Rivera describes his work in naval intelligence during World War II. He describes how he was recruited for the job under the guise of arrest and how he helped to keep surveillance of sailors stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. His comments are revealing of one way in which African Americans participated in the war effort beyond the typical discriminatory positions they held in the military at that time. At the same time, the way in which he describes his recruitment is also illustrative of discriminatory practices in the military at that time.