Controversy revolves around the tropical paradise of Wake Island, part of Eneen-Kio Atoll, the collection of three islands also known as Wake Atoll, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The island is claimed by both the United States and the Marshall Islands. It is further claimed as an independent sovereignty in the name of the Kingdom of EnenKio.
Wake Island
The World Factbook, published by the CIA, states that the 2.5-square-mile Wake Island has no arable land, no crops, no forests or woodland, no indigenous inhabitants.
The population consists (as of the latest record from January 2001) of only one US Army civilian and 123 civilian contractor personnel. The island is economically insignificant, as all food and manufactured goods must be imported.
There is no domestic or international telephone system, no radio service, no television broadcasting. There isn’t even a harbor. However, despite its lack of agriculture or an economy, the island is rich in historical significance, warranting a lengthy and subsequently fascinating lesson on the history of Wake Atoll.
Discovered by Spain
According to Theodore Leverett’s history of the island on the Flags of the World website, “Wake Island was first discovered by the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendana in 1586, who named it San Francisco and claimed it in the name of the King of Spain. This claim was internationally recognized, the atoll being viewed as worthless…
In 1796 the Englishman Captain Samuel Wake of the merchant vessel Prince William Henry rediscovered it. He gave the atoll its present name, also carried by its largest island… On December 20, 1840, the USS Vincennes brought the explorer Charles Wilkes and the naturalist Titian Peale to the island where they conducted a series of surveys and eventually lent their names to the other two islands of the atoll…
The Treaties of Paris and Washington
During the Spanish-American War, an American troop convoy bound for the Philippines (then owned by Spain) stopped off at Wake. Major General Francis V. Greene hoisted the Stars and Stripes, then with 45 stars, there on July 4, 1898… The subsequent peace treaty [signed with Spain in December 1898 and approved by the US Senate in February 1899] which ended the war transferred Wake to the United States.”
The Treaty of Paris, signed by officials from the United States of America and the Spanish Empire on December 10, 1898, relinquished all Spanish claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba, Puerto Rico, the island of Guam in the Marianas, all islands in the West Indies under Spanish sovereignty, and all islands within approximately 116 degrees and 127 degrees longitude east near and including the Philippine Island archipelago.
Concept and Diagram © Richard D. LeCour
Satellite Imagery © TerraMetrics
An amendment three years later (the Treaty of Washington) added several additional islands located southwest of the island chain of Palawan that had been omitted from the original treaty. No other specific islands or locations of any kind were mentioned.
Wake Island did not fall within the boundaries of either the Treaty of Paris of 1898 or the Treaty of Washington of 1900 as the atoll is located at approximately 166 degrees of longitude east of Greenwich.
This directly contradicts the common misconception that Wake Island was included in the spoils of war between the United States and Spain, as insisted upon by such historians as Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, but the language of both treaties is indisputable — neither of them include the tiny atoll 1,300 nautical miles east of Guam.
Wake as a US Military Base
However the island was acquired, the US Navy recognized the potential of Wake as a military base and contributed both materially and financially to the construction of Pan American facilities.
John Godfrey Borger
Photo © The Borger Family
The historical recollections of the original Pan American World Airways and the newsletter of The Pan Am Historical Foundation quote the then 21-year-old Junior Assistant Engineer for the S.S. North Haven, regarding the initial construction of the airbase.
“On March 27, 1935, the S.S. North Haven embarked from San Francisco for Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, and Manila, to prepare bases for Pan Am’s flying boats to cross the Pacific. Wake was totally uninhabited; all we had on it were a hydrographic chart with no detail, and an article in National Geographic magazine…
We loaded into the ship 12 prefabricated buildings for Midway, and 12 for Wake. We loaded for each base two diesel engines to generate electricity, two windmills to pump water up and get water pressure, a Caterpillar tractor with interchangeable bulldozer blade and crane, and 4,000-gallon tanks for both aviation gas and water… On the deck we loaded two 38-foot power launches, one for Midway and one for Wake, and a 26-foot launch for Guam, intended for air-sea rescue…
Wake is made up of three islands. It’s true it was uninhabited except for birds; we had to wear hats. We’d planned to put the station on Wilkes Island, which is open to the sea, but the survey team found it was too low in the water. So was Wake Island. But Peale Island, on the far side of the lagoon, was okay. We unloaded the cargo into a storage yard on Wilkes Island, then built a 50-yard railroad (somebody by inspiration had brought light-gauge railroad track) to the lagoon. We put the small launch on a barge and, with the help of the tractor, we shoved it across the knee-deep channel between Wake and Wilkes. The launch towed the barges of cargo across the lagoon to Peale Island. Wake depended on rainfall for water, so we rigged canvases on the roofs, drained them into underground tanks, then pumped the water up to the windmills.
