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sweetapogee

(1,168 posts)

17. My Dad

Reply to MelissaB (Original post)

Wed Dec 25, 2019, 10:09 PM

Dec 2019

Daddy was an employee at RCA in NYC. He would decode compressed wireless Morse code messages (raw news feeds) from overseas for UPI and AP. Then the messages were sent out over the wire in the US.

On September 3, 1944 he decoded a message from Belgium, stating that Brussels had been liberated by the Allied forces, hence he was the first person in North America to know this. He had just turned 17 a week earlier.

Daddy later enlisted the the Navy and for many years held the Navy west coast speed record for manual sending and receiving Morse code.

One thing I know very well is Morse code.

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18 replies

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Highlight:

Johnny Cash had a knack for deciphering Morse Code & was 1st American To Know Stalin Was Dead [View all] MelissaB Dec 2019 OP

Made it to SSgt (E-5) on first enlistment. He was very good at his work. sarge43 Dec 2019 #1

Wow. My dad would have love to have heard this story. During WWII (1943-45) my dad was a Navy.... usaf-vet Dec 2019 #2

Incredible! Some of his intercepts, if Ilsa Dec 2019 #9

Wow. You know a lot about what he was doing. There is a larger story of course. usaf-vet Dec 2019 #11

That is a great story! You and your kids (if you have any) Ilsa Dec 2019 #13

What an amazing story! MelissaB Dec 2019 #14

well dayum.... dhill926 Dec 2019 #3

That's fascinating! Thanks! It only increases my admiration of him... abqtommy Dec 2019 #4

I think there was a study linking music proficiency to morse code, same part of the brain thing yaesu Dec 2019 #5

Any coding. I've met so many programmers Ilsa Dec 2019 #7

Well need 3rd party verification of the shower singing quality. Beartracks Dec 2019 #16

😅😉😋 yaesu Dec 2019 #18

I did the same job in Vietnam and the rest of SE Asia TxVietVet Dec 2019 #6

Can Johnny Cash be any cooler? SunSeeker Dec 2019 #8

the key (pun unintended) for doing Morse code is not to count jg10003 Dec 2019 #10

Very interesting Raine Dec 2019 #12

Morse code was invented for Latin alphabet Duppers Dec 2019 #15

My Dad sweetapogee Dec 2019 #17