[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    A SALUTE TO HAM RADIO OPERATORS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of 
American citizens who are members of the Amateur Radio Relay League, 
known as HAM radio operators. Citizens throughout America dedicated to 
this hobby--a hobby that some people consider old fashioned or 
obsolete--were true heroes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as 
they were often the only line of communication available into the storm 
ravaged areas.
  Amateur radio operators are often overlooked in favor of flashier 
means of communication. As communities across the gulf coast and 
America learned this year, technology can be highly vulnerable. HAM 
radios, entirely self-contained transmitters, require no cell towers or 
satellites, simply a battery and a strip of wire as an antenna.
  Just as after major earthquakes, tornadoes, and the terrorist attacks 
of 9/11, HAM operators around the country received an alert to stand by 
their radios to listen for calls for assistance. Following Hurricane 
Katrina, when cell phones and e-mail were useless, a HAM operator 
located in Connecticut alerted authorities about a woman trapped for 4 
days without food or water and a Coast Guard Auxiliary in Cleveland 
arranged for a medevac for a woman in labor in New Orleans. These are 
just a few examples of the many lives that were saved with the critical 
intervention of HAM operators throughout the country.
  Now more than ever, I am proud to be a licensed amateur radio 
operator. It is important to realize that every HAM radio operator in 
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service is a volunteer. This year, when 
disaster struck, hundreds of HAMs moved to the gulf coast to help in 
every way they could. Every one of which did so on a volunteer basis 
and their only goal was to assist in what became one of the worst 
natural disasters in America.
  The dedication displayed by HAM radio operators in the aftermath of 
Hurricane Katrina sets a tremendous example for us all. The people 
whose lives were rescued as a result of the tireless dedication of HAM 
radio operators will forever be grateful to these selfless public 
servants.

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