Grayston Lynch

Grayston LeRoy Lynch The other CIA officer was William "Rip" Robertson.

Lynch was raised in Victoria, Texas, and was the son of an oil driller. He was wounded at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and Heartbreak Ridge in Korea; served with the Special Forces in Laos; and received three Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars and one Bronze Star with a "V" for valor, among other awards. He was selected from the elite to become a Paramilitary Operations Officer in the CIA's famed Special Activities Division in 1960.

For his actions at the Bay of Pigs, Lynch was awarded the Intelligence Star, the CIA's most coveted award. In the six years after the Bay of Pigs invasion, he ran commando raids into Cuba. Lynch retired from the CIA in 1971.

Military service Born June 14, 1923, in Gilmer, Texas, Lynch lied about his age by claiming to be born in 1920 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1938 and was assigned to 5th Cavalry at Fort Clark, Texas. During World War II he was assigned to the Second Division as platoon sergeant. During D-day he landed at Omaha Beach and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge where he was seriously wounded. He served in the Korean War with the Second Division as Second Lt., promoted to First Lt., wounded at Battle of Bloody Ridge. Later served in Laos with 77th Special Forces Group as Captain, retiring from them in 1960.

Education Lynch received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1953.

CIA career, 1960–1971 In 1960 he joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) working under Theodore Shackley. Lynch spent the majority of his time between Key West and Miami.

Bay of Pigs Lynch was transported to Cuba aboard the SS Blagar.

No Americans were authorized to land on the beaches of Cuba during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Published works Lynch wrote a book, Decision for Disaster: Betrayal at the Bay of Pigs, based on his experience leading the rebel Brigade 2506.