Ray E. Brim, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Winston P. Erickson, June 25, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 109

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RAY E. BRIM June 25, 2001 RAY: Oh, yes. We would go up and train, especially since we were in this radar business. We had a lot to learn. The Bntish had done a good job of teaching us. But we had only the five to begin with. Then our boss, a wonderful man by the name of Lieutenant Colonel Coward, got permission from General Aker to take the results of what the British had done and take it back to the United States to show them the need for this type of equipment. He was sent from Washington to MIT MIT then developed our own version of radar I don't know If you have seen the historical channel with the presentation about radar, but in that presentation they discuss Coward and some of the people who were Involved. We then started training people In the United States. But we also trained people on Alcanbury WIN: So you would be the trainer for these new people? RAY: For the new people coming in. We had to sergeants who were almost geniuses, in my JUdgment, who maintained and kept that radar system going. If there were ever some unsung heros-sure the crews took the chance of being shot down, but the support element, they did wonders. Hours didn't mean a thing to them. They worked 24 hours a day; this was the ground crew But these two gentlemen-! don't know what happened to them. I wish I did. They were the kind of people who could tinker with things and fix them. They had an amazing electronic background. I don't know where they picked it up, because it was comparatively new In those times, but they did. And they kept us going. Same with the ground crews. There should be some books written about what the ground crew did. They saw us off. They worked hours to get that airplane In condition to get us off. And they were always there to greet us when we came back, and concerned. They would help the wounded out of the planes, and that's not easy 28