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Harold 'Hal' Feeney


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Tony Izquierdo's case officer passed away over the summer:

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http://www.caller.com/news/2012/jun/14/harold-feeney-retired-navy-commander-former-dies/

CORPUS CHRISTI — Harold "Hal" Feeney, a retired Navy commander, former businessman and special investigator died Saturday. He was 89.

Raised in Long Beach, Calif., Feeney graduated military college in Pennsylvania and returned to take classes at the University of Southern California. He left college at the start of World War II and volunteered for the Army after learning his brother had been killed at sea. It was the start of a distinguished military career.

Feeney would go on to learn a half dozen languages and was assigned to posts around the globe. Feeney served as an intelligence officer during the Korean War, and later worked with special agents in Panama and Cuba. He also served as a chief intelligence officer at posts in France and Belgium, and was an adviser during meetings of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, then chaired by President John F. Kennedy at the White House.

"He had such a dedication to his country and the military," Feeney's son Hal Jr. said. "He taught us all to appreciate our freedom and be thankful for those who defend it."

Feeney also was awarded many foreign and domestic medals during his career including the medal of valor by Brigade 2506 for his efforts in Cuba.

In 1970, he moved to the Coastal Bend, accepting a job as vice president of Great Western Corp.

A few years later he left his job to work as a special investigator for several federal agencies. He also was a regular contributor to the Caller-Times.

Though his health had been declining in recent months, relatives were able to say their goodbye when caregivers gave notice that he had just a few days left.

"We were able to share a couple of laughs," Hal Feeney Jr. said. "It was a blessing to be able to say goodbye to him and tell him we love him."

Feeney is survived by wife Lydia; sons Harold Jr. and Charles; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by son David.

Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Seaside Memorial Funeral Home Chapel.

Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

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  • 1 year later...

Here's a good write up of Feeney's time at Guantanamo just prior to the BOP by Ramon Machado. Excuse the Spanish to English translation. I tried to do some cleanup but got lazy.

Commander Harold Feeney, "Don Quixote." 'We've lost a Brother’

By Ramon Machado (2508)

In late January 1961, Enrique Casuso (2507), Jorge Giraud (2524), Manuel Reyes (Little King) and I were in a CIA safe house in Falls Church, Virginia awaiting our trip to Cuba. Early one morning, Guy, the CIA agent who was in the house with us to take care of me out of the house and was introduced to an officer of the Navy would be my contact from that time. Said officer, who spoke Spanish impeccably, was introduced and immediately there was a good report as mutual respect, trust and affection between us. His name was Harold Feeney, the vintage and at that time Chief of Intelligence at Guantanamo. Feeney was the one I was going to take to Cuba .When the usher called me by name, and was introduced using his real name, last name and rank, but then I said. "OK, I know who you are and you already know who I am but now later prefer you to call me Don Quixote, and I'll call you Pete." Immediately headed to the Patuxent River Air Force Base and we boarded the plane would take us to Guantanamo. It turned out the time the plane tickets Admiral Burke, the chief of naval operations, it had provided to facilitate Feeney’s operation. It was a C-54 which only had two passengers. Feeney and in a good mood of a note: We had it off about noon, but we had lunch. At about three or four in the afternoon I went out of the cabin a brunette, white dress and a white hat with those used by cooks, and proceeded to the premiering the menu to prepare food. (CNO staff plane!). "Today I prepare filet mignon, turkey, chicken, or fish whatever they prefer to eat. "- Feeney ordered steak, and then the brunette looked beyond me and what I wanted. I was so nervous about the details of the operation that I was not hungry, so I told the brunette: I do not want anything. Actually no I have much appetite. Feeney looked at me and said, Pete, I suggest you eat something. Remember that maybe this is "The Last Supper" for you. - Well, I ordered steak, and thank God it was not my last meal. In the Feeney over the years and always laughed remembering this incident,

Feeney told me during the Patuxent River trip to Guantánamo, my infiltration in Cuba would be through the base, and my mission was to join a group in the hills that were in the mountains of Baracoa, relatively near the base. I was the wireless radio operator, my responsibility would be to coordinate the shipment of arms for the hills.

The information that the CIA had at the time was that he had around 200 rebels near Mayarí and needed weapons to survive. The importance of the mission was great, because the aim was to strengthen this focus of guerrillas in the East to force Fidel to mobilize troops toward that area, many of which would have to pull out of the area of Escambray. In then give a break to the rebels of the Escambray was a great priority, because Fidel had concentrated a large number of troops there, and the rebels were essentially fenced in and needed another front away from them to take a breath and survive.

