The Kwaj Kat Blog

I arrived on Kwajalein during the summer of 1976.  I was only 10 years old and a true novice fisherman.  My only experience up to that point was catching a few small perch and trout in stocked lakes and streams.  When I arrived on Kwaj and looked around at all the water, I knew that many great fishing experiences were in my future.  I couldn’t wait to start fishing so I could hook into that hundred pounder.  Well that day would eventually come but not for several years.  My fishing adventure on Kwaj lasted nearly eight years and can be divided up into three phases consisting of fishing from the rocks, pier and boats. (more…)

In 2001 my wife, a science teacher, ventured to Zambia in Africa along with a NASA friend of hers who is a solar scientist. They had a group of scientists making the trip to witness the total solar eclipse that summer and perform some solar studies during the event. My wife was fortunate enough to go along and participate, and had quite a memorable trip. While there, she also met a Catholic nun who works with the local Zambian people, and was introduced to the terrible living conditions Zambians have to endure. Among other things, the nun spoke of the critical need for educational material, and my wife stayed in touch with the nun after the trip was over and promised to do what she could to help. If you’re wondering how a trip to Africa is connected to Kwaj, bear with me. (more…)

I recently had a Kwaj friend ask me a very valid question: why, after 30 years, do I have this sudden urgency to reconnect with people and memories from my Kwaj days? I have to admit that it does seem more than a little out of left field. Anyway, it was a good question, one that probably deserves a bit of discussion here as well. (more…)

If there’s anything I disliked about Kwaj, it would have to be summer school. Actually, I should say that I disliked the idea of summer school. To be completely fair, summer school really wasn’t all that bad, and in fact could be a good deal of fun if you chose the right “classes.” My main gripe was more with the perception of summer school and not the actual thing. (more…)

The average teen eagerly awaits his or her 16th birthday and the holy grail of mobility granted by that little government document commonly known as the driver’s license. Prior to this milestone, a kid’s typical ranging territory is pretty confined without the assistance of parents or older siblings/friends who hold the coveted Ticket to Ride. On Kwaj, this was an altogether different story. (more…)

Anyone on Kwaj during the summer of 1976 knows what I’m about to say without reading another sentence. Independence Day is a big deal every summer across the nation, but our country had even more to celebrate in 1976 as it marked the 200th year of our independence from England. I’m sure the nation at large staged a lot of extra celebration that year, not just on July 4th, and Kwaj saw a certain amount of that as well. Among other things, I remember them painting one of the airport buildings in red, white, and blue stripes for the bicentennial celebration. Of course, the big event of the year was the traditional fireworks show on the 4th. We arrived too late in 1974 to see that one, and were on vacation in 1975, so this was the first (and only) Kwaj fireworks show I was to see. Boy, would it be a memorable one. (more…)

Much of my classroom time on Kwaj is a blur at best, but some incidents emerge from the background white noise with surprising clarity. One such event occurred in 1977 during the latter half of my 6th grade year in Mr. Hildebrand’s class. It helps that I actually have a diary page that documents this day, although I’d still remember it without the written details. As an aside, the “diary” I speak of was actually a 1977 daily planner and notebook that my grandmother got for free and didn’t need, so she gave it to me. It was fun to record my daily activities and document that day’s weather using the little checklist that appeared on each page, at least for the first week. It’s funny and yet sad to flip through the book and see almost daily entries for a short period, and then a complete blank for the remainder of the book. I often wish I’d been more consistent so that now, many years later, I’d still have details about daily life that have slowly decayed and been absorbed into the background noise that’s left over from those earlier years. (more…)

Sports were a big part of recreational activities for many people on Kwaj since we had the perfect outdoor setting, with few indoor distractions like TV. Like most boys my age, I was usually eager to participate in sports, at least until I discovered that my desire to play was quickly sacked by my inability to perform. Still, I made an effort. (more…)

Never mess with Security. They’re probably just bored enough on their regular patrol beat to investigate anything you do that seems suspicious. This was a lesson I learned late one evening with my friend Brad Reaves and his younger brother Brian. Given that the whole incident was my idea, I also learned that I was entirely capable of making really dumb decisions without any assistance from others. (more…)

Sometime during my 5th grade year, the administration at George Seitz Elementary had concluded that we had a traffic problem. Traffic problem?!? How in the world do you have a traffic problem on a tiny island with very few cars and everyone getting around on bicycles? Yet there it was, based on the fact that the number of bike accidents on the way to school in the morning had increased, and someone felt a solution was needed. Enter the Traffic Patrol. (more…)