I went to Kwaj in April of 1960 when it was still a Navy facility. I worked
at a joint receiver site, with the Air Force at the western tip of the
island. The transmitters where at the north end. Of course when Kwaj became
part of the Pacific Missile Range these were moved off the island. Since the
acquisition radar, which was installed before I left in May of 1961,
required that there be as little electromagnetic radiation as possible.
The worst part of my 54 weeks there was the way the single enlisted sailors
were treated, both by the Navy which had a Captain in charge and the
Transport Company of Texas. We lived in a barracks where we shared toilet
and shower facilities with manual laborers who would clean fish in the
showers The was a hotel near the air terminal, which we called the VIP hotel
that had ample room to house us. There was no R&R and some of the sailors
had been transferred from Midway to a year on Kwaj without any leave. I was
very fortunate after being there for 6 mos I got to back the Com Sta Pearl
for 2 wks of OJT on some new equipment.
Even then I look back at my 54 weeks there I remember the good times. I body
surfed wearing tennis shoes a using a tuck technique to keep from getting
coral cuts on my chest. Snorkeling in the lagoon was like swimming a big
fish bowl. I also learned the basics of sailing that helped me handle a 16
foot Hobie Cat.
I like to look at the photos of the island now and see the differences from
1960. One thing is that the acquisition radar has been removed. The north
end housing was not there, I mean it was water at high tide.
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Wayne Mount USN Ret - Email: wmount@san.rr.com |
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