Q: How long has The American Legion advocated the use of ham radio in disaster preparedness?

A: Since the 1930s. In 1939, three American Legion posts just northwest of San Francisco – in San Anselmo, Ross and Mill Valley, all just a few miles from one another – held a three-way meeting via short-wave radio. The American Legion Magazine described it as "not a stunt, but a practical demonstration of emergency communication held in conjunction with the Major Disaster Communications Committee." At about the same time, a Legion pamphlet called "In Time of Disaster" was circulating.

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