Palm Springs veterans show gratitude over airwaves

Thank you for your service, was a common phrase many veterans heard nationwide on Veteran’s Day either on line, in person or on T.V. But for the Palm Springs American Legion Post 519, some veterans decided to take things old school and reach out by ham radio. “It’s very heartwarming because there are lots of vets out there and we are losing World War II vets on a daily basis, so you talk to a few of those — a few guys in Korea and then a lot of guys in Vietnam, you know that were active,” said Amateur Radio Club President of the American Legion Post 519, Glenn Morrison. Glenn Morrison and Tom Mclean run the Palm Springs American Legion Amateur Radio club, that is licensed by the F.C.C. The club’s call letters, K6TAL, are how they introduce themselves to other posts and operators for a quick chat. “We had a bunch of other people want to make contact and say thank you for your service, and we appreciate your service,” Morrison said. Morrison says it’s not always easy to make a connection, but when they tune to the right bandwidth, they make a connection. “I had one where he was one of the b17 pilots that was shot down over Japan. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he will give you a little bit of information,” said Amateur Radio Club V.P. of the American Legion Post 519 Tom Mclean. It’s small contacts over the airwaves that help veterans tell their stories and stay in touch, even if they aren’t able to be in the same room. For any veterans who would like to be a part of the American Legion Amateur Radio Club, visit the American Legion Club in Palm Springs.