Once we landed, Don Quixote took me to his office, where I met Jack Modessett (Pecos) and Wallace (Wally), the other members of the "unholy trio". The dedication and effort of these three naval officers to our cause was huge.

The next day, early in the morning, Don Quixote took me to see two Cubans who were "refugees" at the base (names not mentioned for reasons of prudence and caution). Both were members of the MRR and residents of the area near the base, and my instructions as to where hold me once it was on the other side of the fence, the driver that I it could remove from the base, the driver who would lead me to the mountains where I was going to meet with the rebels, and other details related to logistics and safety precautions.

During the 4 or 5 weeks I managed to survive, first in the city of Guantanamo, then on the trip to the mountains, then during the time I spent with the elevations, and finally, in the back and the second entry in the base, this time jumping the fence. I did not enter details about the details of the things that happened to me during this time, as my intention in writing this article is to make my historical narrative in the context of my friend Don Quixote, in whose honor I'm writing it, and during these 4 or 5 weeks I simply not had contact with him. Suffice it to say that I survived because 5% of training and my own common sense, and 95% to what some would say is good luck, but I am convinced that it was the work of God.

I do not remember exactly that day was when I came back to enter the base, but I vividly remember the night before I get to the base was completely full moon by what I imagine being no more than one couple of days before or after the good Friday, so it must have been more or less between the 29th or 30th of March and the 2nd or 3rd of April. I remember that would be like ten in the morning when I jumped the fence.

Once inside there is a road that goes around the perimeter of the base, which was patrolled constantly. Every 5 or 10 minutes passed a jeep with several marines assigned to the patrol. On the other side of the road there was a minefield, and every 20 to 30 meters had signs that said: "do not enter. Danger. Mines". After surviving several weeks in the hills I didn’t have any desire to fly into pieces, so is that I decided to stay where was. In the very middle of the road, beside the fence, I sat down to wait for the patrol. Not even five minutes passed, and became the patrol. Three Marines got off of the vehicle and approached me with ready rifles, asking for identification. I rode in the Jeep and took me to the "security office" to process me: photographs, fingerprints, etc. - part of the process was to notify the office of intelligence that there was an "intruder" in the base, which in a matter of minutes Quixote appeared in the place.


The next scene will never forget me. Don Quixote turned to me they were "processing" and simply told them: I know that you are just doing your job, but this guy is my responsibility. But please give me the photos that you just tokk and the form containing his fingerprints. Then they gave him the pictures and the paper with my fingerprints and put them in his pocket and I left the "security office" with him and we went directly to hisoffice where the first thing he did was rip all the papers into pieces and throw them in the dustbin.

That afternoon we talked, I recounted all of the events since my departure from the base, and I had a very pleasant surprise: at the base they were at that time Ernesto Estevan (butterfly), and Rodolfo Hernandez (Sea Fury). It gave me great pleasure to see these brothers. -Tears, Hugs, in short: one of those things that are never forgotten. The rest of the day we spent just talking and remembering. That night I slept like a Dormouse. The next day Quixote met with me to let me know which would be the next mission. With the help of Sea Fury, my mission would be to train a group of 6 or 8 individuals in the use of explosives, and later, we were going to be the Committee's receipt of Nino Diaz, which landed just east of the base in a diversionary coordinated effort with the main landing at the Bay of pigs.

Individuals who I was going to train it was assumed they arrive in a day or two. Meanwhile it was necessary to take a shipment of weapons from the base to a location near Cuban territory and hide the loading in the ditch beside the road, like a half kilometer from the fence of the base. According to the plans that had already, a car would pass by the place late at night, would stop in place, and would pick up weapons to take them to their destination.

Half a kilometre is not far away, but given the amount of weapons that we had to carry, it would take us numerous trips and if it was jus me and Sea Fury. Therefore, for provide us the task and make it the most fast possible, Quixote and Pecos they decided that they would also take part in the operation.

What you tell them it then won't ever forget. These two officers the Navy, in uniform and without orders from their superiors, they went into Cuban territory with Fury and me. Went the four loaded how about mules, and so and everything had to make two trips to complete the doffing. I.e., if there had been only is Fury and I it would have taken us four trips and I'm not sure that we would have finished in time. That was the kind of man's brother, who was Don Quixote. It was capable of risking not only his life but also his military career, for help us in a war that was actually my war, not for him. It is by that for the rest of his life always I admired him and respected him, and during the rest of my life I will always remember.

