A History of the Commanding Officers at Fort Monmouth ... - CECOM

transfer to Governor's Island, New York. Ryder returned to FortMonmouth in May 1943 for duty at the Signal Corps School.Upon deactivation of Eastern Signal Corps Training Center on 1 April1946, its commander, Brigadier General Jerry V. Matejka, assumedcommand of Fort Monmouth, succeeding Ryder. Ryder remained atFort Monmouth until his retirement from the Army on 30 November1946. He died in February 1959.COL Ryder commanded Fort Monmouth when on 10January 1946 our Camp Evans facility took the firstelectronic step into space and bounced a radar signal offthe moon using a modified SCR-271. It took the Dianaradar just 2-1/2 seconds to reach the moon and return.Colonel James B. HaskellColonel James B. Haskell became the twelfthCommanding Officer of Fort Monmouth inSeptember 1942.COL James B. HaskellHaskell was born in July 1891 in Minnesota.He graduated from the United States MilitaryAcademy in 1914 and was commissioned aSecond Lieutenant in the Coast ArtilleryCorps. Haskell served as a temporary Majorin France during World War I on GeneralPershing's staff. He transferred to the SignalCorps in 1924 and completed the Signal CorpsCompany Officers' Course the same year.Colonel Haskell came to Fort Monmouth in September 1940 as aLieutenant Colonel from instructor duties with the Georgia TechReserve Officers Training Corps. Whenthe Replacement Center was activatedin February 1941, he was appointedExecutive Officer under then ColonelVan Deusen.He was assigned to the Signal Board inSeptember 1941, was promoted toColonel in February 1942, and becameExecutive Officer of Fort Monmouth.Commanding Officers at Fort MonmouthCOL Haskell servedas Executive Officerof the Signal CorpsTraining Center whenit was activated inFebruary 1941.