WEBVTT

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I'm Anne Armstrong , DSA historian . On

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the morning of January 19 , 1968 ,

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disaster struck DISA's predecessor ,

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the Defense Communications Agency . A

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fire roared through Building 12 , the

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home of DCA's headquarters , as well as

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the computer stacks , transformers ,

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and other major electrical equipment .

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A passerby , noticing smoke from the

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4th floor , reported the fire to a

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perimeter guard . When the fire

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department arrived , drastic damage had

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been done to the equipment and offices

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within . The ultimate cause of the fire

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was traced to either a coffee hot plate

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or a carelessly discarded cigarette .

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DCA staff reacted quickly to this

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disaster and rapidly resumed operations .

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Now , in a state of the art facility at

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Fort Meade , DISSA continues that

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legacy of preparedness . Today , DISA's

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elite team of military , civilian , and

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contract employees is poised and ready

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to ensure that DISA provides the

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capabilities required by today's modern

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warfighter .