Once the group that I should train arrived, it was necessary to find a appropriate place for this training. Given the intensity of the activities of the militia in the vicinity of the base, the only place "safe" in Cuban territory was a place near the base on the same coast, which consisted only of dogtooth reefs, and near which do not There was drinking water in several miles around. Where there is no water is not possible to survive, so it was not possible that there could be remain. -Fantastic! -Exactly what we were looking for: a place in which would not we go to search.

We stayed there for 3 or 4 days. Every night is Fury and I we loaded with bottles of the whole group and we were going up to the base, we vaulted the fence, the patrol was called Quixote which we came to Search and filled bottles, after which Sea Fury and I returned loaded as mules with water for the next day. April 9 at 10 or 11 o'clock of the day, was sitting on a box of
food rations and would them enseňar to the group as he prepared a load explosive. They were all in a small circle around me, none to more than two or three metres away except Sea Fury, which was of Sentinel with a M-3, turning as a 20 or 30 meters of the group, observing the surrounding area. In my backpack had around 250 detonators. I took off the backpack of back and put her entire my legs. I pulled a detonator of the backpack and I started the demonstration: "...Using this special pliers this fact of a soft, very malleable metal which does not produce sparks, to tighten the "around the detonating cord detonator..."-BOOM!-I had the misfortune that I dropped the detonator which had in his hand, which exploded due to the impact to fall on the stone, and by exploiting one broke out all the detonators he had in the bag between your legs.

We were all wounded with the exception of Sea Fury, although he felt the blast, he came running to our rescue. We were all stunned, wounded, and burned. Sea Fury shook each of us, helped us to get up, and was leading us away The base was not far from that place, but we were in poor condition. I remember once the initial wore off when took our March I it was more or less walking at the beginning of the journey: wobbling and unclear, but walking.

It was bloody and I lost a lot of blood during the journey because I remember that the last 100 yards just before we reached the base fence Icouldn't walk, but was crawling on all
fours. When I finally arrived at the fence, they had to lift me over the fence and drop me to the other side. I did not have an ounce of energy.

With a superhuman effort, Sea Fury lifted me over his head, me it settled on the barbed wire that were above the fence and I just pushed to the other side, where one of the group that
He was better than me and I was on the other side, I endured and I deposited on the ground. When the patrol came this time, instead of find one or two individuals, were found with eight or ten men all faded and bloodied.

As for the time jumping the fence was part of my daily routine, Feeney had given me a contraseňa in case of emergency which it would be useful to make patrol I recognize as "non-hostile". The llast that I remember was when the contraseňa tell the Chief of patrol, I account by the expression on his face that he recognized her, and I heard them ask for an ambulance by walkie talkie. I then ran out of energy. I lost the knowledge and I do not remember anything more at all. Quixote told me that when the Manager of the security service as He called that day told him: "Your Cuban friends are hurt and are on their way to the hospital". When the ambulance arrived at the hospital already the was there waiting for us. He says he spoke with me when I went rolling on the Camilla, but I must have been delirious, because I remember nothing of those moments.

After a couple of weeks in the hospital at the Guantanamo base and another two or three weeks in the hospital in Fort Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico,I recovered from the wounds, then went back to Miami.

During the following years, Don Quixote and I always kept in contact with Christmas cards, phone calls, etc. One day three or four years ago I called him on the phone but he was not at home and his wife told me that his health was beginning to decay and his mind was starting to wander. A few days later I surprised him by going to his house, where we spent the day reminiscing about
the past and enjoying each other's company. I felt a great satisfaction to see in his face the joy that I provided him with my visit. After that day we talked on the phone several times, but I nerver saw him again. Quixote always helped us in our cause. As a Cuban, I simply I could never rerpay him and the others many
like me that were involved in the struggle for a free Cuba.

We have lost a great friend and a brother. Rest in peace, Don Quixote.

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  • 3 years later...
  • 8 months later...
46 minutes ago, David Boylan said:

Some updates by Bill Simpich on Operation Cobra and Hal Feeney. 

https://www.maryferrell.org/php/cryptdb.php?id=AMCOBRA

This thread should be read from the beginning to get some background.

 

Thanks David (and Bill!) I won't be able to read until later but would it be safe to say that Harvey and Feeney may have coordinated at certain points during their careers specifically during the Secret Cuban War? Secondly, do we (today) know who all the team members were for AM/TORRID & COBRA?

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