Bullet Background Paper on SACMARC

                        BULLET BACKGROUND PAPER

                                   ON

         THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND MEMORIAL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
                               (SACMARC)


- The Amateur Radio Service is licensed by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and recognized by International Treaty.

     -- Its charter includes providing a pool of trained operators in
     times of emergency (such as war and natural disasters), promoting
     international goodwill, and advancing the state of the art in
     communications.

     -- Though they are called "amateurs," their licensing and
     training makes them a quasi-professional auxiliary to professional
     communicators and researchers in many fields.

- Amateur Radio has a long history associated with military
communications, including within the U.S. Air Force and Strategic Air
Command (SAC).

     -- Many recruits during the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam who were
     licensed amateurs were able to quickly assume positions as military
     communicators with minimal training.

     -- Several notable SAC leaders, such as General Curtis E. LeMay and
     Major General Francis H. Griswold, were licensed amateurs, and as
     such, were able to foresee trends in communications technology in
     the civilian world.

          --- Such trends included the adoption of Single-Sideband, and
          improvements in radio receiver technology

          --- Through his familiarity with existing technology, and
          legendary force of will as a leader, General LeMay was able to
          get SAC to not only quickly adopt Single-Sideband, but
          implement rapidly improving radio receiver technologies in
          support of Electronic Warfare (EW).

          --- A favorable article, authored by Dr. Charles Keene of the
          C4I Systems Directorate, HQ USSTRATCOM, describing the
          General's influences on SAC communications as its CINC appears
          in the May 1997 issue of the Amateur Radio publication
          "QST."

     -- The Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), an
     officially-recognized communications auxiliary of the U.S. Armed
     Forces which provides free radiograms and telephone patches for
     servicemen and women, is manned by members of the Amateur Radio
     Service.

     -- The current CINCSTRAT, General Eugene E. Habiger, is a licensed
     amateur.

- The Strategic Air Command Memorial Amateur Radio Club (SACMARC) is
currently forming in response to several fortuitous events.

     -- The FCC has recently agreed to reissue inactive amateur radio
     callsigns.  Some of these are of historical significance.

          --- K0AIR was held by a military-recreation station at Offutt
          AFB.

          --- K0GRL was held by General LeMay.

          --- Members of the local amateur radio community are strongly
          motivated to recover these callsigns on behalf of an amateur
          radio club recognizing their historical significance, rather
          than let them be randomly issued to others.

     -- The new SAC Museum (in Ashland, Nebraska) offers increased
     opportunity and space for renewed community interest in SAC history
     and exhibits.

          --- Such exhibits could include artifacts and descriptions of
          SAC communications and amateur radio history.

          --- A permanent or temporary station with a
          historically-significant callsign could be used for live
          demonstrations of radio communications, possibly using
          equipment of historical significance.

- The SACMARC is currently being constituted.

     -- Approximately 25 active-duty personnel, veterans, and other
     members of the local amateur radio community have expressed
     interest in membership.

     -- Application for a club station license has been approved by the
     FCC.

     -- Application for K0AIR has been approved by the FCC.  Recovery of
     K0GRL is pending.

     -- Articles of Incorporation as a 501c3 organization have been
     drafted and are available for review pending submission to the
     Nebraska Secretary of State.

     -- Members of several SAC historical organizations, including the
     SAC Museum, Society of SAC, the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
     Association, and the Association of Old Crows, (as well as General
     LeMay's daughter, Mrs. Jane LeMay Lodge) have been approached and
     have expressed informal support for the proposed organization.

     -- Representatives of the SAC Museum, including Registrar Fred
     Poyner, have contacted the SACMARC and expressed strong interest in
     including at least a temporary amateur radio and SAC communications
     history exhibition into the Museum's schedule sometime in early
     1998.

     -- A charter organizational meeting, to ratify its Articles and
     By-Laws, accept applications for membership, elect officers, and
     begin formally planning projects, will occur in Bellevue on
     Wednesday, June 25, 1997.

     -- An Internet mailing list (k0air@novia.net) and a World-Wide Web
     Page (http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/k0air/) have been established
     to publicize the SACMARC and support intercommunication among
     interested parties.

Paul W. Schleck/SACMARC/pschleck@novia.net/291-6176/pws/1 May 1997

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