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Akin, Spencer Ball, MG.
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Date of Passing Oct 06, 1973
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MAJOR GENERAL SPENCER B. AKIN
MG Spencer B. Akin, Chief Signal Officer, 1947-1951, accompanied General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor through the initial military government in defeated Japan at the close of World War II. Before Corregidor and Bataan fell, Akin's radio program, the "Voice of Freedom," broadcast to the world, three times daily, that the two islands were holding.
As MacArthur's Chief Signal Officer throughout World War II, Akin exercised strong control by being in the forefront of each operation. This sometimes irritated others. Sixth army troops, including their commander, LTG Walter Krueger, complained that mobile communications clogged Highway 3, with a long column of heavy Signal Corps' vehicles, during the recapture of Manila near the end of the war.
As Chief of Signal Intelligence in the Far East and of Army forces in the Pacific, Akin exploited the Japanese reliance on radio communications by keeping commanders appraised of pertinent information. In one instance, an intercepted enemy radio message revealed that, expecting bombing raids, the Japanese had issued orders to move airplanes from a vulnerable airfield to a safer location. The Army Air Force used the information to attack before the move could be made, destroying large numbers of enemy aircraft. Akin's intelligence services crossed service boundaries. At Admiral Halsey's request, a Signal intelligence detachment was placed on his flagship. Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, as commander of the Fifth Fleet in the southwest Pacific, kept Signal specialists on duty with him at all times.
During 1944, radio relay equipment proved itself more vital in the Pacific then in Europe. By November of 1944, message traffic, in that theater of war, was more than a million groups per day. In addition to wire communications, Akin equipped a small Signal Corps' fleet, a flotilla of small vessels, including schooners, ketches and barges, with radio. At first they served as relay ships, but soon became forward command post communications sites, Army Command and Administrative Network (ACAN) stations, and communications supply depots. Their support was so coveted that Army elements continually competed to obtain their services.
When elevated to Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army in 1947, Akin had earned, among other awards, the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star, both for gallantry in action in 1942 and the Air Medal and Legion of Merit, both in 1946. MG Akin retired in 1951. He died on 6 October 1973 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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Army Distinguished Service Cross - 1942
Name of Award Army Distinguished Service Cross
Year Awarded 1942
Last Updated: Nov 19, 2009
This ribbon will display Multiple Award devices automatically based on the total number of awards listed
Details Behind Award
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Spencer Bell Akin, Brigadier General, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Chief Signal Officer, Pacific Forces, in action against enemy forces on 31 December 1941, in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, Pampanga, Philippine Islands. While returning from an inspection of Signal installations in Cuagua and Bucalor, conducted in the face of hostile aerial bombing and consequent oil and gasoline fires, and explosion of ammunition dumps en route, Brigadier General Akin was halted by a severe traffic congestion at a bridge on the Luboa-Leyac road in the vicinity of Santa Barbara. Despite the concentration of aerial bombs bursting in the congested area, this intrepid officer left his vehicle, walked to the center of the traffic block and proceeded, while under fire, to untangle and direct traffic until the normal flow was restored. By his courageous exploit, efficiently performed without regard for the serious personal hazards involved, the exodus of troops, civilians, guns and supplies to the south was expedited, and destruction of personnel and material incident to the concentrated bombing target presented by the extensive traffic block was minimized. Brigadier General Akin's intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the Office of Strategic Services, and the United States Army. Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Orders No. 40 (1942) Home Town: Purcellville, Virginia
