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(U) Out of Retirement: Reflections of a TEDNE
FROM:
Western Europe and Strategic Partnerships Division (S2C3)
Run Date: 05/04/2004
FROM:
Western Europe and Strategic Partnerships Division (S2C3)
(U) As I handed my badge to the very courteous British guard at the main gate of the
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, England on 31 December
1997, I knew that once I left the compound it would mark the end of a wonderful 28-year career
with the National Security Agency. My husband had come to GCHQ for a 3-year posting, and I
had accompanied him, working as an integree for several months. This was a fabulous
experience that I will always recall with great fondness. Therefore, the decision to take
advantage of the Agency's early retirement scheme was not made easily.
(U) Nonetheless, having made the decision, I proceeded as planned. Leaving the GCHQ
compound, I reflected happily on many years of exciting, rewarding job assignments, unique
opportunities afforded to me through my Agency employment, and all the wonderful friends that
my husband and I had made over the years. So, it was with a feeling of happiness and
contentment that I began to settle into a life of genteel retirement, in the lovely spa town of
Cheltenham surrounded by the beautiful Cotswold hills.
(U) My husband and I returned to our home in Maryland in August, 2000. Shortly after our
return, my husband also retired from the Agency. In July, 2001, we celebrated our 30th
wedding anniversary and both delighted in living life on our own schedule. Who would have
known that the lives of all Americans would change so dramatically less than two months later.
(U) As I watched with horror the TV coverage of the terrorist attacks against innocent civilians in
America on September 11, 2001, my immediate reaction, like most Americans, was, "What can I
do to help?" Therefore, when I received a phone call from the Agency asking if I would consider
returning to work, the answer was immediate and it was positive. Without hesitation, I decided
to take a leave of absence from retirement.
(U//FOUO) During the course of my Agency career, I served in a variety of analytic, staff and
management assignments and was a Senior Group Coordinator in NSOC during Operation Desert
Storm. Returning to work in early 2002 as a Temporary Employee During the National
Emergency (TEDNE) , formerly the Civilian Cryptologic Reserve Program - CCRP, has allowed me
to return to my analytic roots.
(S) In my present assignment as a Senior Intelligence Analyst, I research, write, coordinate, and
release Summary Reports on a wide range of issues related to the Global War on Terrorism, the
Iraq and Afghan Campaigns, Proliferation of WMD, and issues related to Homeland Security. The
work, as always, is tremendously interesting and vitally important. Positive feedback from
customers on the Summary Reports also reinforces my sense of contributing to the Agency's
critical mission.
(U) My fellow analysts, reporters and managers have all been very supportive, and I thank them
for making the adjustment from retirement to work an easy one. I feel tremendously privileged
to have been able to return to assist the Agency during this time of national crisis, and I'm very
grateful that I can apply the target knowledge and experience that I gained over the years with
NSA to today's challenges.
(U) At my retirement party in England, I shared with the "younger" generation of intelligence
analysts that working for the National Security Agency and being associated with the
Intelligence Community was not just a job, but an adventure. Working as a TEDNE allows the
adventure to continue.
"(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