Daniel Jeswald

E4 4/67 - 7/67

Was a ham radio operator before entering service.  Went to Bien Hoa AB Vietnam in April of 67 and did volunteer work at the AF MARS station until my other duties of Radio Operator, Combat Air Controller kept me so busy I had to stop volunteering.   

I never did run a patch for myself.  I just couldn't put myself ahead of those that were waiting.  Sometimes there was a line so long it took days to get a call in for these guys.  We would operate on a 'band' of frequencies.  Not on assigned spots.  In other words we could move around quite a bit.  The Vietnam ''authorities" didn’t seem to care much.  And apparently the US ones didn't either. 

I got out of the AF in 68 and went back into the military in 1971.  This time in the Army.  The rest of my MARS story is about Germany, so I'll keep it short.  

I went to Hanau Germany and was assigned to the 21st Engineers.  On another compound they had a MARS station (AE1PK) installed at the chapel on Pioneer Kasserne.  The guy operating it was fixing to DEROS and I was the only guy around with a US/German ham license and issued call sign.   So I took over the volunteer position.   

I moved the station to my kasserne, and we set up a really nice station.  I did MARS stuff along with my signal duties.  I left in 74 and when I came back in 76 it was still going strong.   

In 76 I was assigned to Fulda Germany.  I couldn't get anyone interested in putting in a new MARS station there.  Eventually I got transferred to Frankfurt where I was actually assigned to primary duty at the station on Drake Edwards Kasserne.  I was the Chief Operator there till Dec 79 when I DEROS to stateside for the last time. 

Oh yeah,  while stateside in between Germany tours I was assigned to AA4WDU station at Ft. McClellan where I was NCOIC and worked with Cliff Sides  (WA5CXE)  now a Silent Key.  (Passed away) 

Really made me feel good to be able to help all those thousands of GIs get a patch or send a message home.  Heck I still do this sort of thing with Ham Radio and Air Force MARS.   Must be habit forming.   Back to Top