Documents from Jack's War Years

As we were growing up Jack would often to refer to when he went to MIT and Harvard University.  As the  document above shows he completed an Engineering science management defense training course sponsored by the United States Office of Education on ultra high frequency technique at MIT July 1, 1942 to Sept.30, 1942.  As the document below shows he earlier completed a course on electronics for cathode ray tubes at the Harvard School of Engineering in April 1942.  Jack says that as soon as he was made a lieutenant he was flown across the United States (with several stops along the way) to Boston where he was enrolled in this program.  The Harvard document shows that he was an ensign at that time. (An ensign is equivalent in the Navy to a second lieutenant in the Army.  It is considered a junior officer and is below the grade of sublieutenant.) Cathode ray tubes were used in the display of radar targets.  Here's a quote from wikipedia "The cathode ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun (a source of electrons) and a flourescent screen, with internal or external means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam, used to create images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen. The image may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictures (television, computer monitor) , radar targets and others."  I got the historical order wrong here since the Harvard class ended in April 1942 and the MIT class began in July 1942.

Ultra-high frequency (microwave) is related to radar and its study was associated with MIT's radiation lab (the RadLab).  "The 'RadLab' designed almost half of the radar deployed in World War II, created over 100 different radar systems, and constructed $1.5 billion worth of radar. At the height of its activities, the RadLab employed nearly 4,000 people working on several continents." (taken from a RadLab history site.)

Jack has a document indicating he received an honorable discharge from the Navy on April 2, 1945.  In addition to Boston he served in Chicago, San Diego and Washington D.C.  Most of his war work was installing radar on ships, including some time on a British ship.  He even spent some time on a submarine.  He says that he had to sleep on the torpedo since he was too tall for a regular bunk.