On April 9, 2026, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams introduced a new piece of legislation intended to honor veterans who have long lived in the shadows.
H.R. 8211, the Army Security Agency Monument Act, would establish a monument at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the men and women of the U.S. Army Security Agency (ASA) who served from the end of World War II through most of the Cold War.
Some of our best recent VBC LIVE programs and VBC Blog stories have come from people who served in this little-known but essential Army agency.
From 1945 to 1977, the soldiers of the ASA quietly watched, listened, intercepted, and decoded. They kept an eye on our nation’s adversaries, helping to keep US servicemembers safe and our nation secure.
But these watchers were deliberately hidden from view, serving in deep background because their essential work had to be kept secret.
Much of what the ASA did remained classified, unspoken, and largely unknown even to their fellow service members and families.
But they were always there monitoring adversaries around the globe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cecil W. Carver was one of those soldiers.
A Specialist 4 stationed with ASA units in Vietnam, he worked in signals intelligence—what the Army called “Radio Research.” It was a cover name for top secret surveillance of enemy operations.
At places like Phu Bai, near Hue, ASA operators monitored the Ho Chi Minh Trail, tracked enemy communications, and helped commanders make real-time decisions. Intelligence from these units shaped operations in the field. When soldiers headed out to meet the enemy, they did so largely based on information gathered by the ASA.
Even within the Army, ASA’s contributions were hard to see. But those who depended on them understood their value. One senior commander wrote that ASA’s intelligence “helped to save American and Vietnamese lives,” even if “very few Americans are aware of the ASA and its legacy.”
As another senior leader put it during the war, without signals intelligence, “they can’t live or fight… they are just blind.”
Cecil left the Army in 1968, like many others, and moved on. For decades, he didn’t look back.
Then, years later, Cecil visited Arlington National Cemetery and stood among the many monuments and memorials, including one for the 101st Airborne Division. All the memorials were worthy, all important. But there was one missing, like a yawning gap in a military formation. There was no memorial to the silent service of the ASA.
So, Cecil got to work trying to fill that gap. He gathered letters of support retired officers, veterans’ organizations, and foreign allies. South Korean officials, for example, credited ASA intelligence during the Korean War with saving “thousands of… soldiers and civilians.”
The Korean War Veterans Association has likewise endorsed the effort, noting that ASA intelligence saved lives and “does not get the proper recognition it deserves.”
ASA veterans, as Cecil puts it, are “the Unsung Heroes of the Unknown Army Unit… behind the Green Door.”
Cecil’s long effort now has a legislative vehicle: H.R. 8211, the Army Security Agency Monument Act.
Introduced on April 9, the bill directs the Secretary of the Army to place a monument at Arlington National Cemetery honoring ASA service across multiple conflicts, from World War II through Vietnam.
If space cannot be found within Arlington itself, the bill allows for placement just outside the cemetery’s entrance.
As of now, the bill has been introduced and referred to committee. It is early in the legislative process.
At the Veterans Breakfast Club, we don’t take positions on legislation. But we do pay special attention to stories unheard and overlooked and support all efforts to share, preserve and celebrate the legacies of those who’ve served.
Signals intelligence doesn’t inspire Iwo-Jima-flag-raising-level iconography or martial anthems. It leaves behind few battlefield relics. It’s one of those sectors of human activity whose value is measured in what didn’t happen—thwarted attacks, missed ambushes, catastrophes that never unfolded. It’s the kind of service that’s hard to commemorate, but essential to remember.
For those who are interested in learning more about H.R. 8211 or supporting the effort, you are read about the bill’s progress, encourage your Representative to support it, and share this story with others.
If you’d like to reach Cecil directly to learn more about the effort, he has invited contact:
Cecil W. Carver
Email: cw.carver46@gmail.com
Just because the Army Security Agency operated in silence, it doesn’t mean that we should not listen and learn from its history. History, after all, lies dormant until it’s brough to light.
