What do I remember about W2AIR... Hmm....

  It all began in Boot Camp at Alameda in 1970. I scored very well on the Morse Code apptitude test (I had been a Boy Scout) and requested RM school. "No openings!" So, after graduation with Oscar Company (Tuba player), off I went to the mighty USCGC Tanager as a deck ape. Striking BM while aboard so I could get off and get to a small boat station - HAH! Called in by the XO and told I was going to strike QM instead as I was pretty good with charts and navigation. So, I immediately put in for ASM school. Accepted, flight physical, etc... until a budget cut eliminated my slot at school. RM school instead.

  Since I was coming from the field and had absolutely no desire to ever go back to chipping paint on a "big white one" I was ecstatic to be a student at RM school at Governor's Island. Assigned a room, complete with a roomie - Dennis Brooks. Dennis would disappear in the evening and I had no idea where he was going. One night I had the 'fire watch" at the school and Dennis walked in and went upstairs. I followed him and he unlocked the door to W2AIR. Fired up the Collins "S" line and started working stations in Europe!!! I didn't know he was N3BRY until that evening.

  So, instead of going to the EM club like everyone else (most of them flunked out), we would go to W2AIR and work CW on the ham bands! That got me through the dreaded CW portion of the school - which eventually lead to being stationed at NMC (Point Reyes), meeting my wife, etc. All because of my "roomie." Many a wonderful evening spent at W2AIR!!!

 Rick McCusker, WF6O

RM2 USCG - 1970-77