A few
comments on life in the ASA/NSA
Being associated with the ASA/NSA was generally
stressful due to the sensitivity and confidential nature
of the mission. For instance, I received several
commendations from the NSA but I have no idea what most of
them were for as that was classified! Guessing there is a
folder in some file cabinet in an NSA basement with my
name on it with stuff like that in it. We were not allowed
to talk about what we did outside of closely controlled
environments and were debriefed for 30 years when we were
discharged from the service, which means we could discuss
nothing about our work during that time. That is part of
the reason that information about what we did is
fragmentary and efforts were started in the early 2000s by
ex-ASAers to attempt to document the operational history
of our organization, especially in SE Asia.
We could not be put under anesthesia without another
soldier with a similar level clearance standing next to
our unconscious body to make certain we did not
inadvertently reveal any classified information. There
were several travel restrictions, countries we were not
allowed to visit even after discharge from service. We
were trained to closely monitor attempts to contact us or
form relationships with those outside of our small
intelligence community. Twice, members of my team were
abducted (both men survived and were recovered) and there
was a bounty on our lives in more than one war zone. I
later ran into one of those men on the factory floor of
Caterpillar Building X in East Peoria, IL! On a few
occasions, I was "issued" amphetamines in protracted
operations.
It was obvious that we each had one or more handlers
inside the NSA as our performance was closely monitored.
At least, that was my experience, based on how actively my
work was scrutinized and commented on.
It was not unusual for ASAers to "break" under the strain
in this environment and there were a few well known
indicators of such a progression that made their team
members start watching folks exhibiting these "symptoms"
out of the corner of their eyes as this infrequently led
to a violent episode.
So, it was an environment which lent itself to a certain
level of mistrust and paranoia. After I ETSed from the
Army, I was recruited by the CIA but only read the
application they sent up to page nine of twenty five,
before I tossed it. I assume that attempt was because of
my security clearance and past association with the NSA?
Vetting someone for a Top Secret+ security clearance
is a lengthy, expensive process. At any rate, it was not a
way life that I wanted to continue to live.
Return to Top of Page