By Carrie C. Causey, Huntersville Herald
DAVIDSON – Lonnie Long and Gary Blackburn wrote the war story that hasn’t been told and many thought never would.
Authors Lonnie Long, standing, and Gary Blackburn hold a signing in Greensboro for their book that chronicles the Army Security Agency’s efforts in the Vietnam War. (Courtesy of Lonnie Long)
Filled with what was previously classified information, Long and Blackburn detail the groups in charge of intercepting and decoding enemy information in the book “Unlikely Warriors: The Army Security Agency’s Secret War in Vietnam 1961-1973.”
Since its release just over a year ago, Long and Blackburn’s book has gained international notoriety, being included in The National Cryptologic Symposium, the J.F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum, Army Security Agency reunions, the International Spy Museum and the War Memorial Museum in Australia.
It was also nominated for the Henry and Anne Paolucci Book Award.
The Army Security Agency was founded in the 1950s and went under the leadership of the National Security Agency along with the Air Force Security Service and the Navy Security Group as electronic intelligence gatherers.
The goal was to intercept communications and decode Morse Code to get information regarding defense networks, radar defenses and battle plans. Too much communication could mean an impending attack, as could too much silence. Similar to how cell phone towers can pinpoint GPS locations, members of the agency used airplanes to triangulate signals to intercept messages and locate the enemy.
After signing the paper to not disclose his experience with the Army Security Agency on Nov. 7, 1967, Long resumed civilian life, going back to college, starting a family and working as district manager for Morgan Stanley before moving to Davidson.
He’d always had a love of history and had known he was part of something big when he enlisted in the Army at age 19 and was asked to join the exclusive group.
Read the full article by Carrie C. Causey, Huntersville Herald.
