11/10/05

Over the past five months, to honor the 60 th anniversary of the end of World War II, we’ve told you stories of the FBI’s behind-the-scenes role in that historic global conflict:

… Helping to Secure the Peace: the FBI in WWII

… The FBI’s Special Intelligence Service, 1940-46

… The Case of the Betty Grable Extortion Letters

… The Case of the Mysterious Russian Letter

… Life During Wartime...from Nazi Spies to Bigamous Brides

Now, on the occasion of Veterans’ Day, we’d like to tell you one final story: a personal one for us, about the men and women of the FBI who served during the war.

Like so many others, FBI agents and employees faced many dangers during WWII…whether traveling the world to expose enemy intelligence operations or going undercover to root out Axis spies. Five special agents lost their lives in the course of their work. Four were members of our Special Intelligence Service, including two on a secret mission for President Eisenhower. Another agent, Hubert J. Treacy, Jr., was gunned down by two Army deserters when he approached them for questioning.

At the same time, many FBI employees answered the call to serve their country in the military and lost their lives in the field of battle. FBI Lab Document Identification expert Guy Joseph Bower, Atlanta Clerk Sergeant Roy Clyde Allmond, Fingerprint Classifier Edwin William Warren, Jr., and Special Agent Warren Hughes Schroeder are just a few of the names recorded in the pages of FBI history.

Many others served with distinction and returned home, like Daniel L. Hurson, who completed more than 50 bombing missions...and Captain Jerry A. Bunnell (pictured above), a B-17 Flying Fortress Pilot who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “outstanding performance of duty during the great aerial attack on the synthetic oil works at Politz, Germany,” when he “flew into the thick of the flak and held his squadron in such tight formation that the target suffered extreme damage and probably was destroyed.”

We are proud to remember these heroes and their service. They were always willing and able to do whatever it took to help the nation through a time of crisis: to change and grow, to pioneer new tools and techniques, to take on important new responsibilities, to strengthen and forge lasting relationships around the world. It was during these war years, for example, that the FBI stationed its first agents overseas and got its first extensive experience in gathering and analyzing intelligence that was used by policy makers to shape strategies and most importantly, to prevent attacks on the homeland.

These very qualities have served the Bureau well as we have continued to adapt to the new challenges over the years...from Cold War espionage to the rise of global crime syndicates and international terrorism.