Author Description

Two parts M*A*S*H, one part Animal House, and a dash of Catch-22. That was life at the U.S. Army Security Agency (ASA) Cold War listening post atop Snow Mountain during the mid-1960s. ASA recruited the brightest of enlistees into its ranks of linguists, intelligence analysts, and technicians from late 1945 until it was absorbed into the Intelligence and Security Command at the end of 1976. Many recruits were college dropouts or flunk-outs. Most were reluctant soldiers who volunteered for ASA instead of being drafted into the infantry. Some served on remote mountaintops like Schneeberg on the West German border with the Communist bloc. Discipline was lax at these outposts, and alcohol and immaturity sometimes led to incidents and adventures that would strain the credulity of by-the-book soldiers. This book peeks behind the curtain of secrecy that screened the men of these ASA detachments from the "real" Army. Come join Jolly Ollie, Whiskey Man, Lurch, and other misfits as they soldier ASA-style through a year at a border site. You'll probably be a little sad when it comes time for you to leave, but you will have enjoyed your visit.