The Wrangell sentinel., 1948-05-28

circuit was the first wireless teIe- graph system m Jne world operat- l ed regularly as a part 0I a teIe- graph sys,em handling commercial lraIuc. UerlunIy, it was the first poinl-to-point wIreIess channel put
 into service on the American con- uuent Tor commercial traffic. Dur IIug tls I0aoa ing quarter century l-e AUS led an amosI norman ex- ssteure. adding new stations here ana there as the Territory began
 to grow ana develop. Alter Pearl
 .latoo though, the ACo suddenly jumped rom being a small force 5I less than zUg oIucers ana men
 50 formidable organization Of syer z.JgU skilled teeuniciaus and operators. Durlng Ine AIeuuau campaign agalnsJ the Japanese in Iy4o, ACo communication teams followed the combat troops ashore al AJtu, hIska, Snemya ana Am
 cultka Iu snort order, established radio communications from these Isolated posts pack To the main neauquarIers at Auak. Kodiak and AncnOlage. at Jue same Jlme other men from ACS were installing teI- ephone systems at all the new mill Iary- posts throughout Alaska. The AOo also installed all Of tne com
 mundcatIou tacIuues LOT the Army alrways communication system and the aircraft warning service in the Alaskan area. The ACo, with head quarters h the Federal office UutaIug al oealIle. now operates and maintain communications network covering an area approx mately one-1ouruh the sdze or the continental Us, and It's facilities include long llnes of leIephone, overseas radiotelephOne faaIC- teletype, submarine cabIe telegraph and telegraph money order servlce. r-ress and snip-shore radlOphOne services are also available. These facilities are interconuected in seattle with those of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and the estern Union for c0mmunt- cation 10 all points in the U. S.,
 and the Canadian telegraph ana telephone companies for communi- cation throughout Canada The ser- vice is presently in the process Of expansion to other communities iR Alaska while, at the same time,
 action is being taken to improve
 the dependability quality and cap acity of the existing main line cir cults. Commanding this organiza- ton, which presently consists of a. bout 1000 military and civilian personnel and 36 telephone and telegraph stations in Alaska, is Colonel T. J. Fully, Signal Corps, West Pointer with over 29 years service in the Army. During World War Il Col. Fully attained the rank of Brigadier General and served overseas as chief signal officer of the North African theater and late as chief signal officer of the Medi- terranean theater. On these assign ments Col Fully was chief signal officer for Generals George s. Pat ton. Jr. and Omar Bradley. Gen eral Bradley is now the U. 5. Army Chief of Staff.
 One of the outstanding charact-
 eristics of the System. which prior to the war had the highest re-
 enlistment rate of any organiza- ton in the entire [. S Army, is
 the intense pride and proven loyal
 ty of the personnel belonging to
 the system. Many of these people
 have served with the ACS for over
 15 years. They know Alaska and
 Alaskans. and the Alaskans know
 these men and women of the ACS.
 An example of the close relation ship between Alaska and the ACS