World War II Vet Who Decoded 143 Nazi Messages Honored

Tom Collins had always been a well respected member of the community.

The life-long East Hampton resident had a long career with the Western Electric Company, was a volunteer, a proud World War II veteran and supporter of the Wounded Warriors Project.

It was only revealed in recent years that his wartime duties as a transmission decoder played a role in defeating the Nazis. His activities were so significant to national security that it remained classified until 1998.  

The staff sergeant spent his later years in Springs, where he was admired for his old school work ethic. He passed away in May at the age of 89, and now a team of a younger generation continue to spread his message of pride and hard work through this weekend's Soldier Ride.

Born in 1921 and drafted into the Army during World War II, he was dispatched to the headquarters of an international Nazi cryptography effort.

He soon found himself as part of the team that invented "The Dragon," which decoded Nazi transmissions in the later stages of the war and helped America achieve victory.

He had a background in communications having worked at the electric company one year before being drafted, and an impressive run in basic training, had landed him a position at the Arlington Hall in Virginia, the headquarters of the Signal Intelligence Service cryptography effort.

Collins worked on a new cryptography device that was so top secret the engineers also had to sweep the floors, as no custodians were given access to the headquarters, according to Collins' son, Mike Collins, who gathered with the team on Thursday as it prepared for their ride.

After distinguishing himself at Arlington Hall, he was chosen to transport the Dragon to Britain. He taught the ally technicians how to use it and assisted in a decoding process that historians now claim directly helped end the war.

Traveling by rail and truck to Bletchley Park in England, he went on to the machine to the first battle on German soil.

The mission was of utmost secrecy; Collins carried a pistol with phosphate canisters to create an explosion that would ruin the machine and kill himself should he be captured, his son said.

A Congressional Record notes that Collins used the Dragon to intercept and decode 143 Nazi messages.

The record also credits Collins with being instrumental in designing the Dragon's successor, which "hastened the defeat of the Nazis by many weeks."

According to his son, Collins never revealed any details of his military past to his children, nor his wife. Mike Collins recalled his father never answered questions about his military experience, only ambiguously referring to time stationed in Britain. Even when the historic records were declassified, the information was only brought to light due to research from his son Brendan Collins. 

In July 2009, Collins was awarded a United Kingdom Certificate of Appreciation and Medal.

Just before Memorial Day 2010, Congressman Timothy Bishop, R-Southampton, honored Collins in the Congressional Record.