June - This Month in the Cold War

June 5: 1967 - Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula, beginning the Six-Day War.

On June 8, 1967 - The USS Liberty, a United States Navy signals intelligence ship, was attacked by Israeli jets and torpedo boats off the Egyptian coast.  34 sailors were killed and 171 wounded.

June 11, 1994 - The Soviet military occupation of East Germany ended after 49 years.

June 15, 1954 - A US Air Force RB-29 was shot down either over the Sea of Japan near the Kamchatka Peninsula. No remains or survivors were recovered.

June 19, 1953 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed. They had been found guilty of providing vital information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union during 1944-45.

June 24, 1948 – The Soviet Union began the blockade of Berlin.

June 25, 1950 - North Korean troops, led by Russian-built tanks, crossed the 38th parallel and launched a full-scale invasion of South Korea.

June 16, 1959 - A US Navy P2V was attacked by a MIG fighter over the Sea of Japan, east of Wonsan, North Korea.

June 22, 1955 - A US Navy P2V Neptune was attacked by two Soviet fighters in international waters over the Bering Straits between Siberia and Alaska. It crashed on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, where the crew was rescued.

June 27, 1958 -  US Air Force C-118, on a regular cargo mission from Cyprus to Tehran, Iran, strayed into Soviet Armenian airspace and was shot down by Soviet fighters 30 miles inside Soviet airspace near Yerevan, capital of Soviet Armenia. The US admitted intrusion, said it was due to navigational error. Five of the crewmembers parachuted from the plane and 4 rode it down until it crashed. All 9 were released by the Soviets on July 7, 1958.

They Served in Silence

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the armed services. Among them were Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the security services who manned the front line of the Cold War. Assigned to isolated foreign outposts, naval vessels, or flying along the Iron Curtain, they collected signals intelligence and gave an extra layer of early warning. All too many died by accident or enemy action. The first American combat death in Vietnam was a soldier of the Army Security Agency.

The National Cryptologic Memorial at Ft. Meade, Maryland, stands to honor those "silent warriors" who risked, and often lost, their lives performing airborne signals intelligence missions during the Cold War. The memorial lists the names of 176 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and civilian cryptologists who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

On this day we should take a moment to remember those who died keeping the United States secure and honor their courage to carry out their mission at such a dear price.