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"It's the best job in the Army by far." (Audio Interview, 1:04:39)

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   James C. Shildmyer
Image of James C. Shildmyer
James Shildmyer, Ft. Riley, Kansas [April 1951]
War: Korean War, 1950-1953
Branch: Army
Unit: 113th Counterintelligence Corps
Service Location: Indiana
Rank: Sergeant
Place of Birth: IN
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He didn't go undercover behind enemy lines, but James Shildmyer played his own role in supporting the intelligence effort during the Korean War. Working for the Army's Counterintelligence Corps., he ran background checks on prospective employees for sensitive positions. The FBI also borrowed him to go undercover in the Louisville, Kentucky area to investigate thefts at an arsenal. Shildmyer's term of service expired just as he was about to marry and he declined to re-enlist, but he recalls his Army work fondly.

Interview (Audio)
»Interview Highlights  (8 clips)
»Complete Interview  (77 min.)
»Transcript
  Photos
»Photo Album (6 photos)
 Official Documents
»Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America Certificate 3/7/57
More like this
»Intel:Behind the Scenes
 Audio (Interview Excerpts) (8 items)
Reluctant be in the Army but mindful of his duty. (01:21) Recruited for counter-intelligence training that kept him stateside during the Korean War. (02:11) Flunking an interrogation technique test because he used physical methods to obtain information. (05:12)
Doing background investigations on military personnel needing a secret or top-secret clearance; did information gathering only, not the final judgment. (03:57) Assigned to go undercover to investigate thefts at the Indiana Arsenal. (04:43) A case of mistaken identity involving a woman friend. (06:46)
Espionage case involving agents posing as reporters; the communist method of espionage' not knowing the outcome of this or many other investigations. (05:35) His mother alerting him to pro-communist literature undermining the effort in the Korean War; it was left at the county auditor's office to be distributed to the public. (04:21) 
  
 
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  The Library of Congress  >> American Folklife Center
  October 26, 2011
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