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June 22, 2004 -- New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members displayed their colors and showed the public what a valuable resource they have in Amateur Radio during a Flag Day celebration held June 12-14 on Ellis Island--within view of the Statue of Liberty. An Amateur Radio booth was open daily on the southeastern side of the island to inform visitors about the many services Amateur Radio has to offer.
New York City ARES District Emergency Coordinator Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, organized the presentation. "Any time we can participate in an event that shows Amateur Radio in a positive light is a good thing," he said. "This is especially true when it shows our involvement in emergency communications and emergency response. It's good for the hobby, and it's good for the public." Lisenco arranged for representatives of all five New York City boroughs--Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx and Manhattan--to be on hand to answer questions about Amateur Radio for the many visitors, including numerous youngsters.
While the emphasis for this particular event was on
emergency communication, Lisenco said, the ARES team presented all facets of
Amateur Radio. He said several visitors, including some of the National Park
System rangers, expressed interest in getting an Amateur Radio license. The
group handed out lots of ham radio literature and ran a continuous loop of the
ARRL Amateur Radio Today video narrated by
Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD. The three-day event culminated with a Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT) graduation
ceremony. Among those attending were representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security,
Citizen Corps,
the New Jersey State Police, the New York City Office of Emergency Management,
the New York governor's office and the National Park Service.