IT SEEMS THAT "THE COMPUTER GENERATION" IS NOT VERY INTERESTED IN AMATEUR RADIO THESE DAYS. WHILE THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE AVERAGE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR HAS INCREASED GREATLY..................THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE AVERAGE MARS MEMBER HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF !!!
HERE IN KY ARMY MARS, MOST OF OUR MEMBERS ARE "RETIRED". MOST OF OUR MEMBERS ARE IN THEIR LATE 60'S, 70'S, 80'S AND YES.......EVEN 90'S ! I AM 55, AND I AM ONE OF THE YOUNGEST MEMBERS ! WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAY TO ATTRACT THE YOUTH BACK INTO MARS AND AMATEUR RADIO.
BACK IN THE 70'S, WHEN I WAS STATIONED AT HOMESTEAD AFB, "AG2HO" (LATER TO BECOME AGA2HO), THE BASE SUPPORT
TEAM SET UP A MARS/AMATEUR STATION AT A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL. SEVERAL STUDENTS WERE NOT ONLY LICENSED AMATEURS........BUT ALSO LICENSED MARS MEMBERS ! THEY OPERATED THE SCHOOL STATION DURING THE WEEK, AND ON THE WEEKENDS, THEY CAME OUT TO THE BASE MARS STATION TO TRAIN WITH THE REST OF THE BASE SUPPORT TEAM............HOWEVER....AT THAT TIME, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COULD BECOME MARS MEMBERS........AS THE MINIMUM AGE (WITH PARRENTS CONSCENT) WAS 14 YEARS OLD.
THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE AGE WAS RAISED TO 17.....AND THE MARS YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAM "BIT THE DUST" ! I THINK WE NEEED TO PETITION THE CHIEFS, AND GET THE AGE DROPPED BACK TO 14, SO WE CAN GET THE YOUTH BACK INTO MARS AGAIN. IF WE DON'T, WHEN US "OLD FOGGIES" DIE OUT, SO WILL MARS..........AND AMATEUR RADIO, WON'T BE FAR BEHIND............COMMENTS

73 BARRY AAA4KY