KD4TTE

THE I.A.R.N--A.R.R.L.

HURRICANE MARILYN, VIRGIN ISLANDS,

EMERGENCY DX'PIDITION

A voluntary call to K1MAN, Glenn Baxter in Belgrade Lakes ME. set me on one of the most important journeys of my life. In the 9th month of the year 1996 a hurricane called Marilyn blew across the Atlantic and DEVASTATED! the Windward and U.S and British Virgin Islands with 170 MPH winds. Within hours of my call to Glenn, I was headed on a plane from Pensacola thru Miami to a landing in St. Croix. Glenn had just said after buying the tickets, get there and find a place to set up the antennas and radios.

I set on my task blind. I checked here and there knowing there would be a shoot on sight curfew with all the Marshals and Military around. I finally got my cab driver to locate the E.O.C. for St. Croix and they gave me to Mr. Herby. Mr. Herby was kind and had lost all of his equipment, and his son had broke his arm in the storm. His home was missing one third of the roof. The blue FEMA tarpaulins were every where. He delivered my walk in traffic ( about 200 messages) to an AM station. I worked the radio's from Herby's for three days, then The K1MAN, Glenn said to check with some operators at the Salvation Army on St. Thomas (the main island) then relieve the operators on St. John E.O.C. because they had to take care of their business with the destruction to their homes. I worked there (under a man whose name I still can not pronounce to this day) for about two days. Then came new orders from Glenn...I was getting my fill of MRE'S field military rations. The K1MAN said go to St. Thomas (the island with the most of the portable generators) and find Tony at Port Charreolet Amelia. It was there the meeting of the IARN and the ARRL operations took place (I got word more Jump Team IARN Members were on the way) and Tony was throwing everyone out of his home. there was some good emergency radio done there and, it was also "The Night of The Gun Fire."

I was arranged to ride on a C-140 Coast Guard with the ARRL emer.- op manager to Puerto Rico then thru Miami to Tallahassee. The twelve hour lay over in "The American Rio" was done in the terminal on some comfortable airport chairs. It was also a very nice two hour ride back to the KD4TTE shack "Home Sweet Home," in Mobile, Alabama!