"Sharing can be a way of healing. Grief and loss can isolate,
anger even alienate. Shared with others, emotions unite
as we see we aren't alone. We realize others weep with us."
~Susan Wittig Albert

Through our writing, we walk out of the darkness into the light
together, one small step at a time, recording history, educating
America, and we are healing.
~CJ/Todd Dierdorff



Sunday, June 9, 2013

New Book: Unlikely Warriors


by Lonnie M. Long and Gary B. Blackburn 
Published May 13, 2013 by IUniverse - 488 pages

In early May 1961, a U.S. military aircraft taxied toward a well-guarded terminal building. The plane slowed to a halt; steps were maneuvered up to its side, and the door was pulled open. The tropical night air was heavy and dank, and the moon shone dimly through high thin clouds. 

On board the aircraft were ninety-two members of a specially selected team. The men were dressed in indistinguishable dark suits with white shirts and dark ties, and each man carried a new red U.S. diplomatic passport inside his breast pocket. The men held copies of their orders and records in identical brown Manila envelopes, and each man’s medical records were stamped “If injured or killed in combat, report as training accident in the Philippines.”

In such clandestine fashion, the first fully operational U.S. military unit arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam. The unit was so highly classified even its name was top-secret. It was given a codename, a cover identity to hide the true nature of its mission. The unit’s operation was housed in a heavily-guarded compound near Saigon, and within two days of its arrival, Phase I was implemented. Its operatives were intercepting Viet Cong manual Morse communications, analyzing it for the intelligence it contained and passing the information to the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group-Vietnam. The Army Security Agency was on duty.

Where to Buy Unlikely Warriors:


Amazon Reviews:

Thanks for a Great Account ... 5 Stars
"A great attempt to cover a long, heroic effort by ASA in Vietnam. As a ASA Vietnam lingy safely working at Bien Hoa and Phu Bai from 1969 to 1971, I have nothing but admiration and respect for the guys who lived the war daily in the frontline Direct Support units throughout Vietnam. My sincere thanks to all who helped shine a bit of light on their their many achievements and valor." ~A Respectful Compatriot

An Army of Eagles ... 5 Stars
Exciting, this is an eye witness true story of the secret war fought by the Army's under cover warriors, Lonnie Long shares how he, and his covert warriors, beginning in 1961, kept our forces in the war game, using unusual strategies.  Hard to put down, authentic with photos, actual and factual.


About the Authors:

Lonnie M. Long
was born in North Carolina and served with the Army Security Agency from August 1962 to November 1965. 

After completing ASA training at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, Lonnie served with the 76th Special Operations Unit, Shu Lin Kou Air Station, Taiwan. In 1964, he volunteered for duty in Vietnam and began a fifteen-month tour with the 3rd Radio Research Unit, Aviation Section, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon. 

Gary B. Blackburn is a native Iowan and served with the U.S. Air Force Security Service from April 1961 to November 1964. 

Gary studied Mandarin Chinese at the Institute of Far Eastern Languages, Yale University, followed by assignments to the Joint Sobe Processing Center, Torii Station, Okinawa, working for NSA, and the 6987th Security Group, Shu Lin Kou Air Station, Taiwan.


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Bookmark and Share

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment.