Veterans' Corner

COLFAX– Growing up in the Tri-City area, veteran Gary Behymer, 76, and his wife Janis moved to the area about 6 and a half years ago. Behymer joined Army Intelligence after college in August 1968, and would continue his service into August 1970.

Behymer explained that he was drafted in August of 1968, going to Fort Lewis in Washington for basic training. From there he would go to Fort Ord in California for radio training, and then to Georgia for radio teletype training.

Behymer explained that several classes were getting sent to Vietnam at the time.

"Our class went to Germany, Italy, and France, so we were real fortunate not to go into a warzone," he said.

Behymer explained that he was assigned to USAREUR, U.S. Army in Europe, and sent to Munich Germany with 66 LI Group for three days.

"Then they transferred me to the 511, which was in Nuremberg Germany," he said, adding that there he was assigned to a communications center.

"The whole company was about 85 people in total in a little compound with a brick wall, and a razor barbed wire 12 feet high around it." Behymer said, "So it was a secure unit, and it was for intelligence and counterintelligence."

At the compound they watched the East German, and Czechoslovakian borders, Behymer explained.

"We took in information, and we sent information back and forth," he said, adding that there were five of them that did this.

He would then become the NCOIC, non-commissioned officer, in charge of signals, and there was no officer, Behymer explained.

"It was long hours, but again it was not a warzone so we considered ourselves very very fortunate," he said.

Behymer explained that there were three or four of his class that went to Germany.

"We were short personnel, we were supposed to have 8. One of us would work from 5 at night until 8 in the morning." Behymer said, adding that the other two would work from 8 in the morning until 5 for a week, and then one of them would take the night shift.

"There's always time for softball," Behymer said, "We played softball."

Behymer explained that he was primarily in the Cold War.

After WWII there were sides taken, Behymer explained, the communist side and the free world. So he would spend his time keeping track of the Russians, who were also keeping track of them.

"It was kind of a game of sorts." Behymer said, "Not as dramatic as jumping out of airplanes without parachutes."

Behymer explained that spies in the company would provide the communications center with information that was then sent to headquarters, the 66 MI Group in Munich. There were about five or six companies the same size as Behymer's company all over Germany.

"Our company had five or six resident offices that provided information we accumulated," Behymer said, noting that then someone would write it up and then send it.

"Once we took it in and took an interest into it then it was classified as confidential," he said, "We sent it into Munich and at the end of the day we would get a review of the other stations that would come back to us."

Behymer explained that once the MI took an interest in it then it would become secret, and they'd have to react to it. One such example he mentioned was if there were a billion Russians on the Czechoslovakian border then they were expected to react to it.

"There was another signal station that used microwave frequency at that time, and we'd have to carry it up to them," Behymer said, adding that it would go to the Joint Chiefs of staff or whichever general in charge of all of Europe so that they'd have the information.

When they had confidential and secret information Behymer explained that all the paperwork and everything that wasn't filed had to be shredded, put into bags and burned every day.

Behymer shared a story of a time a commanding officer drove into work, and was taking some regular garbage out of his car to put in the dumpster outside of their wall. When he lifted the garbage can lid he saw confidential documents just laying there from one of the sections that wasn't Behymer's section.

"When he found out what section, he had the officer in charge with three men that work there come out in whatever clothes they had and empty the entire dumpster," Behymer explained, saying that they then had to put the papers in bags, take them inside, and burn them. They were then told it wouldn't happen again, or they'd be out of the service if they were an office. If drafted they would then go to Vietnam.

Beymer explained that he went to college for economics, "when I got out I did another year at Central here in the states, and finished my accounting degree there," Behymer said, noting that he used accounting basically all his life.

Behymer worked at the Grain Company, Almota Elevator for 38 years, retiring in 2012.

The biggest thing Behymer said he learned from the service was how to get along with people, and how to develop a level of tolerance with individuals.

"I learned how easy a slip of tongue could get someone in trouble, and lose their job," he said.

Behymer believes that everybody both male and female should experience at least two years of service.

"Learn how to live without all the electronics," Behymer said, "to put a few calluses on your hands."

His advice for anyone joining is don't be afraid, just do it.

Behymer and his wife live at Hill-Ray here in Colfax. Behymer is proud of his granddaughter, Rachel McAfee who works for the Army.