Thomas Ganatsiou

“Dad took tremendous pride in his service. During his later senior years in particular, he frequently shared stories with his family about his service. Sadly, this would include memories of soldiers killed and his first encounter with the smell of burning flesh.

He also carefully cataloged photographs and film he shot during his service. Although his bunkers were frequently fired upon, he still claimed that his transfer to the Signal Corps versus flying ‘saved his life,’ as many of those he had trained to be pilots died in battle.”

– Betsy Higgins ’78

Thomas Ganatsiou, remembered by his daughter, Betsy Higgins

As a member of the Signal Corps, Thomas Ganatsiou received many “top secret” messages. One was a notice that Germany had surrendered.

Thomas Ganatsiou received his draft notice in 1943 but was deferred for six months during his employment with Auto Ordinance, an arms development firm and the original manufacturer of the Tommy Gun and M1 Carbine Gun used in the war. Even so, Tom pursued a commission to the U.S. Coast Guard before receiving a second notice.

He opted not to accept a second deferment, since, as he wrote in his diary, it was time. All his peers and friends had already dutifully entered the service and he felt “quite alone.” He enlisted in the U.S. Army and departed for basic training in Denver, Colorado, and continued his service in California and Nevada. He was subsequently deployed to England and set for Pilot Training School. Based on his aptitude, he was transferred to the Signal Corps where he was trained for cryptography.

He landed under fire in France three days after D-Day and he served in France, Belgium, and Germany during the war. As a member of the Signal Corps, one of the “top secret” messages he received was a notice from General Eisenhower that Germany had surrendered. He had to contain that information for several days until VE Day was officially announced.