We had to clear the coral heads to provide a six-foot deep open landing area in the Wake lagoon for the M-130 to land. So we hung a length of a light-gauge railroad track six feet deep under a barge, and a launch towed the barge back and forth across the lagoon. When the track hit coral, it shook the barge, wakened the guy sleeping on it, and he threw a cork buoy with an anchor to mark the spot. Then Bill Mullahey and I, in a rowboat, rowed out to the buoys. Bill put on goggles he’d made out of bamboo, took a bamboo spear, and dove down and inspected the coral head… Bill surfaced and said, give me six, or eight, sticks of dynamite, dove back down and tied them to the coral. He resurfaced, I rowed us upwind as far as we could, and he pressed a magneto button and blew up the coral. We rowed back, picked up the fish the blast had killed, and brought them back for dinner. We did this [until] we cleared a pie-shaped landing area [where we] built a 400-foot dock.”
— John G. Borger
After the completion of the airbase and a 48-room hotel, Wake Island became one of the stopping points on regular Pan American flights for servicing and refueling of the famous “Pan Am Clippers”, four-engined flying boats. Pan American published a 24-page brochure in 1937 to promote the transpacific China Clipper service from San Francisco to Hawaii, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, Manila, and its final destination of Hong Kong.
“A tiny pinpoint on the vast Pacific’s map — five thousand miles from America’s mainland. A land unheard of until a few years ago — uninhabited, until the coming of the airway pioneers — became the scene of one of the most dramatic struggles in the history of American transportation. Here hardship, toil and thrilling courage overcame tremendous odds to set in final place four thousand tons of materials. Scarcely eight hours from Midway — another change in time — you are ashore in the early afternoon and the island is yours to explore… Down paths lined with magnolia are living quarters for the base staff, the power plant, the big refrigerators, a little hospital, a pergola where you will find an unusual collection of the little atoll’s lore – bits from ancient sailing craft that came to grief on the treacherous reefs that so effectively shelter the lagoon’s water for the flying clipper ships; heaps of coral in fantastic designs; sea shells of every form. Along the arcs of glistening beach you can find all these for yourself — and perhaps a dozen little hollow balls of glass — floats from Japanese fishing nets that have drifted half way across the Pacific…
Wake Island, so newly added to the world’s travel map, is already becoming a favorite vacation spot for travel-wise voyageurs. A beautiful, unspoiled land a world away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. A land reserved to those who fly, where every comfort and convenience, excellent food and expert attention are as much a part of your stay as the breath-taking sunsets, the soft thundering of the sea and its magnificent thirty-foot surf. Not soon can one forget these rainbow waters, soft deep sands, the friendly sun, the cool sweet trade winds blown from across the broadest sea.”
James W. Wensyel, in his article titled Odyssey Of The Wake Island Prisoners, states that the US Navy never lost sight of Wake Island’s military potential and turned the commercial airfield into a full-fledged defensive fortification, complete with 449 Marines, 71 Naval personnel, 5 Army radio operators, and 12 fixed-wing Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats fighter planes, all under the overall command of Commander Winfield S. Cunningham.
Japan Seizes Wake in World War II
“War with Japan was imminent, and an airstrip on Wake, about 2,000 miles west of Hawaii, would allow American heavy bombers to strike the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands. And, if Guam were lost to the Japanese, Wake would be one of the closest American outposts to the Japanese mainland… [Early on the morning of December 8, 1941,] at 8:50 the Marines raised the American flag on its staff, something Marines did every morning all over the world… Not long after the flag raising, 36 Japanese Mitsubishi G3M2 Nell bombers crossed Wake in three V-formations. Soon their fragmentation bombs, accompanied by a steady drumming of machine-gun fire, tore the island to pieces… Japanese land-based aircraft from Roi in the Marshalls, later joined by aircraft from approaching Japanese carriers, pounded the atoll day after day. Before each attack, a dwindling number of American Wildcat fighters rose to meet them.
