CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES

Bill "Jake" Jacobson

I was born and raised in northeastern Montana. My current home, for the past twenty-five years, is in Northern Virginia where I live with my wife of twenty-eight years, Robyn, and our only child, Kristen. I am nearing the end of my career as a public school teacher and am looking forward to retiring in Montana. I beat the draft, back in 1967, by enlisting in the Army Security Agency. My six year hitch with ASA included the following assignments:

• basic training at Fort Ord, CA, 1967;
• ditty school and training as a Special Identifications Techniques operator (radio direction finder), Fort Devens, MA, 1967-1968;
• beautiful Southeast Asia, 372nd RRC and 175th RRFS, 1968-1969;
• 370th ASA Operations Company (A), Fort Bragg, NC, and VHFS, 1969-1971;
• Handorf Detachment, FS Augsburg, 1971-1973.

  I have been involved with the National Army Security Agency Association since it's inception. Earlier this year, I accepted an appointment to the NASAA Board of Directors to complete the term of a board member who resigned. I am very pleased that I was allowed to contributed to the revitalization of the National Army Security Agency Association, these past few months, and am committed to continuing that effort should I be elected to the board of directors. Should the membership vote to give someone else the privilege of serving, I pledge to actively support the National Army Security Agency Association in any capacity that the board of directors sees as appropriate.

  William (Bill) S. Lee

  Bill joined ASA on 2 September 1964 and was trained as an 05H (morse intercept operator/jammer). His duty assignments include 177th USASA Operations Company (A), 508th USASA Group Korea (1965-1966); 352nd USASA Company Fort Carson (1966-1967); 371st Radio Research Company RVN (1967-1968); and the 373st USASA Company Fort Hood (1968). Bill left the Army on 30 August 1968 and worked for the Georgia National Guard for 4 years before working as a License Examiner with the Georgia State Patrol for 27 years. He retired on 31 August 1999.

  Wayne Atwell

  Wayne retired from GTE where he served as Director of Benefits Planning. He and his wife Eleanor live in Thousand Island Park New York (on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River) for 8 months a year and on Amelia Island Florida for the winter season. Wayne and Eleanor have two daughters and three grandchildren.

  Wayne was a member of the Army Security Agency from 1953 to 1957, MOS 1717 (Direction Finding). He served at Fort Devens MA, Baumholder Germany, Bremerhaven Germany and at the National Security Agency.

  After leaving the service Wayne attend Hobart College (Geneva NY) using the Korea era GI Bill. For those of you old enough to remember the GE College Bowl, Wayne was a member of the undefeated team. He was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

  Wayne has been a member of NASAA since June 1998 and currently serves on the Board of Directors filling the offices of Secretary and Treasurer.

  Donald R. Dodge

  Don Dodge, nicknamed Duke, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1954 with a B.S. Degree in Petroleum Engineering. Duke joined Westinghouse as a mechanical design engineer in 1957 after serving two years in Japan as a member of the United States Army Security Agency at the 8610 D.U. post in Japan. He retired in 1994 as an Engineering Manager with 37 years of mechanical design engineering, quality engineering, manufacturing,

  and valve design/development experience with two Pittsburgh, PA. Divisions of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Duke spent the first 20 years of his career with the Bettis Atomic Power laboratory located in West Mifflin, PA. followed by 17 years at Westinghouse Plant Apparatus Division in Monroeville, PA. In November, 2001, Duke will come out of retirement to begin a 2nd technical career as an Air Quality Engineer with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Pittsburgh Division.

  Don Dodge is married to Ruby Elizabeth Phillips. They reside in Munhall, PA. The couple has three grown children and four grandchildren.

  J. Michael Taylor

  Hi Gang,

  I'm going to try to confine all my comments and remarks to the time I spent in the service prior to, and as a member of, the Agency. I'll also be mentioning what I've been doing lately ( past 2 years or so) that are at least "Agency-related".

  I'm deliberately leaving out such topics as education, marital-status, number of children or grand-children, current employment status or annual income as I don't personally think they should carry any significant weight in your decisions as to if I am "qualified" for a position on our board of Directors. Since I'm trying to make a "good impression", it only stands to reason, that I will highlight the points that would normally be considered of a positive nature, and sometimes, "convienently" forget to mention a sin or two out of my past. I'm convinced that ALL former ASAers will understand what I mean by that.

