October 10, 2011 by admin.

My Journey Continues

Carl’s documentary got me to thinking real serious today:

The Man Nobody Knew By Carl Colby http://themannobodyknew.com/

I have been on a similar journey as Carl to discover who my Father really was. That was my motivation for writing in my blog. I can really relate to what Carl has gone through.

There are many military brats and government brats out there but some few CIA brats who’s fathers were in the field, risking life and limb, sacrificing family time in order to bring about some kind of parity with the forces of destruction in the world.As a family, my Father, Mother, Brother and I went to some interesting countries in service to this country. The lid of secrecy was stifling. It left me very confused as to my father’s work, his identity.

What I really wanted was to be was proud of him and his work. But all of that was hidden from me for decades. All I got was vague references to places and people. Everyone was known by their first name.

The only office I came close to of his was in Vientiane Laos. We went to this non-descript building on the weekend, and he took me up these narrow windowless stairs. At the top was a huge steel door with monster hinges, and a cipher lock like I had never seen before. He said wait here, punched in a code and let himself in. The door closed quickly with a thud.  He appeared in about 20 minutes as I patiently waiting on the stairs. We left the building without any comment or conversation. That was it. The office.

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October 10, 2011 by admin.

And Your Name Is?

After my parents divorced, my father had a string of colorful and interesting girlfriends. One girl friend had a little house in North Dallas, and the property included an empty lot next door. She decided to take a week or so business trip, and asked my father to keep an eye on the house and lot. She gave him a piece of paper that gave him authorization to act on her behalf in case something happened to the house or lot.

Sure enough, while she was gone, some young troublemakers were in the empty lot, causing trouble, and one of the neighbors called my father, telling him about it. I was visiting with him that day so we rushed over to the lot, but the troublemakers were gone. He called the Dallas police and after a few hours they sent a patrolman, since it was low priority.

So my father, the police officer and I were all standing near the hood of the patrol car, while the officer filled out the incident sheet. My father had his hands on his waist, half bent over watching the officer write. The questions came one after another. Whose property was it, what happened, when did it happened, etc. My father’s answers were precise and measured, at a good pace.

The million dollar question came. What is your name?

Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat. (Pauses)

He did not flinch, his facial expressions never changed, his body language never betrayed him.
He was thinking hard…
He finally said his name, slowly and carefully.

The officer made a few more notes, packed up and left.

So here is my father and I still standing next to the lot, just taking in the moment, surveying the area one more time, in case we spot the intruders.

I say to him, Dad, did you notice it took you like 5 seconds to answer the question, what is your name?

His response was, no, I did not notice it.

I asked him why it would take so long to answer such an easy question.

He said he had to remember who he was today.

At this point he had been retired for 8 years and still the training was burned into his head.

Think about what your name was today and what your cover is. What is my cover employer and job?

I just stood there and marveled at him.

Spook for life.
 

http://themannobodyknew.com/cast/barbara-colby

Barbara Colby’s video prompted me to write my story. I can so relate to what she is saying.

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