My father was Larry "Al" Wilkinson, a sergeant in the 1st Marine Div., 12th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. He was stationed on Peleliu in the S. Pacific.
His radar trailer unit was set up on the SE tip of the island. He was 19-20 at the time.
I don;t remember that he mentioned anything about the glowing tube thing, but I think the radar screen itself was a primitive tube, like a TV
tube, but simpler. I think the screen was coated on the inside with a chemical (something that's fluorescent when the electrons hit it) so it
would glow a little bit to show the targets. Does this sound right?
I haven't learned much about it. My dad wouldn't talk about it for
years. Then we'd mostly try to ask him about his experiences, rather than the technical stuff. He died in 2000, but I think he felt good that he was able to talk about it, and meet up with some other old Marines.
I'd like to know more about this, and the men who ran them.