  "Once upon a time"...long ago, in the summer of 1964...my girlfriend had broken up with me, I'd wrecked my car, and finals were coming up with little chance of me achieving a GPA of 4.0. The draft was starting to look more closely at me, and the thought of Viet Nam wasn't turning me on all that much, even though I'd seen every WWII movie that John Wayne had ever been in. This very nice Army Recruiter had something (extremely secret!!!) that just might interest a man of my obvious talents... That was the beginning of the end!

  • 1964 - Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. I was chosen as Regimental "Soldier of the Cycle" for my exemplerary leadership abilities. (In all honesty...my Boy Scout troop was probly more military than Basic, but a letter of commendation seemed like a good start to a military carreer) Turned down an offer of OCS, as I REALLY wanted to go to Monterey.
  • 1964-65 - DLI in Monterey, California. Seemed more like being back in college than in the Army. Studied Russian (wasn't all that hard, as my grandparents were from Lithuania) and promoted to SP/4 upon graduation.
  • 1965-Jan '66 - Vint Hill Farms Station, Warrenton, Virginia. That was where (before "Goodbuddy") Translators were turned into "Voice Interceptors" in a 5 week course. I seemed to have better than average ears, and stayed on for the 8 week Transcription course. and I was the last graduate ever, of VHFS's 12 week course, before the school was shut down. At VHFS I received recognition as Post "Soldier of the quarter" (Farmer of the month), and really surprised and irritated a LOT of MPs by doing so. Apparently it was considered "Tradition" that an MP ALWAYS won, and I was the 1st linguist that had ever done so.
  • Jan 1966 - Jan 1970 - ASA on the East German border. Spent most of my time at Det K , Wobeck as a TR/Scanner and later Trick Chief. Spent my 1st few months at Bahrdorf, and together with Judge James Croy from Oklahoma we lowered the Stars and Stripes for the final time, as that site was phased out. Received recognition as "Battalion Soldier of the Quarter" at the 319th ASA Btn. 2 quarters in a row.
  • Sept-Oct of 1966 - 7th US Army NCO Academy at Bad Toelz Germany... "Honor Graduate". According to the Letter of Commendation from General Dehnholm...the 1st ASA soldier to ever have achived this honor. (Was kind of special seeing the "real" Army)
  • Summer of 1967 - Special deployment to Det L, 17th USASA Field Station at Gartow. Promoted to SSG E-6, despite only having 2 yrs and 10 months total time in service! Det Commander of "Gartow South" in the fall of 1967, before going back to Wobeck as a Trick Chief.
  • 1967-Jan 1970 - Trick Chief at Wobeck. Withdrew an already approved application for a direct commision just to be able to stay out in the field. Recomended for the "Soldier's Medal" for saving life at the risk of my own.
  • 1970-1972 - "Promoted" back to Field Station Rothwesten HQs as NCOIC of Voice Intercept at Collection-Management. Thus I became the "Queen Mary" as senior FS Linguist, and was in charge of all other FS linguists, including our outstations.
  • 1972 - Lost my head and my clearance - married a foreign national - didn't like the "real Army", and was honorably discharged in Sept of 1972.
  • 1972 - now - Still live in Kassel Germany, only about 15 minutes by car away from where I used to work...making me the "Spy that didn't come in from the cold"

  I've only been "online" for not quite 2 years, and certainly am not especially good with computers. I've managed to find, and be found by, a lot of former ASAers from the past. I'm a contributing member to both the ASA Veterans' and the Defense Language Institute Sites at Yahoo. I've worked with former ASAers to help find former colleagues, and am currently helping to organize reunions for 2 different ASA groups that want to meet in Germany next year.

  I'm also (with LOTS of help from Bonnie) offering my help to former ASAers by hosting the NASAA Website for Germany. I'm currently engaged in a project regarding ASA history on the border, as to try and find out more about our roots and how it all really started. I've also applied to the FBI to offer my services as a linguist in the fight against terrorism. With YOUR help, I hope to accomplish even more by becomming a member of OUR Board of Directors.

  In closing I'd like to say...I was NOT the greatest soldier that ever put on a uniform. My methods were, at best, VERY unorthodox! I spent most of my time on a VERY fine line between another commendation and the stockade. My results however, were extrordinary. I like to think of myself as that kind of person. I drank, whored and played poker with the best of us...when it was time to play. Now it's time to work...and I need your vote!!!

  My only "qualification" for this post is my eternal love for the ASA and what she ...and what WE ALL stood for. As a member of the NASAA Board of Directors I want to continue to be able to live and relive that dream that we ALL had and still have. .

  I am most humbly asking for YOUR vote, so that I can serve you!

  Mike (Tread) Taylor