Description

Whenever my mother, Betty Marcus, observed a positive event in the lives of her family, she would exclaim: "Only in America."

In this memoir, I share many of the opportunities and challenges that I have encountered as an American. Join me in my journey from the slums of the South Bronx to Silicon Valley and my service to this nation.

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Bernard P. Marcus (Bernie) began life in the South Bronx of New York City in 1922 as the oldest child of Jewish immigrants. At the age of 95, he and his wife now enjoy life in a luxurious retirement community in Palo Alto, California. In between, he earned a B.S. in Physics. After World War II, he obtained an M.S. degree by attending school nights and weekends while working and supporting his family.

Bernie served as a counterintelligence officer in Germany after World War II. Then came the Eyes in the Sky. During the Korean War, Bernie was recalled to active duty to Germany in charge of a Signal Corps unit conducting ground and aerial photographic surveillance of the Russian forces on the border of Czechoslovakia and Germany. His career required three coast-to-coast moves. His greatest contribution to this country was being in charge of the development and manufacture of the cameras for the U-2 airplane and the first U.S. satellite, the Corona satellite.

Bernie founded Mark Systems, Inc. in July 1962 with a contract from the CIA to develop a 3-dimensional viewer for President Kennedy so that he could see photos taken with a U-2 camera showing the Russian nuclear missiles aimed at the United States from Cuba. Many of his projects and his receiving the Space Pioneer presidential medal were classified Top Secret until President Bill Clinton declassified the Corona Satellite program in 1995.

Bernie is also proud of his accomplishments involving the Jewish people: helping tens of thousands of Jews leave Germany for Palestine after World War II and helping the State of Israel defeat the Arabs in the 1967 War by providing the Israelis with Eyes in the Sky.