life story, as a top secret worker.

Originally posted by jude11
I would think that anyone "Chosen" would at least have a firm grasp on grammar for posterity sake.

But then again...maybe the pickin's are gettin' scarce these days.

You really have to try harder on ATS.

But wait!

Is that you again Bernie?

edit on 22-4-2013 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

One would think they would select poeople with more mettle than the kind that fall apart or commit suicide. I know there are better candidates out there so thinking this is total bs.

reply to post by boncho


Damn I was really laughing about the one way elevators until I saw what you posted, LMAO There is a supposed weapons system called the Rods of God, im guessing that what he was talking about.

How do you respond to such a thread.... Is someone on ATS going to get "The Call"? Sure it's a very open ended post not giving much but not validating anything (Kinda feels like talking to my fiance' ROFL)..... Someone else stated already... Are you retired? Even then... I don't think an association that of the Underworld would just let you get away with going on ATS and posting this... Maybe I'm wrong... Maybe your in a cubicle in a bunker somewhere and you just decided to go Harrison Ford (everyone knows the movie i'm drawing a blank but I see it playing in my head) style and your getting ready to break out... Or break down.... Did you crack? I'm serious.... Anyway's why post this and then not answer any questions??? Seriously.... Can someone summon Destiny??? I want to see some cookies in this! Or a pie to the face~

We the people demand answers!

Late edit to previous post -

Where you said "they" let you in and "they" let you out, as if the SCIF doors couldn't be opened or closed.

It's not like you can wander in and out of the secure area. But the doors do open and close. Depending on whose SCIF it is, and how hard-assed they are about it, it varies from ridiculous with guards that vet you in the hallway in front of the SCIF to somewhat lax like ours, where a gatekeeper sits inside the SCIF doorway and makes sure you're an employee that should be in there.

SCIF entrances tend to be something that looks like a vault door at a bank, if you didn't know what one was you'd see ours and think we had a safe set into the wall about half again as large as a standard door. Inside there's a small room big enough for a desk, a file cabinet and the GSA box, then there's a door to the left into the SCIF proper that they have to buzz you through. You can leave any time you want, after the gatekeeper checks to make sure you're not packing something out.

More formal SCIFs can be a lot more hard-assed, but some are pretty lax, we're about inbetween.

If everyone dropped dead except you, though, you could easily just leave - there's a manual release on both the anteroom and the secure door on the inside. Just lift the handle and out you go. If you have the combo to the 'safe door' you can get in as well, but it's a big violation to do it by yourself. Only two of the security staff are supposed to know it and it rotates every quarter.

reply to post by Bedlam


Is it possible for you to tell us what you do? Or who you work for?

Not specifics of course, just the kind of field and why it's classified and such. The OP doesn't seem to be forthcoming, but I figured someone who is the real deal would post eventually.

reply to post by 74Templar


Wellllllllllll, I once dated a church friend . . . her father worked his way up from Navy Radioman to Navy CDR, IIRC. Might have been Captain but I think it was CDR--one down from full bird.

Anyway--he was in charge of screening a wide range of hyper secret projects . . . for being funded, refunded, implemented; evaluated etc.

Most of his resume was highly classified as were his commendations.

I believe that there are many categories where the government, the PTB prefer folks to have paper trails which are utterly non-governmental . . . to throw any inspections quite askew from the git-go.

Lots of things stopped adding up to 4 long ago in our era.

. . . as this list of quotes would document . . .

twoday.net...

Even mathematics left Kansas a long time ago as well . . . if the physicists are any clue . . . Stephen Hawkings asserted that 'reality' is sooooo unalterably strange at basic levels . . . that . . . essentially . . . one could assert almost anything [my inference and interpretation of his summary. I don't recollect at the moment where I read it--I think in a book I've read in the last 6 months. I forget which one]. That is, that even Alice-in-Wonderland's rabbit hole might well exist some where in some multiverse. And given the 300+ books on my Kindle, I don't know that I could even quickly guess which book it was in.
.

