CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Where some see history, Martha De Simone sees heroes, and she brings their stories to life through words.
She’s also taken on numerous writing projects, many for veterans, and some of her own in an effort to ensure their voices are not lost to time.
“I really enjoy Mr. Jose Mendez and his wisdom,” she said, referring to the now 100-year-old World War II veteran.
Though she’s not a veteran herself, her commitment to honoring service members is deeply personal.
Her mission is simple: to make sure heroes aren’t forgotten.
“We are losing such honorable men and women of the greatest generation,” she said.
For De Simone, this calling began at home. Her father served in the Army but rarely spoke about his past.
“Everything was so secretive in the house,” she recalled. “He wasn’t a spy but he did investigative interrogations worldwide to protect our government agencies here.”
Driven by a need to understand, De Simone began digging into her family’s history. What she found changed everything.
“I was down in his basement and there’s his mother’s, my grandmother’s homestead box,” she said. “And I opened it up and there were pictures and memorabilia and envelopes. Everything you could ever imagine.”
Piece by piece, she assembled the story of a man she thought she knew.
“I did a beautiful book, that was the very first one I ever did,” said De Simone.
She discovered that her father played a crucial role in World War II, one that had gone unspoken for decades.
“When he was a young boy, he got very involved in electronics. Then he got involved in electronic communications under General [Dwight D.] Eisenhower’s Signal Service team. Then he gets called to Reims, France, to work with the Signal Service Corps over there to help bring World War II to an end,” she explained.
“He was the only one who could decipher the codes from the Enigma machine, knowing the Germans’ plans, and deciphering them and bringing World War II to an end with the Morse code, typing 40 to 60 words per minute — the average is 25.”
While De Simone highlights her father’s important role in electronic communications and code deciphering, it is important to clarify the broader historical context. The German Enigma machine codes were primarily broken by British cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park, led by Alan Turing and his team. The U.S. Signal Service Corps, including teams working under General Eisenhower, contributed significantly to battlefield communications and intelligence efforts, but the breakthrough in decoding Enigma was a large, collaborative Allied effort, mostly based in the UK.
Her father’s Morse code skills and work in the Signal Service Corps were valuable assets during the war, particularly in France during its final stages, supporting Allied operations.
That revelation changed her and set her on a path to help other families uncover the same kind of connection.
“You just have to, you have to respect these honorable men and women who have given so much to our country,” said De Simone. “And he was part of that. I mean, he helped bring World War II to an end.”
While she dedicates much of her time to preserving the stories of others, De Simone’s own life has been filled with memorable chapters. She spent nine years working on Capitol Hill and is also a seasoned traveler, mother, and someone who embraces adventure.
“It’s all interconnected with my travels because I’m so spontaneous,” she said.
For those interested in writing their own stories, Del Mar College offers courses. De Simone has made multiple guest appearances in some of those classes, encouraging others to share their history.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at michelle.lorenzo@kristv.com
