COURTESY OF THOMAS CROWLEY
The American flag flies again on a recently refurbished flagpole at Camp Evans, a National Historic Land- mark site on Marconi Road in Wall Township.
BY SANNE YOUNG, THE COAST STAR
WALL TOWNSHIP — On July 20, after an absence of almost a quarter-century, Old Glory began flying again on the main flagpole of the Ar- my’s former Camp Evans on Marconi Road.
The raising of the flag on July 20, the 50th anniversary of when man first planted a flag on the moon, was no accident because Camp Evans was the site of Project Diana, said Michael T. Ruane, the CEO of InfoAge Science Museum and History Learn- ing Center at Camp Evans [InfoAge].
On Jan. 10, 1946, a group of scientists at Camp Evans, using a modified SCR-271 bedspring radar antenna and amping up the power, broadcast a series of radar signals to the moon and each time picked up an echo
2.6 seconds later – the time required for light to travel to the moon and back, he noted. “It demonstrated that the earth’s atmosphere could be pierced and that communication with extraterrestrial bodies as possible. It marked the birth of radio-astronomy and initiated the age of space exploration.
“In a tacit salute to Project Diana, space scientists have continued the tradition of naming their projects after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses,” he said.
The flagpole lay slowly rusting for years, Mr. Ruane said, as InfoAge used its scarce resources to restore historic buildings, including
the former Marconi Wireless Station and the Army’s Signal Corps Research and Development Laboratory, at Camp Evans, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
DONATION HONORS WWII VET
Then, in January of this year, Tom Sedergran, an InfoAge volunteer and board member, and his wife, Ethel, donated the funding necessary to restore the flagpole to its original condition, Mr. Ruane said.
The Sedergran’s donation was made in honor of Ms. Sedergran’s father, Isadore “Izzy” Bernard Oberman, who served in World War II as a soldier in the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, part of the 9th Armored Division. In December 1944, “Izzy” Oberman and his fellow troops fought in the Battle of the Bulge at St. Vith, Belgium, and he later were awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart medals.
“I’m excited we can do it to honor her father and the other heroes that fought for our freedom,” Mr. Sedergran said.
“My father was very, very patriotic,” Ms. Sedergran said. “When he moved to Florida, he installed a flag- pole, and every day, for 22 years, he would raise the flag every morning and lower it every evening.”
The flag was raised at Camp Evans on July 20 by Thomas Crowley, InfoAge chairman, and a retired Army lieutenant colonel.