THEY SERVED IN SILENCE

The Story of a Cryptologic Service and Sacrifice

The Loss of Cobra Ball II -61-664

15 March 1981

SSgt Steven C. Balcer

SSgt Harry L. Parsons

These men, six of this nation’s best, gave their lives in defense of freedom.

Our loss is irreparable; the meaning of their sacrifice, inescapable. 

 From Cobra Ball 664 Memorial Poster

From the earliest days of the Cold War, American policymakers and warfighters looked to the intelligence 

community to provide information, to both help the nation prepare for war, and to keep the peace. The thinking 

was that the more US leaders knew about Soviet capabilities, the better equipped they would be to make 

wise and prudent decisions related to strategic actions and operations. One of the most productive tools in 

obtaining this critical information was the collection of electronic signals via aerial reconnaissance. From the 

end of World War II up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the US Air Force and other US service elements conducted 

successful airborne collection programs using a wide range of platforms. The missions were important but also 

exceedingly dangerous, largely because the planes were unarmed and often had to operate close to hostile air 

space. 

One of the most effective aircraft used for these missions was the RC-135. The plane resembled a civilian 

airliner, but due to its size it could, depending on the mission, accommodate up to 27 intelligence analysts, 

including a number of cryptologic professionals. During the Cold War, the aircraft was used around the world in 

every major engagement the US was involved in during the decades-long conflict.

In the late 1960s, the US Air Force’s technology development program (dubbed Big Safari) outfitted three 

RC-135s for Operation Cobra Ball, an effort to collect critical electronic intelligence on Soviet missile testing 

and development on the Kamchatka peninsula. The aircraft’s collection of cryptologic-related equipment was 

designed to allow the intelligence crews to exploit the electronic spectrum. The program 

was run by the 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) in 

Alaska, and was critical to understanding Soviet missile capabilities. The program also utilized 

the remote, but nonetheless strategically important, island of Shemya. Located 1200 miles 

southwest of Anchorage, the “Rock,” as it was called, was in the perfect spot to perform 

reconnaissance on the peninsula. RC-135 crews flew between the two bases on a consistent 

basis for routine as well as operational reasons. 
MP 33610

Early on March 15, 1981, RC-135 aircraft 61-664 was sent from Shemya back to Eielson for routine maintenance. 

Aircraft and crew were scheduled to fly back to Shemya on that same day. Bad weather initially delayed the 

flight, but at some point conditions improved enough to allow for take-off. The crew was a mixture of veterans 

and rookies, and the plan was to conduct a series of intensive training exercises on the return trip. Aboard the 

flight that day were two cryptologic professionals, SSgt Steven C. Balcer and SSgt Harry L. Parsons. Both were 

members of the Electronic Security Command, the cryptologic element of the US Air Force. 

Balcer was 24 years old and hailed from Addison, Illinois. Trained as an Electronic Warfare Systems Technician, 

he had been in the Air Force since 1975, and had been with the 6985th Electronic Security Squadron since 

1980. Parsons was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in 1956, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1978, and 

underwent training as a Voice Intercept Processing Analyst. Fluent in Russian, he was the supervisor for the 

linguists aboard the flight, and like Balcer, had been with the 6985th since 1980. 

Five hours later, the training exercise concluded, and pilot and crew began to prep for landing. A tanker aircraft 

had preceded the Cobra Ball flight by three hours, and had landed safely in good weather. However, by the 

time 664 started its descent toward the runway, conditions had deteriorated. One of the surviving members of 

the flight remembers, “All we could see was snow, all we could feel was the turbulence, and all we could sense 

was trouble.” Cobra Ball crews are trained to handle bad weather, but there was doubt that it was going to be a 

difficult landing. 

At 0230, as the plane made its final descent, the pilot lost his orientation, and as the aircraft approached the 

tarmac, the flight crew realized they were low, and off the runway. In desperation, pilot and crew struggled to 

get the plane set right, but it was too late: the aircraft’s right wing impacted the ground, sending the plane over 

the embankment on the ocean side. The sudden impact broke off the RC-135’s tail and back fuselage, and the 

entire area where the aircraft finally settled was engulfed in flames. The deadly crash killed six of the twentyfour member crew, including the two “back-enders,” (the term was based on their position on the aircraft) 

Balcer and Parsons. Both men, and those who perished with them, were remembered by their friends, families, 

and those they served with as dedicated professionals who were dedicated to defending the nation. 

SSgt Harry L. Parsons is buried in Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita, California. SSgt Steve Balcer is interred 

in Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien, Illinois. In addition, a memorial dedicated to the memory of the men of 

Cobra Ball-61-664 who lost their lives that day was established outside the headquarters building of the 45th 

Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Maj. William Bennett

Capt. Larry Mayfield

1st Lt. Loren Ginter

Master Sgt. Stephen Kish

Staff Sgt. Steven Balcer

Staff Sgt. Harry Parsons III