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1. When you mention to civilians and other soldiers that you served in the ASA they just kind of look at you with blank eyes not having a clue as to what ASA was all about.

   1. I’m proud to have been an ASA officer. When the Army transitioned to MI CEWI TO&Es and our unit lost its “ASA Company” designation was a very sad day for me. (We were one of the last “ASA” units. The formerly organic 519th ASA Company is now Company D, 373rd MI Battalion.) But in my heart, “ASA Lives!”

      1. So what is ASA?

      2. My first assignment out of OBC and the 9640 school: 313th ASA Bn (airborne), Fort Bragg NC, ’75-’77, and 332nd ASA Co, Korea, 1980. Incredible mission. The biggest mistake the Army made was to give Artillery (Fires Domain) the Electronic Warfare equipment and mission.

         @JBH Army Security Agency

2. I joined the Army in 1967, served with Special Forces s a medic and cross trained in Commo; this last February I retired as a 2nd Lt. with the Alaska State Defense Force commanding the 3rd Signal Detachment. My last deployment in that 52 year period was to command the JISCC (Joint Incident Command Communications ) in the rescue / recovery phase of hurricane Maria after the Island of Puerto Rico was devastated by the storms.

   I first earned my merit badge in CW in 1965, I’m still a ham operator, love comms. The JISCC is basically a mobile communications detachment and ASA established the fundamental operations plan for our mission capability; the foundation laid by ASA is the foundation for today’s modern electronic and other warfare systems. We’ve come a far way from the PRC-77 days … a long way. I really miss the challenge of the mission … and the guys; some ded, some dying … some just getting on in years like me. Can’t explain the feelings …

   1. Lt. Mike,did you see they have started auctioning off supplies from the P.R. hurricane relief? Would like to hear a first hand after action on that,were the supplies there and not distributed,were the supplies not there as some claim,was it a cash grab by locals for other ends? I have noted that no real investigation was even proposed that leads me to my own conclusions.

3. Haven’t heard of any auctions … corruption is rampant on the Island so it would not surprise me. A lit of stuff was exposed to the rain and mold so I think anyone buying anything should be very careful. Is there a link to an auction??

4. If you go to http://www.ironplanet.com and search for Puerto Rico you’ll find some Humvees and a used motor for sale out of military surplus. I would think the cost of shipping would be very high, and the condition of the equipment poor if it has been setting in DRMO for any length of time. I couldn’t find any other auctions of any relief supplies .

   Food and water would have been distributed out to people, any other supplies of the humidity didn’t cause mold or damage I cannot imagine it not being distributed. There would be a lot of office supplies available from FEMA, we found it very difficult to keep printer paper due to humidity and mold. Toner was almost useless in the JISCC due to humidity, and printer ink cartridges were not to be had anywhere on the Island during our deployment.
   Batteries of any kind were virtually impossible to buy, no ATM was available so cash was king for several weeks early on. As a military unit we were fully supplied for our mission, but the civilian population was profoundly affected by the storms.

   We took test samples of raw water from pools, rivers, creeks, and springs; every sample tested positive for e coli. To shower we stripped, soap, stand outside in the rain at 0300 hours in the dark and rinsed. The rain was warm, not contaminated, and torrential.
   I keep praying for the people, crime and corruption is the lot of their lives, and politics hasn’t helped them much either. If TEOTWAWKI is like Puerto Rico then God help us ..

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