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the Slates (o r medical suppl ies urgently
neceded for rnc hospital. In the meantime , a
small g irl caught her hair in a sugar cane mill
and needed urgent medical attention in the
Slates. The IARN arranged her trip there.
Later thi s important network also helped arra
nge a trip to rhc US for a Salvadoran infant
with a congenuat heart defect.
When the Salvadoreans reeded assistance .
amateur radio often provided an esscnnal link
10 aid.
After we made severa l trips 10 the airport 10
e xpedite the arrival of medical supplies. the
team from South Carolina finally arrived.
They brought with them over I Ih IOns of
medical supplies. donated tothe rel ief effort .
These supplies were all taken 10 Chester's
ho me for inventory and 10 decide where they
were most n...ecdcd. Even 3000 pounds of
medical supplies sometimes fell short.
Volunteer doctors and members of the local
ha m club took money out of th eir own
pockets to purchase badly needed drugs when
emergency situations arose .
Phone Home
Ham radio also provided essential links
between stressed and overworked volunteers
and their families in the US . Phone patches
with loved ones meant a great deal to e veryonc
invol ved .
Thanksgiving Day proved especially uplifting
for the American volunteer medical
learn. The Governor of South Carolina tailed
by phone patch directly 10 the members ofthe
medical team. Amateur radio's utility ccrtainly
received a boost then.
On my wife ' s birthday. I talked to Gordon
Carl son N9GDV. who agreed 10 ha ve
flowers delivered for my wife. Gordon did
everything right. However. my wife happcrcd
10 be listening o n 14. 275 MHz, and
that spoiled the who le surp rise!
I spent 30 days in San Sal vador. After
seeing the volunteer doctors treating children
whose parents had literally no mo ney to pay.
I was proud to be a small part of amateur
radio and able to do something 10 help.
If you've thought twice about volunteering
. think a thi rd lime . As the Salvadoreans
say . " Una Expericncia lnclviduhlc ]"
Thanks .. ,
. . .10 the members of the San Salvador
Ama teur Radin Club (or their tremendous
asstctance. Spec ial th anks 10 Mario and
Chester. Maggie Garcia de Call YSIZA .
M agda YS9MBB . Francisco Ro sa les
YSIAZ , and Francisco Rodrig uez Y$IFB.
Many more local amateurs went OUI of their
way to assisl in the cmcrgc n...-y and make us
feel we kome.EII
AI W9ELR Imrkt'Jfor 20 vearsIt" the tndiaTU1
State Polict' as a communications oDker,
before going on If) Thailand 10 ....ork for the
St(l/e Depanmem us II radiocommunications
advisor, He 's been a ham SWier since 1943,
und obtained his culfandmmsmiuing license
if! 1946. His address is R. R. 113, Box /49,
CmmefJ\'iIlt', IN 4733I.
73AmateurRadiO • April,l988 13