I had finished my second year in college and couldn’t find any summer work to help pay to continue. My father and uncle had served in the Army during World War II. When I talked to the recruiter, he said he noticed I had two years of college and asked if I would be interested in the Army Security Agency. I asked him what that was, and he said he really wasn’t sure but they took good care of their people. My thought was if the Army recruiter wasn’t sure, it must be pretty good, so I said OK and enlisted. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.

I served from 1961 to 1964 and got out as a Specialist 5. I went back home and went to work in the local paper mill. Two years later I got a letter inviting me to Washington, D.C., to interview for a job with the National Security Agency. I spent the next 30 years in military support, retiring in 1996. My time in the Army got me the best job I could have ever wanted.

Jim Boushley, Hammond American Legion Post 3