Fort Miles Historical Association lecture series resumes Oct. 5
The Fort Miles Historical Association will resume its historical lecture series at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Fort Miles Museum in Cape Henlopen State Park.
In a presentation titled “A Not Too Distant Mirror,” military historian Bill Grayson will review the troubled years leading up to World War II, and America’s awareness and concerns about developments in Europe and the Far East. With a wary eye on growing German sea power, the United States began an ambitious coastal defense program that was underway when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The presentation also surveys America’s concerns about invasion threats to its mainland and the development of strong defenses on all three coasts, using Fort Miles as an example.
Grayson was formally trained as a United States Air Force intelligence officer. He served as commander and as operations officer of Air Force Signals Intelligence, Counterintelligence, and Operations Security units in Europe and South Vietnam. He also served three tours at the National Security Agency as a cryptologic staff officer and as chief of transmission security, overseeing all the joint service programs at the Department of Defense. Later, Grayson joined the U.S. Commerce Department as a telecommunications specialist securing the computer and communications systems of federal civil agencies throughout the United States and in Latin America.
Grayson is the author of three books, including “Delaware’s Ghost Towers: The Coast Artillery’s Forgotten Last Stand During the Darkest Days of World War II.” Using Delaware as a representative example for all three American shorelines, the book reveals how the World War II concrete sentinels standing along Delaware’s ocean beaches were used to guard against penetration by powerful German battleships bent on shelling Philadelphia and the oil refineries of Wilmington. It also tells the story of the nearly forgotten Coast Artillery soldiers who were the front line, standing a combat-ready watch during the anxious early months of the war, when the first invasion of the U.S. homeland since the War of 1812 was considered a frighteningly real possibility. Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase after Grayson’s presentation.
Seating in the Fort Miles Museum’s media room is limited to 65 attendees, so reservations are recommended. For more information, go to fortmilesmuseum.org, and to reserve a seat, scroll down to Historical Lecture Series 10/05/24 under Fort Miles Tours and Events.
