Tim Scherrer on Tactical US Army Military Intelligence in World War II

Tim Scherrer's Military Service & Early Career

• 💡 Tim Scherrer served as an Army Reserve counterintelligence section chief, mobilizing for Desert Storm and 9/11.
• 📌 His early military experiences included a mission to Iceland with the 485th MI detachment, focusing on tactical CI and operational security.
• 🚀 During Desert Storm, he was assigned to US Transcom J2 at Scott Air Force Base, briefing a four-star general and working on high-level logistics.
• 🧠 He later commanded a basic training company, the D Company 334th Infantry Regiment, for three years.

Post-9/11 Mobilization & Intelligence Roles

• 🚨 Scherrer was mobilized after 9/11 and augmented the night team at Transcom, eventually becoming the asymmetric threat chief.
• 💬 He gained insights into information warfare campaigns, noting how a contractor company managed media messaging during the war.
• 📚 He attended the Dynamics of International Terrorism course at Joint Special Operations University, featuring speakers who had experienced real-world kidnappings.

Writing Career & Historical Research

• ✍️ With a BA and MA in history, Scherrer's writing career began with a master's thesis on CB radios as America's first social media platform.
• 📖 He has authored several books, including "War Pigeons" about the signal pigeon corps and a book chronicling a Missouri wildfire disaster.

"Spy Catchers, Interrogators, and Analysts"

• 🔍 His latest book, "Spy Catchers, Interrogators, and Analysts," explores tactical US Army Military Intelligence in World War II, moving beyond common narratives of OSS and Bletchley Park.
• 🎓 The book details the Camp Richie schoolhouse which trained photo interpreters, order of battle teams, and linguists, including many expat German Jews known as the "Richie Boys."
• 📜 It also covers the early challenges of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), including an incident involving Eleanor Roosevelt that led to the schoolhouse being temporarily shut down.
• 🌟 Scherrer highlights figures like Henry Kissinger, whose military intelligence career began after being reassigned from infantry due to a psychological test and connections.

Personal Reflections & Encounters

• ⚠️ Scherrer shared a personal story about assisting a human trafficking coalition to rescue a talented international student.
• 💬 This led to an encounter with Ryan Burke, a security operative who was later tragically murdered, and whose reputation had been previously sullied by defamation allegations.