"I think we had a harder time competing against [the F.B.I.] than we did against the Germans." (Video interview, Tape 1, 18:25)

Rafael D. Hirtz

Rafael Hirtz in uniform on his wedding day, New York, NY [1945] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Unit: Army Signal Corp; Operational Forces, Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Service Location: European Theater; North Africa; China Rank: Captain

With his privileged upbringing--he was born to a wealthy French family, educated by private tutors, and grew up as a teenager around 1930s Hollywood--Rafael Hirtz might have found a way to coast through World War II. Instead, he volunteered for the fledgling Office of Strategic Services, even after he was told that field operatives had only a fifty percent chance of survival. Hirtz worked on three intelligence missions abroad, using his ability to speak fluent French in service to his adopted country.