[HCRA] H.C.R.A. Field Day 2005

[Bowen, Martin]

Today is April Fools Day but we're not fooling around. As of today, the
H.C.R.A. Field Day planning effort is officially activated. Peter KI1I
and I are ready to begin a concerted effort to make the 2005 ARRL Field
Day the best ever. But, we need to get you involved. We need your
enthusiastic help and that means some of your precious time in order to
complete all the tasks necessary to plan and execute a Field Day
exercise. Last year was an eye opener for me. Being immersed in the
pre-field day planning and eventually attempting to keep the actual
exercise weekend running smoothly allowed me to see what a debt of
gratitude that we, who enjoy the Field Day weekend and return each and
every year, owe to those who have come before us and laid the foundation
for H.C.R.A. Field Day. They gave us the basic plan, the basic recipe
and challenged the future membership to make, to adapt, to improve, to
better them because they realized that the core for Field Day is to show
our nation and the world that when it really matters, we as Radio
Amateurs can self activate, self mobilize and self deploy to provide
communications for disaster relief. We have what it takes and we can
earn our keep - our licensing privileges and our amateur radio spectrum.
So, take some time to reflect on your past participation because Field
day isn't contesting, Field Day isn't a camp out and Field Day isn't
nonsense. It is a readiness test, pure and simple. It is your yearly
opportunity to self test, to self affirm. Imagine what would happen when
the real deal occurs,  if we don't take the time and make the effort to
keep ourselves at the ready. Remember, we now have in addition to mother
nature adversaries equally as dangerous and unrelenting. None are likely
to go away.
 
Marty W1MJB