Secret Army unit reunites in Wooster for yearly meeting

Between 1945 and 1978, the U.S. Army military had a highly specialized and secretive intelligence unit. In late April of this year, a group of Ohio veterans from this top-secret unit reunited in Wooster for their 2024 Ohio Army Security Agency Day. Previous gatherings were held in Columbus and Beavercreek.

There were 62 veterans at the gathering along with spouses and guests. Most were from Ohio with a few from out of state. The group shared several events with an all-day agenda that included meals, a visit to a local military museum, several speakers, and numerous opportunities to reconnect and make new connections.

Kevin Reichly is one of the founders of the group and a veteran who served in the agency.

“The Ohio Army Security Agency Veterans Group is an informal group that served with the Army Security Agency between 1956 and 1976 during the Cold War and the Vietnam War,” Reichly said. “Our members served at ASA bases in Vietnam, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan and many other countries.

“Our mission was to covertly monitor enemy communications, record and analyze them, and send the resulting intelligence to U.S. military and National Security Agency officials to support U.S. war efforts and policymaking.”

The gathering provided an opportunity for attendees to reminisce about their service and learn about the experiences of those who served at different bases and at different times.

“It is wonderful to reconnect with my fellow veterans because we share much in common since we served in such a small, specialized unit of the U.S. Army military intelligence branch,” Reichly said. “Even if we were based in different locations, we had the same type of training and did the same type of work worldwide, so we have much in common to reminisce about.”

The guest speaker was Col. Kenneth Kmetz, deputy wing commander of the 179th Cyberspace Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, based in Mansfield. The 179th is the first Cyberspace Wing in the United States for the Air National Guard. Kmetz spoke about the mission of the 179th, some of the technology currently deployed by the U.S. military and how far that technology has progressed in the past 50 years.

In addition, Reichly spoke about his experiences at the Army Security Agency base in Sinop, Turkey, where he served from 1972-73. He shared photos from his time there 50 years ago and photos from a visit to Sinop last year. Ray Johnston spoke about serving on the staff of the training school most of the agency members attended.

There were tables set up for veterans who served in Vietnam, Germany, Turkey, Thailand and Korea so they could connect with others who had served in the same country. Those who served in other countries with fewer attendees connected together at the worldwide table.

“The Army Security Agency was in existence between 1945 and 1976, when it became part of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, which is still in existence,” Reichly said. “Because of the secretive nature of our work and the impact we had in saving so many lives of Americans and our allies as a result of the important information we uncovered and analyzed, we are sometimes referred to as the ‘silent warriors.’

“Most Americans don’t realize the importance of our work and the work done more generally by military intelligence units of our Armed Forces, but they should be thankful that there are men and women willing to sacrifice so much, largely in obscurity, to protect our freedom and way of life.”

The group is in a relatively new stage of development because members of the unit were unable to talk about their experiences for many years.

“Due to the top-secret work that we did in the ASA,” Reichly said, “we were not allowed to talk about our ASA work for 30 years after our discharge from the Army. (Because of the secrecy required), many ASA veterans didn’t stay in touch with other ASA veterans they knew or try to find other ASA vets. Now for the mutual benefit of all ASA veterans, we are trying to grow our network of ASA veterans in Ohio.”

Anyone who served in the Army Security Agency is invited to call or email Reichly at 330-472-8972 or asaohiovets@gmail.com.