Colonel Alva Brian Laswell was born in Walpole, Illinois in 1905. His family moved to Piggott, AR the same year. He served with the US Marine Corps during World War II, earning the Legion of Merit Medal and the Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Laswell joined the US Marine Corps in 1925, attended Officer Candidate School, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in January 1929. He studied Japanese from 1935 to 1938, becoming fluent and an expert codebreaker.

Some highlights of his work include translating and decoding a Japanese naval operation order that identified a planned attack on Midway Island, which allowed the US Navy to defeat the Japanese fleet. On April 13, 1943, he decoded a message revealing Admiral Yamamoto's planned visit, enabling the US Army Air Corps to shoot down his plane. Later in 1943, Laswell uncovered a plot to eliminate General Douglas MacArthur, allowing the Navy to destroy seven submarines and save MacArthur.

From 1942-1944, Colonel Laswell was a key translator and codebreaker in the Fleet Radio Unit Pacific, significantly contributing to the US victory in the Pacific during World War II and saving countless American military lives.