“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

 ~ Joseph Campbell

For the men and women stationed at the U.S. Naval Security Group’s Kamiseya, Japan, listening post, 

September 23, 1965, had been an all too typical day. The weather had been a comfortable 75 degrees with 

bright sunshine. Back in the United States, President Lyndon Baines Johnson occupied the Oval Office and 

the number one song, typical of the times, was Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction.” In Vietnam, U.S. forces 

were ramping up for operations in the Ia Drang Valley and the onset of “Operation Rolling Thunder.” Sunset 

that day occurred at 1743. At the time, portions of the base personnel were coming off duty and heading for 

the dining hall, others were gearing up to report for duty. There was no hint or suspicion that the night and 

following day would be anything but routine. 

Established in the early 1950s, the naval base was the brain child of the pioneering U.S. Navy cryptologist 

Captain Wesley Arnold “Ham” Wright. Previously, radio intercept activities had been conducted at the U.S. Navy 

Shipyard at Yokosuka. Over time, however, electrical interference at the site prompted the authorities to seek a 

more suitable location. Kamiseya, on Honshu’s Kanto Plain near Atsugi Airfield, proved to be the perfect spot. 

The site was not only optimal for 

receiving signals, but also provided a secure 

environment that would be hard to find 

elsewhere. It suited the sailors as well. Many 

remarked that the site was a “sailor’s dream,” 

in that it provided an environment where 

one could be involved in interesting and 

challenging work, while at the same time it 

provided “. . . opportunities for liberty that 

couldn’t be beat.” 

Later on the evening of the 23rd, over 110 

personnel reported to their duty stations 

for the mid-watch, entering the operations 

complex through Building 25. The structure 

was a two story wooden facility, in front 

of “the tunnel” where the actual work took 

Service and Sacrifice on the Kanto Plain
place. In the early morning hours of the 24th, a fire broke out in the building and thick black smoke began 

filtering into both floors and also, tragically, into the air conditioning system of the operations area. To this 

day, there is debate about the initial cause of the blaze. Some blamed faulty wiring; others attributed it to an 

overheated incinerator. The fact was that a serious, life-threatening situation was developing. 

Shortly after the outbreak of the fire, the watch leadership informed the Officer of the Day of the 

emergency and began working to determine the appropriate course of actions to deal with the situation. It 

was not until almost an hour after the fire had started that orders were given to evacuate the area. By that 

time, Building 25 was engulfed in flames.

Fire units soon arrived and by 0550, the blaze was finally brought under control. Twenty-five men had to 

be carried out of the building and 14 were eventually hospitalized. Most tragically, 12 members of the watch 

perished in the conflagration. Survivors told many stories of courage and bravery related to the efforts of 

those on the scene to protect the lives of their fellow Marines and Sailors as well as classified information. 

With this in mind we honor and remember those who perished that night: 

Visit our web site, www.nsa.gov

MEMORIAL DAY 2017

NSA Creative Imaging - 193282

LCPL Richard Eugene McKown, USMC

Sgt Paul Charles Rodrigues, USMC

CTSA Roger W. Alex, USN

CTSN Dennis Eugene Etzweiler, USN

CTSA William Edward Briley, USN

CT3 Archie Russell Garofalo, USN

LTJG Ernest Don Moody, USN

CTSN Wilfred Dewey Cordell, USN

CTSA John Dewey House, USN

CT3 Wayne Edgar Tower, USN

CTSN James Kenneth Whitman, USN

CT3 Gregory Scott Williams, USN

Today, Kamiseya is an abandoned patch of land overgrown with grass and weeds. Many of the early 

buildings still stand, but the current day scene resembles that of an abandoned frontier ghost town. However, 

despite that, the base will forever remain part of the proud past of the U.S. Navy’s cryptologic service, and the 

deeds and accomplishments of the many dedicated men and women who served and died there will remain 

in our memory for all time. 

Kamiseya serves as a reminder that the deeds and accomplishments that helped to win the Cold War did 

not come without cost. We should never forget that while life in the U.S. military is tough and demanding, it 

can also be fraught with peril both on and off the battlefield. 

It is with this thought in mind that we honor and remember the 12 brave and dedicated members of the 

cryptologic sea service who gave their lives that day. In addition, we remember all those who fought and died 

during the Cold War in an effort to preserve freedom and liberty for generations to come.