At 3 a.m. on December 11, a Japanese invasion task force commanded by Rear Adm. Sadamichi Kajioka, consisting of a light cruiser, six destroyers, two troop carriers and two armed merchantmen, confidently approached Wake’s beaches. Marine gunners let them close to 4,500 yards before their 5-inch naval guns opened fire. Their patience was rewarded with the sinking of one Japanese destroyer and damaging of the cruiser and three additional destroyers.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy National Archives
Kajioka retreated, now knowing that Wake would not be taken without a fight. By the 21st, the last of the Wildcats had been destroyed in dogfights over the atoll… Japanese airplanes now roamed over the island at will, pounding American positions in preparation for a renewed attempt to seize the atoll.
In the dark, rain-swept early morning hours of December 23rd, Kajioka returned, his fleet bolstered by four heavy cruisers and various other warships, including landing craft, to assault Wake’s beaches with more than 900 well-trained infantrymen of the Special Naval Landing Force. At 2:35 a.m., the first Japanese landing barge ground ashore.
Soon a desperate battle was being fought across the atoll between groups of men fighting with rifles, bayonets, grenades and fists. The Americans fought hard, but more Japanese landed and pushed them toward the island’s center… Reports from the three islands were discouraging; there were simply too many Japanese and too few Americans… Cunningham, as the ranking officer, made the inevitable decision to surrender… Stunned defenders threw away rifle bolts, destroyed delicate range-finding instruments, drained hydraulic fluid from recoil cylinders and then surrendered. Eighty-one Marines, eight sailors and 82 civilian construction workers had been killed or wounded. The Japanese, however, paid a heavy price for their victory. The fight for Wake Island had cost them two destroyers and one submarine sunk, seven additional ships damaged, 21 aircraft shot down and almost 1,000 men killed.
Enraged by their losses, the Japanese treated their prisoners — military and civilian — brutally. Some were stripped naked, others to their underwear. Most had their hands tied behind their backs with telephone wire, with a second wire looped tightly from their necks to their wrists so that if they lowered their arms they would strangle themselves… The prisoners were then jammed into two suffocating concrete ammunition bunkers. Later they were herded to the airstrip and made to sit, naked, on the blistering hot concrete. When the Japanese set up machine guns nearby, most of the prisoners expected to be executed. That night, bone-chilling winds replaced the heat. The prisoners sat there, still waiting for food, water or medical treatment. The unfortunate prisoners remained sitting on the airstrip for two days. Finally, they were given food, much of it spoiled by the heat, and water, contaminated from being placed in unclean gasoline drums. Piles of assorted clothing seized earlier were placed before them… After returning his prisoners’ clothes, Kajioka, resplendent in white dress uniform and gleaming samurai sword, read a proclamation to the assembled prisoners. When he concluded, a Japanese interpreter informed the Americans that ‘the Emperor has graciously presented you with your lives.'”
After World War II
The defense of Wake was testimony to the valor and professionalism of the Marine garrison and its officers, December 11th being the only successful thwarting of an attempted amphibious landing by enemy forces in the Pacific throughout the war. The tale of the heroic battle for Wake Island inspired American soldiers worldwide. Almost four long years later, World War II ended, the prisoners were released, and control of the island was returned to the United States by the Japanese.
After a 7000-foot runway was paved over the existing coral runway in 1949, the island base also played a key role as a refueling stop for aircraft during the Korean War. And, as a result of the foresighted runway lengthening in 1959 to 9800 feet, the island was able to participate in Desert Storm in 1991, once again as a fueling station. Today, the former commercial airbase is used primarily by the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command and for emergency landings of trans-Pacific flights. There are over 700 landings a year on the island.
An understanding of the history of Wake Island is fundamental for understanding the claims made by the Marshall Islands and the Kingdom of EnenKio.
