 |
| Image 1: Lab Test of cargo courier used by the Signal Corps Antarctic Research Team (1956-57). |
This summer I am an intern with the CECOM
Historical Office of the United States Army (http://www.cecom.army.mil/historian/) at Aberdeen Proving Ground. CECOM is the U.S. Army
Communications and Electronics Command, which is tasked with the development,
testing, and sustainment of C4ISR systems (command, control, communications,
computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) throughout the
Department of Defense. CECOM traces its history to the U.S. Army Signal Corps and
was originally headquartered at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, but was moved to
Aberdeen Proving Ground under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).
During World War I, the need for a dedicated Signal Laboratories led to the development of Fort Monmouth
on the site of a former horse racing track.
In addition to the laboratories and training
school constructed on the site, other facilities were constructed on Fort
Monmouth (then known as Camp Alfred Vail) to consolidate the operations of the
Army Electrical Development Division to develop and test radio equipment and
establish a pigeon breeding and training facility. In 1919, all Signal Corps
Schools were relocated to Fort Monmouth, ensuring that the facility would
survive the demobilization of the Army following the end of the war. Many of
the technologies that would be used by the U.S. during World War II were
developed by the Signal Corps Laboratories in the years between the wars. These
developments included improved radio equipment such as the “walkie talkies” and
field telephones used throughout World War II. Most importantly, the Signal
Corps Laboratories worked significantly on the development of RADAR (Radio
Detection and Ranging) after the project was transferred from the Ordnance Corps
in 1930. The project was top secret, and so in early Field Manuals, RADAR was
defined as a term used for communications radio sets.
During World War II, the Signal Corps
played an important role in the U.S. war effort, both in the United States and
on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. The Signal School trained men
for communications roles throughout the Army and the Signal Laboratories
continued to develop new technologies for the war effort, including the first
synthetically-produced large quartz crystals, a development which eliminated
the U.S.’s reliance on imported quartz for use in communications devices.
Following the end of the war, the Signal Corps continued to make important
discoveries and innovations, such as Project DIANA, a radar antenna constructed
at Fort Monmouth that was capable of transmitting and receiving signals bounced
off of the moon. This development paved the way for future developments in
artificial satellites such as the first communications satellite, Project SCORE.
It was launched in December of 1958 and broadcasted a Christmas message from
President Eisenhower back to Earth.
.jpg) |
| Image 2: Sphere Spotter antenna of DIANA moon radar in 1957. |
The Signal Corps as an institution
continued to change in the years following World War II, adapting to the
challenges faced in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the overall challenges
faced during the Cold War. Reorganization in the military led to new
responsibilities and new names for the Signal Corps Laboratories, including
ECOM (Electronics Command-1962), CERCOM (Communications-Electronics Readiness
Command-1978), and, in 1981, it became CECOM following its merger with CORADCOM
(Communications Research and Development Command).
As an intern at the CECOM Historical
Office, I will be working with the digitalization and indexing of a collection
of photographs from the Communications-Electronics Museum Collection. These
images span the history of the Command, but are primarily from World War I
through the 1990s. The collection covers many different subjects, from images
of personnel, commanding officers, and buildings at Fort Monmouth to equipment
in the lab and in the field. Although I am primarily working with photographic
prints, I am also learning about the identification and preservation of
photographic negatives. As I continue with my work at APG, I will also learn
more about how the Army, and the federal government in general, work with and
preserve historical artifacts. I am interested in seeing how the Army’s
policies regarding history differ from the policies of the National Park
Service, where I had previously held an internship.
 |
| Image 3: Mule with radio pack, c1912. (Rear View) |
Bibliography:
CECOM LCMC Historical Office,
A Concise History of Fort Monmouth, NJ
and the U.S.
Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command (U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command, 2009).
Image 1: Image #2605, “US
Army Photo collection, C-E Museum Acquisition” from the
CECOM
Historical Office archive, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
Image 2: Image #2681, “US
Army Photo collection, C-E Museum Acquisition” from the
CECOM
Historical Office archive, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
Image 3: Image #2076, “US
Army Photo collection, C-E Museum Acquisition” from the
CECOM
Historical Office archive, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
