Take a Rifle From a Dead Man

The man in this photograph is a combat veteran of World War Two and Korea. The photo was taken in Frankfurt, Germany in the mid 1950s, when he was a field spy for Military Intelligence. His job was to go behind the Iron Curtain to obtain information about the Soviet military units that were a constant threat to Western Europe at the height of the Cold War. He is wearing custom-tailored clothing that hides the weapons he is carrying: a P38 Walther, a small “mousegun,” brass knuckles, a blackjack, and a British Commando knife. Not seen in the photo is a cane with an ornate handle. The “cane” was, in reality, a .20 gauge shotgun. The man was one of the unsung and unheralded men who risked their lives on dangerous missions to protect the freedom of Western Europe and, indeed, America itself. This man is subject of this story. He is the real-life father of the author.