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EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, AND OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SAFER THANKS TO THEIR
INFORMATION SHARING.  I WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR AMATEUR
RADIO OPERATORS IN CONGRESS AND HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANT
CONTRIBUTIONS THEY HAVE MADE TO OUR NATION.  HER TALK IN THE
UNIVERSITY COURTYARD HIGHLIGHTED THE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT THAT
VOLUNTEER AGENCIES, SUCH AS ARRL AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, HAVE ON
GOVERNMENT INTERESTS.  DIRECTOR OF THE ARRL SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION
DICK NORTON, N6AA, COMMENTED, I NEW CHIEF NAMED FOR AIR FORCE
MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO SYSTEM DAVID L.  ANTRY, JR., WD9HBA, HAS
BEEN NAMED CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO SYSTEM
MARS.  MARS IS A FIELD OPERATING AGENCY OF THE US AIR FORCES AIR
COMBAT COMMAND ACC AND HQ CYBERSPACE CAPABILITIES CENTER CCC.  PRIOR
TO HIS NEW ASSIGNMENT, ANTRY SERVED AS A LOGISTICS MANAGER IN THE
635TH SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS WING WAR RESERVE MATERIEL PROGRAM
INTEGRATION OFFICE.  HE ENLISTED IN THE US AIR FORCE IN JANUARY 1985
AND WORKED IN AVIONICS.  HE RECEIVED A PALACE CHASE ASSIGNMENT IN
1989 AND SPENT THE REST OF HIS UNIFORMED CAREER WORKING IN AVIONICS
AND SUPPLY FOR THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD.  ANTRY RETIRED FROM THE 126TH
AIR REFUELING WING AT THE SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE IN OCTOBER 2011 WITH
THE RANK OF E 7, MASTER SERGEANT.  IN ADDITION TO HIS DAILY AIR
FORCE DUTIES, ANTRY HAS VOLUNTARILY SERVED WITH AIR FORCE MARS SINCE
NOVEMBER 2012 AS A MEMBER OF THE AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITY, OPERATING
BOTH VHF AND HF RADIO EQUIPMENT.  PRIOR TO BEING NAMED CHIEF OF
MARS, HE SERVED AS OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR THE 51ST AIR FORCE MARS
COMMUNICATIONS GROUP.  PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER OF US AIR FORCE
MARS REID SNIDER, N4SPY, SAID ANTRY BRINGS WITH HIM A BROAD SKILL
SET FOR MARS OPERATIONS.  CHIEF ANTRY HAS THE UNDERSTANDING,
KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, AND RESPECT TO HELP AIR FORCE MARS PLAN AND
POSITION ITS PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNICATIONS OF THE FUTURE, SAID SNIDER.
TODAY, US AIR FORCE MARS IS AN ORGANIZATION OF ABOUT 800 LICENSED
AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND RADIO EQUIPMENT
TO ASSIST GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN THE EVENT THAT NORMAL
COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS ARE DISRUPTED, EITHER BY NATURAL CALAMITY OR
DELIBERATE HOSTILE ACTION.  MARS MEMBERS ARE TRAINED TO MEET THE
REQUIREMENTS OF ANY COMMUNICATIONS EMERGENCY.  IN RECENT YEARS,
GREATER INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN THE AIR FORCE AND THE ARMY HAS
FACILITATED ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THIS OBJECTIVE.  INDIVIDUAL CIVILIAN
MARS STATIONS OPERATE THROUGHOUT THE CONTINENTAL US ALONGSIDE CIVIL
AGENCIES AND MILITARY MARS STATIONS IN THE US AND OVERSEAS.  ANTRY
WILL BE STATIONED AT THE SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE IN ILLINOIS.  HE HAS
BEEN A LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR SINCE 1977.  CONNECTICUT
GOVERNOR NED LAMONT PROCLAIMS APRIL 16 22 AMATEUR RADIO RECOGNITION
WEEK CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR NED LAMONT HAS RELEASED AN OFFICIAL
STATEMENT DESIGNATING APRIL 16 22, 2023, AS AMATEUR RADIO
RECOGNITION WEEK.  THE PROCLAMATION COINCIDES WITH WORLD AMATEUR
RADIO DAY, WHICH IS HELD ANNUALLY ON APRIL 18.  MEMBERS OF THE
MERIDEN AMATEUR RADIO
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