Hell, half or more of the White House wouldn't qualify to join the military and the ones that did wouldn't be able to hold a clearance.
Yes Thor, the security clearance was a big one then, not so much today.
Ex Hubby musing on the documents he found when his father died.
He had all his life believed his grandfather had been born in Finnland. He had been checked out up and down before Sub service, SSBN 609 and had no problem.
30 years later when his father died and family records were looked at, seems because of the Russian and Findland wars, his granddads birth certificate says he was born in Russia.
What a laugh that was was for our son who when finding out wondered if his grandfathers, grandfather had been a Mongal.
Actually, as I look back on the number of traitors in the military service, it was for money, not ideals.
There were so many holes in security in the early 70's, I worked as a bar maid in the early 70's and the wives of the wardroom crew would call me to find out when the BOAT was due to get into port.
No problem for me, the Boats coming into Groton would call in and have a couple Kegs put on for the crew and give date and time. Security what a laugh.
Now you got me going Thor, you may not know about this but perhaps Sparky has.
The very first rime I heard about government misdirection was the affair of the Scorpion, a fast attack Sub. Word does get out to the family's of the Subs across America. Its home port I believe was Charleston SC.
This boat had been on patrol in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and possibly the Black Sea to photo radar instillation's.
The Navy had for a couple of days tried to contact the boat and received no answer. Nether the less, phone calls were made to the wives and parents of the crew that the boat would be coming in to pier # at the time of # on the day of #.
It is really exciting to see one of these boats come into port, amazing that your husband or son has been encapsulated within for months at a time.
[ Note ] it is most different when the boat is left in Scottland or the Phillipeans because the crew fly home. We see family disembark from airplanes every day, to see them come home on board this type of war ship is the thing of science fiction. Your Dad, brother or son has lived a few months we topside can not understand.
What the Navy did next was terrorising. Family's had flown in from all over the country to greet their relative, wives and children all crowded the dock at the proper time and waited, and waited, and waited.
It came to the point that people were sleeping in their cars until told to go home and wait for another call.
Those that refused to leave were gently escorted off base for reasons of security.
It was agonizing hours before everyone was called together and told the Navy had no idea where the Boat was. The very idea of Sub Sunk was never mentioned.
Can you imagine Thor going to the airport to pick up family flying in and being told the flight was over due, so you sit and wait. After 6 hours airport security comes by and tells you that you need to go home and wait for the plane to land.
You object as you intend to wait right where you are until the police gently escort you off the property for security reasons.
Hours and hours later you are called to come into the airport for a meeting with others waiting for other passengers aboard the flight. The CEO of all this gets up and addresses you with, sorry folks, we have no idea where the plane is.
When others including yourself begin to ask questions you are shut down with the " no questions, this is a matter of national Security.
I was very young when we lost that boat, it lead to my never trusting authority again.
One thing I never found out was the name of the Boomer that the fast attack was protecting.
It's OK Thor, I got it
