Members of secret Army unit that worked for NSA looking for official recognition

| WBTV Charlotte

A very small military unit, which handled some of our country’s heaviest lifting for over three decades, is now fighting a different battle.

The Army Security Agency was a group of undercover soldiers that handled a series of conflicts from 1945 to 1976, according to the local CBS affiliate in Charlotte.

Two of its surviving members– Dave Sandelin and Cecil Carver –said they were given highly confidential orders from the National Security Agency.

“I was in Cambodia and Laos in ‘66, and in North Vietnam in ‘66,” Sandelin said. “We were stealth before it was cool,” he told WBTV.

In Mooresville, North Carolina– at a local coffee shop that’s known as a popular hangout for military vets– the two men sat down with WBTV ahead of the Veteran’s Day holiday.

“We were credited with saving more lives of our fellow soldiers than any other combat maneuver in [Vietnam]…We were awarded 120 decorations and 60 foreign citations. But we can never share that with the public,” Carver said.

They’d like to see a memorial erected at Arlington National Cemetery to recognize members of the ASA for their service and sacrifice. Cecil and Dave have apparently run into some walls however– having been told that space is very limited for such memorials. They’re now hoping a local congressman, they recently reached out to, may be able to help.

“We have unsung heroes within those units. We paid the ultimate price,” Carver said.

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