Camp Evans Recognized As Living Memorial

In the last-minute flurry of votes in Trenton before the legislative session ended on Monday, the State Assembly unanimously passed a bill recognizing Camp Evans as a living World War II memorial.

The bill, ACR180, was passed in 76-0. The bill was sponsored by Assembly members Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini, both R-Monmouth. The identical Senate bill, which passed unanimously in October, was sponsored by Sens. Sean Kean and Jennifer Beck, also both R-Monmouth.

The bill’s passage was lauded by Fred Carl, who runs the at the former Army Camp.

“It authorizes us to call ourselves a state-endorsed museum, which will help us in fundraising,’’ Carl said Wednesday.

Camp Evans, at Monmouth Boulevard and Marconi Road, has played a significant role in the history of the country through the development of advanced communications and radar systems.

Once a part of Fort Monmouth, Camp Evans housed the World War II Radar Laboratory where radar devices were built and equipment was designed that was used in every major stage of battle by the Allied nations and helped the U.S. win the war.

For the first time in history, radar equipment at Camp Evans demonstrated that it was possible to send a radio wave beyond the bounds of Earth. A radio wave was sent from Camp Evans to the moon and back at the speed of light and this experiment spurred the development of satellite communications and missile guidance systems.

“(Camp Evans) is really a historical WWII ground,” Carl said. “It recognizes the contribution of New Jerseyans from Belmar to Trenton, Clifton to Cape May.”

Carl also credited Rible with pushing forward with the bill. Rible, a township resident and former InfoAge volunteer, sent Carl a text message when the Assembly passed the bill.

“He has been a help all the way through,’’ Carl said.

Rible has previously lauded Camp Evans and its preservation.

“The radar program at Camp Evans helped the United States win World War II and it is appropriate that we recognize the site as a living memorial,” Rible has said.