[color=6699FF]That at subatomic etc. levels . . . A LOT OF THINGS simply do not make conventional sense any more--if any sense at all. It was a bit startling, even for me, to read that from Hawkings.
.

I remember seeing the safe door once. I as a volunteer firefighter and we got a bells call at a local NSA facility (using a University as its 'cover' location, its not a secret that it's there but it has classified wings). We never made it past the door. The guards on site handled it, but since the original 911 call came from a citizen, we were obliged to check and advise.

reply to post by 74Templar


Well, the 'founders' left LANL years ago. We decided to start an engineering company and away we went. Not knocking LANL, it was one of those decisions I might have thought through a bit better. Mainly when I was in the Army I had the occasional interaction with nukes (don't ask) and I had sort of a fascination/apprehension of the thing I thought I could cure by working with them but after mixing boredom with naked terror a few times that was enough. I guess I'm too wussy for WER.

So we went to Huntsville and got a building with a SCIF from Olin King, and started doing stuff for the gubmint. Often as a second or third tier but as time went by we started first tiering or contracting for jobs. We do classified BIOS work, systems integration (that's where I've been for months now) and lots of design stuff. We've done stuff for NASA, the agency, NSA, lockmar, ng, Boeing, you name it. We get called to referee inter-vendor fights now.

Given that the majority of us were associated with the service at some point doesn't hurt either, the brass like to keep it in the family donchaknow.

Originally posted by TheOtter
I remember seeing the safe door once. I as a volunteer firefighter and we got a bells call at a local NSA facility (using a University as its 'cover' location, its not a secret that it's there but it has classified wings). We never made it past the door. The guards on site handled it, but since the original 911 call came from a citizen, we were obliged to check and advise.

edit on 4/23/2013 by TheOtter because: (no reason given)

Depending on the facility, the locals can't enter. If you've got those federal restricted access signs on the fence that Gariac is so fond of photographing, neither LEOs nor firefighters can enter except as escorted guests, no firearms, no authority. The SOIC has legal authority similar to a US Marshal, and can detain, disarm, arrest and do invasive cavity searches on LEOs who wander onto the property. Unfortunately, no one's tried it yet. I have threatened to do body cavity searches to uncooperative vendors.

FWIW, we've got a halon flood system in the SCIF.

Originally posted by daaskapital
One way elevators you say? What happens when they reach either the top or bottom levels?

Which government agency did you work for?

They reset at the end of the day and reverse directions, that's what I meant. Not truely one-way

DOE. Not did. Do.

It's really not that uncommon or special to have any clearance above Secret regardless of color or band.

I worked in the defense industry for 6 years with a very specific type of high level clearance since I was supporting specific projects. I would spend hours in rooms with the constant hum of white noise along with other security measures.

Unless you are supporting alien bodies in sublevel 8 of Area 51 it just doesn't make you that unique.

reply to post by curiouswa


My internet communications are masked via a trusted link. It is the only way I would risk it. The methods I use are very sophisticated; way beyond just a proxy server

reply to post by 74Templar


For they same reason they use a lot of contractors and contract out nearly everything.
I would assume it is so that their name is directly attached; and just another layer of obfuscation.

reply to post by DarknStormy


They try to.

reply to post by Bedlam


"You're never alone. There isn't any isolation in terms of being alone in the SCIF or a secure area."

Not sure about where you have been, but here they (being the people securing the place) know where you are, but nothing beyond that. From that perspective you are "on your own".



"Most SCIFs have cell phone detectors. Ours does. No jammers though - it's TEMPEST, you can't get a signal out."
They don't allow any electronics to enter or leave the place.
I don't carry a cellphone, I ain't that dumb. GPS tracker + microphone, that's all I have to say about that.



re: friends
Good points made, I'll have to remember to use that method to hide.

reply to post by karen61560


I don't work in the HR hiring department, so I'm not sure what their hiring criteria is.
They are selecting civilians with no prior service background. I can only assume they do it that way because there is less likelihood that they are a spy or a power tripper looking for an in. Perhaps they find them to be more "authentic". Don't know for sure.

