In November, 1925, the Army Amateur Radio System
(AARS) was initiated by a
few dedicated pioneers in the United States Army Signal Corps led
by Capt.
Thomas C. Rives. His original intention was to enlist the talents
of
volunteer Amateur Radio operators as a source to train soldiers in
the then
new technology of radio as well as pursuing radio research and
development to
improve radio equipment within the Army. His efforts were very
successful.
This organization continued until the United States
entry into World War II,
at which time radio Amateurs were denied the use of the air.
Therefore, the
activities of AARS, as it was known, were suspended until 1946
when, once
again, AARS was allowed to go back on the air. During the years
1925 through
1942, the AARS functioned more or less as an extra curricular
activity of the
U. S. Army Signal Corps, its scope being necessarily limited by the
meager
budget of the pre-World War II depression years. The best
available figures
indicate that as of the 7th of December, 1941, there were
approximately
60,000 FCC licensed Amateurs within the United States and its
possessions.
Some 5600 of those Amateurs were members of the AARS.
About 20% of the
pre-World War II AARS members eventually entered the service of
their country
either in the Army or in a civilian capacity. The U. S. Army
recognized the
great importance of reactivating the AARS to train vitally needed
communications personnel at a relatively inexpensive direct cost to
the U. S.
government. Therefore, in 1946, the AARS was reactivated and
functioned as
such until the creation of the Military Amateur Radio System in
1948, later
renamed the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) with Army MARS
and the
newly formed Air Force MARS reflecting the creation of the Air
Force as a
separate service. In early 1963, the Navy-Marine Corps MARS was
established.
MARS has grown in all of the services throughout the
world. They rely on our
civilian and military MARS members to be available in case of
emergency or
disaster to provide communications support. At such times, they
need all of
the support MARS can provide. Amateur Radio collectively with MARS
has made
its mark in American history. Each year provides new evidence of
the
important role Amateur Radio with MARS plays in the service of the
nation.
| Member of the Internet Link Exchange | Free Home Pages at GeoCities |
Get your own Free Home Page
