Tom Forkner was a US Army lieutenant and logistics officer who held positions in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the Manhattan Engineer District headquarters in New York.
Prior to joining the Manhattan Project, Forkner was an Army counter-intelligence agent, frequently going undercover to investigate questionable elements within the military. His primary responsibility while at Oak Ridge was to transport valuable products from the Tennessee facility to Los Alamos via a 53-hour drive.
Later, Forkner was transferred to New York as a security officer for the Manhattan District. After the war, Forkner left the military and co-founded the immensely successful restaurant chain Waffle House.