I Was An ASA Vietnam War Resister

PROLOGUE I decided to write this book, “I Was an ASA Vietnam War Resister,” because there is a vast and hidden history of the Vietnam War—an untold story of secrets, shadows, and moral conflict—known only to those who served behind the scenes. The years 1966 through 1968 were among the most turbulent in American memory, a time when the world seemed to be teetering on the edge of chaos, and the truth was often a casualty of war. Most Americans, both then and now, remain unaware of what truly unfolded during those years, of the clandestine operations, the war time wrenching choices being made, and the heavy silence that fell over those who served in intelligence. I didn’t read about these things in newspapers or see them dramatized on television. I lived them. I served in the United States Army Security Agency, a secretive branch of military intelligence that operated in the shadows, tasked with intercepting and decoding enemy communications across the globe. Our motto was “SEMPER VIGILANS”—Latin for “Ever Vigilant”—and our mascot was an American eagle, cartoonishly rendered but deadly serious, sporting headphones and hunched over a radio set, eternally listening for secrets. During those years, I came to possess knowledge that few outside our circles would ever hear. I was entrusted with top-secret information—operational details, battle plans, and the coded whispers of war. And yet, as the conflict escalated and the body count climbed, I found myself grappling with a sense of disillusionment and outrage. In early February of 1968, with the war raging and casualties mounting—more than 500,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Vietnam, over 20,000 already killed, and more than 80,000 wounded—I made a choice that would change my life forever. In the early evening in San…