Fred Berman a strapping 6’ 3” youth whose father immigrated from Russian was an early ham in the Marine Corps.  Born June 28, 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama, Fred attended mostly military schools until graduating from high school.  He entered Georgia Tech in 1950 with a Track scholarship where he also obtained his amateur license and call-sign W4SET in 1950 at age 17.   

Enlisting in the Marine Corps in September of 1952, Fred received his boot training at Parris Island.   He was assigned to Great Lakes for Electronics schools, after boot camp.  Fred was also one of the 105 U.S. Marine athletes to participate in the 6^th Annual All-Marine Track and Field Meet at Camp Lejeune, NC in August of 1953.  PFC Berman’s shot put of 49' 3¾'' the new All-Marine record.  He also placed second in the discus throw.  Finishing Electronics schools in San Diego, Fred was temporarily assigned CHOP of W6YDK at MCRD San Diego, working for Warrant Officer Pierce and playing tackle on the Depot football team for the 1953 season.  Fred says he “Can vividly remember "standing" on the top of one of the station's 100 foot towers while trying to insert a 50 pound rotary beam shaft into place!”. 

In March of 1954 Fred “wangled a spot on the Air Wing's 40th draft to Far East” on board the transport ship General C.C. Ballou (AP-157).  Disembarking the Ballou at Kobe a few weeks later, the Marines were trucked to Itami AFB for further orders.  Being in possession of his class “A” amateur ticket, Fred came to the attention of Marine Gunner (CWO-4) Stanley B. Clarke who was running the base ham station KA4MA.  

To quote Fred, “KA4MA was amateur, but the layout would have impressed Voice of America! Somewhere around 2 or 3 kw linear driven by CentraLab SSB exciter, Collins 51J-3(R-388) receiver, 4 element wide spaced beam cut to exactly 14295. The primary raison d'etre was phone patches (from an elaborate sound proofed booth). Written traffic was next. These two went full steam whenever the band was open stateside - usually with W6IAB at Pendleton 90% of the time, W6FCS at El Toro about 10% and, every now and then, W6YDK at MCRD San Diego!  Once I even hooked up with W4USA in my present backyard at Fort McPherson, near Atlanta! These were "near-commercial" contacts in that we were handling traffic every waking moment - no real "hamming"!  As stateside band openings dictated, we at times had dozens of people in the shack all night waiting to make patches!”   

Fred hung around a few days before being shipped to K3 in Korea with the Marine Air Wing Headquarters Squadron (HEDRON - 1) near Pusan.  Gunner Clarke declared that he’d have Fred back running the station but Fred was doubtful.   Fred served at K3 for a month or so and sure enough, orders came for him to return to Itami to run the station for Gunner Clarke.  Even though just a PFC at the time, the prominence of the station's utility made Fred a local hero!  He had a private room in the station (which was housed at a considerable distance from the main areas, and in a small stand alone building), carried his own Liberty Card and, in general, was left alone completely as long as he kept the station running 5 days a week.  

Fred ran KA4MA from April 1954 thru December 1954 at Itami.  Gunner Clarke was replaced by Captain Jerry Harness “a crusty young Mustang” in August of 1954.   Sergeant Atlee B “Blackie” Snodgrass, a radio operator with VMR-152 started hanging around the station and Fred gave both Snodgrass and Harness their Class C exams.

In November of 1954 Marine Wing Service Group -17 the station sponsor, began its move from Itami AFB to the then Naval Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.  The station was rebuilt into almost a commercial looking station: 5Kw, 4-element wide spaced beam (strictly 20 meters) sound proof phone patch booth, etc., and went back on the air as KA5MA.  Captain Harness passed the reins to MSgt Lon Curtis.  Even though now only a Corporal, these radio responsibilities acquainted Fred with a pretty influential group on base and he had a most comfortable tour because of this! 

KA4MA (KA5MA) was part of the then Marine Corps Net.  They and other area stations comprised of KA3MD at Camp Gifu near Nagoya, KA2MC at Kyoto, KA2?? at Atsugi, communicated with KH6AJF, Barber’s Point, HI, W6IAB at Pendleton, W6FCS at El Toro and W6YDK at MCRD San Diego.    Communicating with MSgt Harry Talbert, MSgt Fenton Martin and others on a daily basis.   

Fred Berman returned to A-9 Korea in February 1955 assigned to VMO-6.  There he helped ready the redeployment of 1st MARDIV and 1st MAW back to California.  The entire squadron was loaded on LSTs, Fred aboard LST-1090.  She cleared Inchon 29 March 1955, and returned to San Diego 25 April 1955. On 1 July 1955 she was named Russell County.  Fred said he had “a lot of fun bootlegging on the ham bands from the LST's radio!”  On arrival at Camp Pendleton, Fred went on immediate leave, returning home to Alabama.  While on leave he requested and was granted a transfer to Naval Air Station Atlanta to complete the final 5 months of his 3 year tour of duty, assigned as an MP.   

Fred participated in the 1955 All-Marine Track and Field Championships at Quantico, VA.  He set an new All-Marine record in the shot put of 51’ 11”, placed first in the Hammer Throw with a distance of 129’ 10¾” and placed third in the Discus competition. 

Discharged in September, 1955 as a Sergeant, Berman was reinstated at Georgia Tech.  Majoring in Electrical Engineering, he graduated in June of 1957.  While attending Georgia Tech Fred once again participated in Field and Track with the following results:

SEC Individual Champion 1956 – Shot Put – 53’ 11-½” 

SEC Individual Champion 1957 – Shot Put – 54’ 0-½” 

SEC Individual Champion 1957 – Indoor Shot Put – 54’ 3-½” 

SEC Individual Champion 1957 – Discus – 154’ 0-¼”   

Fred Berman Class of 1957, erstwhile Sergeant, USMC, was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame, Track & Field, in 1979. 

After graduation Fred was employed in oil exploration in Kuwait and Venezuela for about 10 years, then began a teaching career.  He returned to school and earned his Ph.D. in 1975 and in 1981 joined the faculty at Georgia Tech.   Fred Berman W4SET retired in Atlanta, Georgia.  Fred was assigned to Heaven's Gates on 9 July 2006.

[SIDEBAR] per Fred-

CWO-4 Stanley B. Clarke - Gunner Clarke was reputed to have been a PFC pilot  i.e. he entered flight school at Pensacola in 1930 as a Private, graduated 9 months later with his wings and a promotion to PFC!  In the late 1930s, he was a USMC Tech Sgt (pilot) and resigned to join the Canadian Air Force where he rose to Vice Wing Commander and earned some of the most exotic campaign ribbons ever seen from action in all of the areas the UK was fighting in at the time. When the US got into the war, he came back to the Marines as a Major or Lt Col and saw action all over the Pacific. And then the usual story that one always hears about salty characters going in and out of enlisted and commissioned status, he ends up in 1946 or so as a MSgt and eventually WO.   Don't know how he got into ham radio, but it was a passion for him.