Good morning, it’s Monday January 25th and this is The Herald Review’s Daily Chirp podcast. We’re bringing you a closer look at one of our top stories, along with other important things going on in our community. 

Today - The life of Bill Ivory, former CID agent who chronicled a Hall of Fame career.

But first, a quick message from our sponsor [insert sponsor audio]

Before we begin, some local history.

 In 1967, Fort Huachuca became the headquarters of the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command. Soon after, in 1971, the post became the home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School.

NEW -- Today’s history is brought to you by Benson Hospital - they’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital is now collaborating with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona to provide diaper assistance to families in need. For more information visit their website at bensonhospital.org.

Now, our feature story. 

In the world of military investigations, Bill Ivory saw it all. And, you can read it all.

Longtime Sierra Vista resident and former U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division sleuth wrote a book that spans his entire career. It’s called, “Covert Ops: Those Were the Days My Friends; The Lives and Times of Covert U.S. Army CID Agents”. The 173-page book retraces Bill’s most memorable cases during a career that began when he was stationed in France in 1964. Ivory was later inducted into the CID Hall of Fame.

For years he thought about chronicling his adventures in the CID, which took him from France to Vietnam to Germany to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. But it wasn’t until a bunch of former CID agents reunited in Aruba and started swapping old stories. It piqued Ivory’s motivation to finally get these stories down on paper after resisting for years.

So Ivory started writing about his past cases one story at a time. The process took a year to write. “Covert Ops” goes into 11 of Ivory’s most memorable cases and along the way includes getaway cars, drug deals, robberies, chases, even a shootout where he and his partner were against a berm armed only with .38 caliber handguns against automatic weapons. In another, which he calls “a career case,” he investigated a brutal homicide on Fort Bragg.

Ivory eventually made his way to Tucson and to Fort Huachuca, where he started with the security division at the Army installation’s intelligence school. In his career, he has also been featured on TV shows like “48 Hours,” “Unsolved Mysteries,” and “Court TV.”

Ivory passed away last week, a huge loss to our community. Please join us in taking a moment to remember his incredible life at the end of today’s episode.

Visit Nabur.myheraldreview.com 

Now, a quick update on our local sports. 

NEW -- brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy in Benson and Sierra Vista. They’re doing more than just treating patients, they’re helping patients get back to living their daily lives. Using extensive knowledge, their therapists treat each patient one-on-one, focusing on individual care. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com.

On Friday, The Benson Bobcats basketball teams competed in their first games of the season against the Pima Roughriders.

The Roughriders came away with two victories, winning the girls game 62-42 and beating the boys 80-47.

The Bobcats will be at home against the Desert Christian Eagles on Tuesday. Then, they’ll travel to Tucson Wednesday to take on Santa Rita and will finally be at Willcox on Friday.

Next, an announcement brought to you by our sponsors, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative.

City officials want the public to weigh in on a master plan for Veterans Memorial Park that will incorporate an additional 20-acre area that Sierra Vista recently purchased from the school district.

On Thursday, city officials released three design ideas for the park and the adjacent 20-acre area they want the public’s input on. The public has until Feb. 12 to pick the design proposal of their choice. To pick your favorite visit engage.sierravistaaz.gov.

Finally - we’d like to remember the life of the one and only William Francis Ivory. He was born in Boston, Maine. His military service started in the USMC where he was a "grunt." Bill then switched services, and became a Military Police soldier. Serving as a MP at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and also in Germany and Korea. He was accepted by the Provost Marshal General as a criminal Investigator while he was stationed in France in 1964. From 1973 to 1975, Bill served in Vietnam closing out the war efforts in the CID office. He then departed for Fort Hood, Texas where he retired. Bill worked as a civilian for the USAREUR Provost Marshal, conducting physical security inspections and investigations for all of the NATO Nuke sites in Europe. He inspected sites in Germany, Italy, Greece, and Holland. He worked in California for the Defense Investigative Service for a short time, until he was recruited by a State Law Enforcement Agency in Arizona. In Tucson, Bill became the Chief of Organized Crime and terrorism for the State. And after several years he received an offer he couldn't refuse, and returned to Government service at Ft Huachuca. Bill retired from civil service in 2007. Also in 2007 he received a great honor and was inducted into the CID Hall of Fame in Washington, DC. 

Bill became an author in 2015 when he published his book "Covert OPS: Those Were the Days My Friends." Which we spoke about earlier in the podcast.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, and a grandson. Bill leaves behind the love of his life, Elisa, his sister, Mary, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, along with many friends and colleagues. Bill was a legend in his life, who lived to serve and was loved by many. Thanks for taking a moment today to remember and celebrate his life.