I’ve just published a book about Wake Island! My father worked on the island (and Midway, as well)- building air bases and hotels for Pan American in 1936 – for the first trans-Pacific flights. He kept a journal, wrote letters to my mother, with whom he was in love, and took 200 rare photos. I compiled these into a book, and added my own research – and the perspective of a daughter. The result is a great adventure, and a romance that lasted a lifetime. My parents were married for 67 years. It’s a personal glimpse into the most romantic era of aviation – the era of the China Clipper – and into Wake Island before it was turned into a missile base. It’s got sharks, 30′ waves, and a daring young man who earned the nickname, Tarzan, King of Wake Island. If interested, contact me for an autographed copy. Don’t miss this one. There’s already a movie star interested in this story. Honest! Carol Nickisher
Excellent Site – before I was stationed here I got some ofthe best information about the history from here. Currently I am on Wake and developing a website for what we do and things to enjoy when here. If you have historical information for the history page or photos please let me know. Allen Woffard, OIC Peace Officer Wake Island Airfield Wake Island, Mid Pacific 96898
My Father, Winfield “Dutch” Graves was a civilian iron worker working on Wake Island when it was invaded by the Japanese. He did not talk about the horrible things that he and the other prisoners (civilian and military personnel) were made to endure. I have learned since his death in 1986 just how horrible it was for them. They were treated worse than animals while imprisoned and forced to work for the Japanese as slave labor. We (USA) have compensated the Japanese civilians who were imprisoned here for a short amount of time, but Japan will not consider compensating our men or their families for their atrocities! There is no amount of compensation that would cover what they were put through, but it may help some of them. Please don’t forget the brave civilians that fought along side the military in trying to hold Wake Island. Those who are still living that I have had a chance to meet through the reunions they have are wonderful, forgiving people.
Thanks for the history & memories! I was with the Air Force on the Island 1966-1967 and was on duty with Jim Cox during typhoon Sarah. Would really like to see a reunion of surviving Island Personell.
I was employed on Wake Island by FMC (Facilities Management Corp.) as an aircraft mechanic servicing MAC aircraft enroute to Souteast Asia from August of 1969 to October 1972. While the isolation bothered many people and most didn’t stay long, I found it to my liking. Mostly I enjoyed exploring the Island’s many historical sites. It is a place of incredible natural beauty and offered a sense of tranqility not found anywhere else. When I left for the last time it was like I left a piece of me behind. Great memories.
i also work in wake island from 1967 to 1972 as an aircraft mechanic for fmc. if by chance you know me, then you can email me to this address. artchan@sbcglobal.net. i now live here in michigan. thanks…
I worked at Wake Island from 1960-62. I thought it was a great place to live and work. My employer was Bendix Electronics who had contracted with the Navy to operate the downrange area of the Pacific Missile Range. On Wake we were always called the “PMR boys”. Our building was located on Wilkes Island. We monitored an ICBM target, which was located in the ocean North of the island. The missiles were fired from California and it was all very hush hush stuff. But somehow by launch time it seemed everybody was sitting in their lawn chairs scanning the Northern skies. The Wake Island folks had a very good intelligence network.
I was a USAF navigator on C-141s and C-5s, and made many stops at Wake Island beginning in 1969 and ending sometime in the early 80s. I always enjoyed the friendly FMC workers and base ops people, the outdoor movies, isolated beaches, Drifter’s Reef, etc. Most visits were very short, but always a peaceful, quiet escape. I always thought it was a little sad watching the island transition from the active population of workers and families to the small activities of a “caretaker” status. I think my last visit there was due to an emergency landing by our C-5, and we stayed longer than usual (a couple of days) waiting for maintenance and parts to be flown in. If I remember correctly, the base ops people weren’t going to refuel us unless our aircrew agreed to play the islanders in a softball game (which we were happy to do). It was a night game and I think we lost. Chasing a fly ball, one of our crew members ran into an above-ground pipeline that ran through the outfield and nearly knocked himself out!
I was one of the privileged ones who got to grow up on the Island until the tearful departure in ’72. We went to Hawaii after that and nothing was ever right after that. I wish today’s kids could grow up without tv, and just one radio station, because that left us kids with having to use our imaginations and island resources for entertainment. Boy were we all fit. One of my favorite ‘activities’ besides swimming of course, was playing war with the other kids in the abandoned ww2 bunkers. Yeah, there were some minor injuries but what the hëll. Wake Island still is and always will be the best years of my life and I haven’t met anyone who has said otherwise.
Are you the daughter of John and Sally Smalls? I worked at Wake Island (FMC) also at Bank of Hawaii with Mrs. Betty Skates until its closure on Sep 1974.
