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WW9E assigned to Salvation Army as a memorial to SATERN founder Major Patrick McPherson
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned the Amateur Radio call sign WW9E as the official call sign for The Salvation Army USA National Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
WW9E was the call sign for Major Patrick McPherson, who founded The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN). He became a Silent Key—or, in Salvation Army terms, was Promoted to Glory—May 14, 2016. With the permission of his widow, Major Carmella McPherson, The Salvation Army applied for and was granted McPherson’s call sign as a lasting memorial to his contributions to both The Salvation Army and Amateur Radio.
McPherson created SATERN in 1988. Thirty years later it had grown from just four people to nearly 4,500 registered members from all over the world. His call sign, WW9E, was well known not only within SATERN but throughout much of Amateur Radio in the United States and internationally. McPherson was also well known in the government and non-profit emergency management and emergency communications communities including FEMA, the DHS Office of Emergency Communications, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).
He was posthumously presented the prestigious Certificate in Recognition of Exceptional Service by The Salvation Army for his work with SATERN. Although originally intended to be presented at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention, it was presented to his family at his home corps in Benton Harbor, Michigan, shortly after his passing. The award is presented by the National Commander to individuals who “are considered to be outstanding and distinguished by an unusual or significant achievement in or for The Salvation Army. They must be a person of high moral character and integrity who has demonstrated a compassionate response to human need.”
Although WW9E is the official call sign for National Headquarters, it is also likely that it will be available to be used for certain select special events. The National SATERN Committee is discussing how that process will work.
See more about The Salvation Army’s current disaster relief efforts at disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.
