Army MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) originated in 1925 as the Army Amateur Radio System. Created by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, it aimed to train civilian radio enthusiasts in military procedures to augment regular operators during crises.
Suspended at the onset of World War II, the program was re-established in 1946 and officially designated as MARS in 1948. During the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War, Army MARS served as a crucial morale lifeline. Operating through a vast network of civilian volunteers, the program famously handled written “Marsgrams” and live “phone patches”.
Like many Cold War-era military installations, Fort Ord maintained its own local Military Auxiliary Radio System station to secure high-frequency (HF) backup communications in the event of a nuclear attack or network failure. For decades, the station leveraged local amateur radio operators and service members to process personal “Marsgrams” and live phone patches for troops deploying out of the Monterey Bay base.
Amateur radio callsign K6WAE, Ft. Ord Military Auxiliary Radio Station (MARS) listed in the 1969 Amateur Radio callbook.
The Army MARS station at Fort Ord—historically housed in Transmitter Building S near the military stables and the Department of Public Works warehouses—served as a critical communications hub throughout the Cold War until the base’s closure in 1994.
In 2025, MBARA started the process of converting the old Army transmitter building into the MARS Museum – a unique facility and a national resource.
