Dennis Mitzner: Dedicating a life of service to his country

By Ginny Williamson, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Dennis Mitzner graduated from high school in 1962 and went on to college from there.  He started working after graduation and realized that being drafted was inevitable.  “I was doing enough to get by, but hopefully not to get drafted.”  He first looked into the Air Force, then the Navy, and finally met with an Army recruiter and enlisted with the Army.  This was two days before he would have been drafted.  He was 23 years old.

Dennis’ uncle served in World War II in Germany.  He was the only family member Dennis was familiar with who served.  His dad tried to enlist, but had flat feet, so no branch of service would take him.  

In 1967, he enlisted in the Army Security Agency (ASA)/Military Intelligence for four years.  Dennis spent eight weeks in basic training, at Fort Leonard Wood, MO followed by 24 weeks at Fort Devens, MA.  He then went to Fort George G. Meade/National Security Agency (NSA), training in electronic warfare analysis and telemetry.  The NSA class included servicemen from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.  Members of the NSA were assigned all over the world. 

Deployment

His first deployment came in 1968, in Turkey on the Black Sea Coast.  There, Dennis was responsible for monitoring missiles and spacecraft.  There was only one adversary when he was first deployed; there were two at the end of his service.

As well as intelligence gathering, the ASA had the responsibility for the security of Army communications and electronic countermeasure operations. In 1975 the ASA was transformed into INSCOM (Intelligence and Security Command.) ASA was directly subordinate to the NSA and all field stations had NSA tech representatives on site.  The motto of the ASA: “My job is so secret even I don’t know what I’m doing!” Their other motto was, “In God WE Trust, All Others We Monitor.”

Dennis and his team would also get tipped off by another government agency about launches.  He knew what they were looking for in advance.  They analyzed the telemetry of the missiles and spacecraft, recorded and reported the findings back to the U.S.

While he was stationed in Turkey from 1968-1969, Dennis spent his “off-duty” hours volunteering as a disc jockey at radio station KBOK.  The station got their records from AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) from Germany at that time.  His on-air name was ‘Sid McCoy’ which was inspired by a local jazz disc jockey in Chicago on WCFL 1000AM.  His signature sign on was, ‘Hey, hey old bean and you too baby.  It’s the real McCoy.’ He still has a great love of music, especially jazz. 

After his assignment in Turkey, Dennis returned to the U.S. for one week before being deployed in 1969 to the northern island of Hokkaido for two years. He flew to Japan on ‘Flying Tigers’ airlines.  He was assigned to the 12th United States Army Security Agency Field Station (USASAFS).

Now in Japan, Dennis continued his work in the area of telemetry analysis, monitoring missiles and spacecraft.  Dennis received the Army Commendation Medal for specialized work – the discovery of a space vehicle that had never been seen before, transmitting signals never seen before.  The other sites started to detect it after that as well.  

The United States turned over operations to the Japanese (Japan Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF)) in August, 1970 when American personnel departed the station. Dennis was among 20 enlisted men and officers chosen to train the 40 Japanese JGSDF personnel for the takeover. They included Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. Dennis and his team must have done a good job, because the site is still, last he heard, functioning some 53 years later.  Dennis received a Letter of Appreciation for the training and transition work he did with the Japanese JGSDF.

Dennis loved his time in Japan:  the people were warm, and he loved the culture there. 

Obviously, there is much of Dennis’ work during his deployments that was and still is classified.  So, there is much more to the story that cannot be shared here.  He found his assignment and work very rewarding.

In May, 1971, Dennis was sent from Japan back to NSA (to include debriefing) for his last three months prior to separation.  “From that point on, we would forget everything that we did or knew for the last four years” and were on a travel restriction for one year.  

Upon their return from Japan, Dennis and his team were in civilian clothes and did not experience the behavior others experienced on their return from service.  Dennis does have advice for the younger generation: “They first need to learn respect.  Then teach them a skill.”  Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are groups that are doing a good job of this, he says.

When Dennis returned from Japan and was separated from the Army, he and an Army buddy of his took a three-week road trip to California from Minnesota.  They stopped along the way to visit others with whom they served.  Dennis then attended and graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago in 1974.  After graduation, he met someone working with Lake Chemical Co. and was hired as the assistant to the president.  He then moved into the purchasing department, and retired in 2009 after 33 years.  

Dennis stays in touch with about 40 guys with whom he served in both Turkey and Japan. He keeps track of their movements and unfortunately their deaths, as will happen in this age group. The group is located all over the world, and they get together occasionally for reunions (in OH, OR, MN, IL and NV) and share stories of their times (on duty and off) while deployed.  

Dennis met his wife, Janelle, 13 years after he returned home.  A high school friend of his introduced the two of them.  Married in 1986, they have been happily married for 38 years.  

Other volunteer duties over the years

Dennis has stayed very active and involved with several law enforcement groups.  In 1996, he volunteered with the City of Oak Forest and their Police Department for 23 years, before ‘retiring’ in 2019. During that time, he headed up the Crime Prevention effort, organizing and promoting Neighborhood Watch.  He also facilitated the National Night Out program against crime for years.  Dennis also volunteered with the Illinois State Crime Commission for over 20 years.  

Continuing to serve

Dennis volunteers every week at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery with the Memorial Squad.  The Memorial Squad includes riflemen, buglers, and chaplain, dedicated to honoring veterans who “are on their last march.”  The volunteers provide military honors for our veterans and family, playing taps and folding of the flag.  Dennis began his volunteering with the Memorial Squad as a rifleman after a friend invited him to check it out.  When an opportunity opened up to become the Memorial Squad’s Chaplain, Dennis volunteered to take on the position.  Dennis is in his 15th year with the Memorial Squad – 11 years as the Chaplin – with over 3,200 total volunteer hours.

Involved with Honor Flight Chicago

Several years ago, Dennis welcomed home one of his good friends from his Honor Flight to Washington. He had wanted to fly with another friend who, unfortunately, passed away before they were both able to go.  Dennis suggested that scout troops and others should be part of a welcome home “to see what patriotism is all about.” Dennis is looking forward to experiencing Honor Flight, after being a great supporter of the organization for years.

Welcome aboard, Dennis. Enjoy your day of honor.  And thank you so very much for your years of service.