Fort Scott in Bourbon County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Cracking the Cuban Missile Crisis
Juanita Moody (1924-2015)
| — | Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes | — |
Photographed by Jason Voigt, September 21, 2026
1. Cracking the Cuban Missile Crisis Marker
For thirteen days, the world stood still, as the Cuban Missile Crisis played out. The Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba. In October of 1962, the U.S. Air Force flew an American U-2 spy plane over Cuba and secretly discovered the weapons' build-up.
It was cryptologist Juanita Moody who proved to be an important unsung hero in the detection of information which helped to prevent an unwanted nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The eldest of nine children, Juanita Moody (nee Morris), was born on May 29, 1924 and grew up in Morven, North Carolina. Joseph, her father, was a soybean and cotton farmer, and her mother, Mary Elizabeth, was a homemaker. The Morven school superintendent saw something special in Juanita and encouraged her to attend Western Carolina Teachers College. As World War II began, Moody's strong calling to help with the war effort made her a role model for other women at the time. When asked what she wanted to do, she told the Army recruiter that she wanted to get involved in intelligence work. After taking some tests, Moody was sent to the Signal
this page online
Juanita Moody continued to decipher codes, working as a cryptologist for the Signal Intelligence Service (SIGINT), the forerunner of the National Security Agency. As a 38-year-old code-breaking phenom, Moody was the head of the NSA's Cuba desk during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Moody helped put into motion procedures and strategies to detect Cuban-Soviet communications and the aggressive weapons' build-up in Cuba. It was this extraordinary work that helped to solidify Unsung Hero Juanita Moody's important impact in world history and on future generations.
Juanita Moody is a 2003 inductee into the Cryptologic Hall of Fame.
Erected by Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, Cold • War, World II • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is May 29, 1924.
Location. 37° 50.488′ N, 94° 42.347′ W. Marker is in Fort Scott, Kansas, in Bourbon County. It can be reached from South Main Street south of East Wall Street. Marker is located in the
Photographed by Jason Voigt, September 21, 2026
2. Cracking the Cuban Missile Crisis Marker
Marker is on the far left.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas and specifically in Bleeding Kansas Border War Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "I'm not leaving" (a few steps from this marker); "She Outranks Me" (a few steps from this marker); For All the Children/Para Todos Los Ninos (a few steps from this marker); The Father of Modern Education (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named "She Outranks Me" (a few steps from this marker); The Unbreakable Code (a few steps from this marker); Rising Against All Odds (a few steps from this marker); WWII Navajo Code Talker (a few steps from this marker).
Photographed by Jason Voigt, September 21, 2026
3. Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
Also see . . .
1. Juanita Moody on Wikipedia. (Submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
2. Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (official website). (Submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
Photographed by Civil Service Journal
4. Juanita Moody
1971 (public domain)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
