Bradely Ayers

Bradley Ear Ayers was born on March 7, 1935, in St. Paul, Minnesota, of second generation English/Scandinavian – French-Canadian/Cree Indian descent. He is the oldest of four boys. He attended a parochial grade school in St. Paul. His family moved to Stillwater, Minnesota in 1948 where he completed his primary schooling. During high school he was active in sports and as a junior reporter for the community daily newspaper. He graduated in 1953, shortly before the end of the Korean War.

Immediately following high school, at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the U.S. Army paratroopers. This began a twelve year period of active duty military service during which he was promoted through the infantry ranks from private to captain. He served in command and staff assignments, from rifle company to Department of Defense level, at various stations in the United States and overseas. His military specialties were: unconventional and paramilitary warfare, ranger-command, anti-terrorist and covert operations. He is qualified as a master parachutist, underwater demolition swimmer, mountaineer, air craft pilot and flight instructor. He received various awards and decorations for his military service.

In early 1963 Ayers was selected by the Department of Defense for a sensitive undercover assignment with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Upon completion of this top secret mission he resigned his Regular Army commission. He was one of the first career officers to voice opposition to the Vietnam War and to speak out publicly against the influence of private and special interests in American foreign and domestic policy. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 1965 and was recommissioned in the United States Army Reserve. He continued to serve in paramilitary and intelligence fields as a government contract agent.

His comprehensive background in military and intelligence service led to the publication of his non-fiction book The War that Never Was – an insider’s account of CIA covert operations against Cuba, released by Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc. in 1976. An expanded paperback version of the book was published in 1980.

The War that Never Was was rewritten and reissued as an expanded, updated and uncensored format as The Zenith Secret.

Ayers is a graduate of the Minnesota Metropolitan University and holds a masters degree in education. He is conversant in Spanish and German. He remained active in the U.S. Army Reserves until early 1981. He maintained FAA certification as a commercial pilot and flight instructor until 1991.. Since then he has served on special assignments with the U.S. Justice and Treasury Departments.

 JFKcountercoup: Brad Ayers - US Ranger - Trained Cubans at JM/WAVE