I was a flt. eng. on milt. c-124s. i made reg. trips to south east asia [viet nam] and the far east from 1965 to 1972. and we had to make that crew rest at wake, i always enjoyed it, i remember drifters reef [the old one] what great times i had there. we would all get togeather there after a 9 or 10 hr flt. and have a few [10 to 15] cold beers, it was so relaxing. and what a great view, white sand beach, the old bridge, the ww2 gun impl. and Drifters Reef. [old shakey crew members never die, they just fade away to Drifters Reef].. lboos1@yahoo.com
I always enjoy coming back to this site and reading all the comments. It’s always great to see some familiar names pop up, especially the “kids” who where there in the 50’s-early 70’s. I was one of those “kids” who grew up there in the early 60’s-70’s. In case some people aren’t aware, there is a group of former Wake Islanders who have been keeping in touch with each other for the last 14 years or so. I’ve been publishng a newsletter called the “Wake Island Spirit” for the last 15 years and have over 250 subscribers. If anyone is interested in receiving a complimentary copy, feel free to email me. There are also two websites that contain photos of Wake Island life. Feel free to check them out: http://www.wakeisland.ws and http://www.groups.msn.com/wakeislandspirit/. Also, there is another Wake Island Reunion planned for 2007 which will be located in Branson, MO. Everyone is welcome, so feel free to email me for more iniformation.
I was a kid there from I don’t remember when until I left in ’65 at age ten and moved to California. I used to live across the street from the school, kiddykorner from the kindergarten, and I would wonder over there and hang out or play with the other kids in the playground. I remember saying the pledge of allegiance in class and kids would take turns taking down and putting up and folding the flag(two more stars). I remember a big hawaiian lady teacher(mrs. Panui, 1st grade I think?)would administer corporal punishment to misbehaving students(can’t do that now). I liked her ‘tho. I remember the “scaviola” trees and exploring WWII pillboxes and other relics. Going to windy palace(we had our xmas plays there)stuffing myself with coca-cola,popcorn and nestle bars and getting sick. Still got my class photos. Remember the frozen milk,yuck! Some of my friends were Mike, Jeffrey and Ricky(Ricky had a scar on his chest). Conrad was smart and a good drawer. There was another smart kid but I forgot his name. His was really good in math(genius?) I used to wonder how santa claus made it to Wake for xmas(by helicopter I think). I have very fond memories of Wake, nice to see others do too.
Hi Ken! I think I remember you! You mentioned my brother, Conrad. He’s now living in California. You can get a hold of me through the websites I mentioned in my previous post. Hope to hear from you and other former Wake Islanders as well!!
Hi my name is Anna Marie (clark) springer, and I lived on Wake Island from 1959-1961. My father worked for the FAA. I am the oldest of seven children and we lived close to the school. My years on Wake are so memorable. Chuck from the FAA organized ballroom dancing for the families and snorkeling, water skiing and going to the movies at Windy Palace are everything I cherish. I moved back to Hawaii and still reside on Oahu. I’ve been working for American Savings Bank for the last 30 years. My significant other also lived on Wake when he was 19 years old at TransOcean. After 35 years we met up and are together. His name is Rick (ricky) santos he used to tend bar at the Drifters reef.
I have been doing genealogy research on my family. I discovered that a distant relative of mine, named Michael Hornyak, was a civilian working on Wake Island when it was attacked. He was either killed then or taken POW and killed. I have not been able to find his name on any lists or much information about the names of those civilians present on the island during the attack. I would like to find out more information about him. If anyone knows about this or where I could see a list of civilian workers that were present on the island, could you please email me at mycoldhouse@yahoo.com. The contribution of these brave civilians should be recognized if they have already not been. Thank you.
Heya! just like to post up a comment to Rita Suafoa…..You may not know me but Im Selina Suafoa and Im Toma Suafoa’s daughter.I remember him coming over to the States with Uncle Niapu to come down to the funeral but yeah just been looking up our lastname and came up to this page…Just wanted to say how badly missed he will be and hope to keep in touch…Love always “THE SUAFOA FAMILY”
I too worked for FMC on THE Island from 1968 to 1971. I still deliver a few kicks to the posterior for not renewing my contract! Worked in three different jobs there, the last under Ken Ripple – the best boss I’ve ever had. It was “isolated”, but you never lacked for people to see and things to do, i.e., you never felt “alone”. Andy Fleming and I used to pal around together along with a few other close friends, like Dave, Roy, Pat, & Don. There were always places to “visit” like the airport, the FAA “compound”, the Coast Guard station, as well as the bowling alley, the Reef, both the indoor and out door theaters, and the many parties at the FAA bar, hmm, might as well make that ALL of the bars. Even when not working or partying, We’d take off on our motorcycles and investigate/explore the islands, always found something interesting.
ANDY, if you see this, contact me at billmasters@midrivers.com – also if Dave, Roy, Pat, or Don sees this, send me an email!! Would like to touch base with any of you!! That goes for anyone that remembers my name also! There were so many friends, and my memory isn’t what it used to be, sorry. Wake Island remains one of the high points in my life! Aloha!
