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Kansas Army MARS
is a volunteer group of Amateur Radio operators, most of us civilians,
who train regularly to provide emergency communications capability for
our communities and our country. We offer a reliable long haul and last
mile communications resource for local, state, and Federal disaster response
and relief agencies.
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 Captain Thomas C. Rives. His original
intention was to enlist the talents of volunteer Amateur Radio operators
to train soldiers in the then-new technology of radio. Captain Rives also
aimed to improve radio equipment through research and development.
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Operating during a MARS / TSA exercise.
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During the
years 1925 through 1942, AARS functioned more or less as an extracurricular
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 AARS organization continued until the
United States entry into World War II, at which time Amateur Radio operators
were denied the use of the radio spectrum. The activities of AARS were
suspended until 1946 when, once again, AARS was allowed on the air.
The organization functioned as AARS until
the creation of the Military Amateur Radio System in 1948, which was later
renamed the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS). At that time Army
MARS was joined by the newly formed Air Force MARS, reflecting the creation
of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service. In early 1963, Navy-Marine
Corps MARS was established.
Pursuing a critical emergency mission, MARS
relies on civilian and military members to be ready in case of emergency
or disaster, trained and prepared to provide essential communications
support services.
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