Originally posted by ProjectUltra2013
"Most SCIFs have cell phone detectors. Ours does. No jammers though - it's TEMPEST, you can't get a signal out."
They don't allow any electronics to enter or leave the place.
I don't carry a cellphone, I ain't that dumb. GPS tracker + microphone, that's all I have to say about that.

Also useful to transfer data to, if you had working USB ports which our machines don't, except mine.

You'd be surprised how many visitors try to bring in phones. I have a collection.

Originally posted by Bedlam
Late edit to previous post -

Where you said "they" let you in and "they" let you out, as if the SCIF doors couldn't be opened or closed.

It's not like you can wander in and out of the secure area. But the doors do open and close. Depending on whose SCIF it is, and how hard-assed they are about it, it varies from ridiculous with guards that vet you in the hallway in front of the SCIF to somewhat lax like ours, where a gatekeeper sits inside the SCIF doorway and makes sure you're an employee that should be in there.

SCIF entrances tend to be something that looks like a vault door at a bank, if you didn't know what one was you'd see ours and think we had a safe set into the wall about half again as large as a standard door. Inside there's a small room big enough for a desk, a file cabinet and the GSA box, then there's a door to the left into the SCIF proper that they have to buzz you through. You can leave any time you want, after the gatekeeper checks to make sure you're not packing something out.

More formal SCIFs can be a lot more hard-assed, but some are pretty lax, we're about inbetween.

If everyone dropped dead except you, though, you could easily just leave - there's a manual release on both the anteroom and the secure door on the inside. Just lift the handle and out you go. If you have the combo to the 'safe door' you can get in as well, but it's a big violation to do it by yourself. Only two of the security staff are supposed to know it and it rotates every quarter.

Our's works more like a prison.
It's a really involved process.

You present your RFID card to the door lock. It opens.
Then it closes behind you within a few moments.
Now you are in, what I will refer to as "Level 1".

To enter Level 2 (which is on the same floor), you again present your RFID card and scan your eyeball.
Now you are in Level 2.

There are camera everywhere, the whole time of course.

To enter Level 3 (same floor), this time there is a gatekeeper sitting behind bullet proof glass watching you.
You place all your stuff in a tray slider, and you don't get to see that stuff until you leave at the end of the shift.
You walk through the metal detector / backscatter machine. If it beeps, you put your stuff in the tray
Only one person at a time is allowed.
Afterward, you enter your rotating pass code. Upon success the gatekeeper hits the open button.
Only then does the door open.
You are now inside Level 4.

If you wanted to go back out, you can't. He won't open the door for any reason.

There is an elevator, you get in it and it takes you to your designated floor. (There are no buttons.) Now you are underground in Level "5".

The elevator door closes and won't reopen until the end of the shift.

There is a bathroom and food and such down there, they aren't going to make you hold it for multiple hours.
All fire alarms are automatic (heat/smoke detector), there is no "panic button" you can hit; you are pretty much fending on your own at this level.

By that description, does this place sound familiar to anyone?
That is, if you are able to speak and/or care to.

Originally posted by ProjectUltra2013
DOE. Not did. Do.

DOE top search results.

Department Of Energy

Department of Education

The Education Dept is referred to as ED though.

What could possibly be TS or SCIF (and yes I looked those up too) about those departments?

BTW, hard to admit, but I do have a slightly larger measure of respect for returning to answer questions and not just hit-and-running from the thread like we're used to....

reply to post by ProjectUltra2013

But surely you can see how someone on the outside hearing people in the TS industry "do tax returns from McDonalds" sounds utterly ridiculous, when it would be simpler to just have them working for the Federal Government or even the corporation they work for under a simple guise of say 'accountant' or 'mechanic?'

Originally posted by ProjectUltra2013
By that description, does this place sound familiar to anyone?
That is, if you are able to speak and/or care to.

Sounds like the design area at Sandia.

Or INL.