Hi! I’m Nicomedes F. Suizo, Jr. from the Philippines. Just want to find anyone from Hawaii who’s family name is SUIZO. I’m seeking for the son & grandson of my grandfathers brother who lives in Hawaii for a long time…. Hope you can help me in searching for them. Thank you. God bless and more power!
My e-mail: nicomedesjr@yahoo.com
From 1987-1991 I served with VR-57 out of NAS North Island, San Diego Ca. We flew the C-9B and made many “Westpac” Dets out of Atsugi Japan, flying from there to the P.I. and Osan Korea. With one exception, ( we went to Guam) Every time I made the crossing we stopped over in Wake. I have traveled all around the world, seen and done things that most only dream about and yet, Wake Island is and always wiil be my most favorite place on the entire earth. I explored like others before and after me but, my two best memories are sitting on the bridge to Peale island and having a Gigantic sea turtle swimming beneath us. WOW! and once I woke up early to watch the sunrise near the pillbox and when I walked out onto the beach it moved! Literally…….. the entire beach moved! There must have been a million tiny sand crabs that headed for the water all at once and gave the impression that the beach fell into the ocean. just this morning I saw my most prized Wake possesion….my Wake Island University shirt “Truth, Knowlege and a Great Tan”
I feel a lot like Jimmie, only my prized possesion of wake is a pic. of the old drifters reef not that cement monster, if i had woke earley in the morning and saw the entire beach move i prob. would have quit drinking, i also have stood near the pillbox, but most of the time i stood near the drifters reef. Shakey engineer, 1964-1972 Great Times. LB.
I was the Vice-Commander of Wake Island 1987 1988. We were Det 4 15ABW. Our headquarters was Hickam AFB Hi. We had our own radio station and our own TV network (donated by Malcolm Forbes). It was the best assignment in the Air Force.
As a MATS/MAC navigator on Old Shakey’s (C-124) I spent many crew rests on Wake Island during the 1960’s. My fondest memory was trying to be first in the shower, because all the water was solar heated by the zig-zag black pipes outside the crew quarters. He who was last for the shower had much cooler water. The Drifter’s Reef was wonderful, a great place to kick back and enjoy this little Pacifc Paradise. For a navigator, Wake Island was only a speck in the ocean but thanks to a good radio beacon and ample LORAN it was not hard to find.l
Dan, I dont know if wake had it,s own radio station in the late 60s but one day on the way to ole shakey [c124] on the crew bus which had a radio onboard we heard the disjokey say in a very board voice, ladies and gentelmen monday has been cancel,ed due to the lack of interest. and that was the 1st time we [our crew] had heard it, it was esp. funny being on wake, which was one of my fav. places. I bought a ww2 jap prop. off of some maj. who was stationed at wake[said he was the comm. of the island] he found it in the lagoon while diving near by, it was leaning on the back of the old drifters reef, we were both about half drunk, a deal was made, He got an AF pickup truck and me ,the maj, the loadmaster and the outher engeneer took it to the flt line and put it on the aircraft, it,s still in my back yard today
Ron, i may have been at the next table drinking a beer at the reef,[ go-max power] 124 flt. eng, LB.
Louis, during the time I was there (68-71), there WAS a radio station, manned by volunteers, of which I was one. I had a late afternoon spot, called the Good Humor Man, played rock & humor (like Cheech &Chong). Since we were on rotating shifts with FMC, when we got on swing shifts, I would tape the show and have the guy before my spot run the tape while I was working. Needless to say, there were more than a few supervisors stopping by to see if I was at work! I had told my immediate supervisor what I planned to do, and he thought it was hilarious to see the looks on the other supers faces when they saw that I was both “on the job” and “on the air”! And, yes, I had to explain to them how I did it – more than once. The c124s were always a source of amazement to me, a huge hunk of metal that had a cavernous interior and could still fly!
HI Bill, That was a good way to run your supv. crazy, I can see him now running to work trying to catch you. I was a crewmember on C124s for 8 years, so i went thru. wake many times, and i always enjoy,ed my stay there, the only things i have from wake are the Jap ww2 prop. and a picture of the old drifters reef 8 by 10[i think] what a great little island. i also have a good picture of wake from the air on my screen saver, i would love to go back for a visit but only if they build the old drifters reef back like it was. [sure.] glad to have heard from you Bill, hëll that might have been you that said, ladies and gentelmen mon. has been cancel,ed due to a lack of interest. L. BOOS