Pennsylvania EMA Hosts Region 3, U.S. Army MARS Annual Conference
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
-- Springtime allows us to shake the winter hibernation and service the radio shack to ensure all systems are good to go. If you are a MARS operator, that also includes gleaning the latest updates on Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) operations. U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force MARS operators from Region 3, composed of the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, gathered for the Region 3, Army MARS annual conference April 6-8, 2017.

The event was hosted by the Pennsylvania Army MARS staff in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). As MARS nears 100 years of service to the country, the jam packed conference showcased the dramatic evolution of resources available to support today's volunteer MARS operator to meet the mission of providing contingency and emergency communications for the Department of Defense (DOD) and federal and civil authorities.

The conference was opened by Travis Best, the U.S. Army MARS Pennsylvania State Director, and partners from PEMA, the facility host. Travis shared the outstanding relationship and trust developed between PEMA and the Pennsylvania MARS operators. This has allowed MARS to establish a state of the art Amateur Radio operating station in cooperation with the PEMA Auxiliary Communication Services (ACS) inside the PEMA Commonwealth Response Coordination Center (CRCC). Following, the U.S. Army MARS, Region 3 Director, provided a very interesting keynote briefing on the state of MARS membership in Region 3, which has remained reasonably steady over the last three years.

The group was joined on the first day via video teleconference by the U.S. Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, who praised the continued service and dedication of the region MARS membership, and provided news and updates from Army MARS HQ and the U.S. Army NETCOM Command, which is Army MARS' higher command. The conference was highlighted by the educational presentations on the latest Army MARS operating tools and software packages.

Across the region, operators dedicate thousands of volunteer man-hours annually to the mission of supporting our nation, the Department of Defense, and the armed services with two contingency emergency communication support systems designed to operate in a cyber denied or impaired environment.

Membership is critical to MARS success. Losing members, especially those that have become close friends and like family over the years, is tough. During the conference, attendees shared a solemn and reverent moment by Rendering Bell Honors in memory of the six region members that became silent keys (SK) over the past year. The conference was full of lighter moments as the attendees shared in various social activities to include the Saturday evening group dinner. The fairly new PEMA facility was an accommodating facility for this event and PEMA has already graciously extended an invitation for the region membership to return for next year's conference planned for April 6-8, 2018.