack Daniels Black was 20 cents a shot and we consumed more vodka than any of the far larger posts in the European theatre. Smirnoff flew to our small base (there was only a few hundred of us) and threw us a party complete with a bathtub full of free vodka and adjacent tables stocked with orange juice. I will never forget that night. There were many others I could not remember on the following mornings.

I just graduated college and turned 21 when I enlisted. Vietnam was going on in full swing at that time, and I feel guilty about how easy it was for us, though many of the men were miserably homesick. I wasn’t. I loved the local people and was able to visit Jerusalem, Germany, Greece, Egypt and a host of other places. I have never since had so many friends, such great food, inexpensive booze and free travel to exotic places. It was one of the happiest, most carefree times of my life.

After my discharge, I went back to college and the government paid my way through a master’s degree. I wish that military experience could be as good for all of our enlisted men and women. I was one of a few who got very, very lucky.