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(U) Grizzled Veteran, Part II
FROM: SIGINT Communications
Unknown
Run Date: 10/03/2003
(C) In a recent SID today article , we passed on some "Can you remember..." items to
determine if you qualify as a grizzled NSA veteran. We have received additional items from
readers, posted for your consideration. You are a grizzled veteran if you:
Remember using manual typewriters with 6-ply paper to transcribe.
Remember getting IBM Selectrics (much before the advent of the PC).
Remember the Technical Research Ships and their names.
(Above courtesy of
Published reports via DD-173's and 5-level paper tape.
Remember the Express Elevator to the 9th Floor.
(Above courtesy of
)
Ever were stopped by a Marine guard for trying to take your "ears" home.
Once spent every Friday morning typing up your branch's "Weekly Activity Report".
As a new employee were chewed out by your supervisor for filling in your first time card with
blue ink.
Remember when tech support to the field meant typing up CRITICOMM messages on special
paper, initialling them with BLUE ink only, and then walking them down to the message center.
Ever smoked at your desk.
Ever saw a truck in the basement corridor.
Remember the doughnut shop next to the Shell station.
Remember the day they turned on "Confirm" and folks were lined up across the parking lot
trying to get into the building.
Remember when the badges were metal (great ice scrappers).
Remember the green phones.
Remember the black cloths for securing classified information.
Remember cigarette machines in the hallways.
Remember the NSA carnival at Burba Lake complete with roller coaster when Burba Lake was
Kelly Pool.
Wrote reports in pencil on every other line so the secretarial pool could type them up.
Remember having secretaries in every division.
Rode on the 20-minute shuttle bus ride from overflow parking lot D.
Remember half-price meals in the cafeteria.
Remember the boards - the place where you put things up for sale - for which you had to fill
out 10 3x5 index cards.
(These last are unattributed, or from the SIGINT Communications staff.)
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108