I was looking through some old photographs and ran across the below photo of the PMR Johnston island tracking team I was part of.
I got curious about the condition of the island today and looked it up on Google earth. Nada, zip, just the reef is all that's shown as being there. No 14,000 foot runway, no barracks, no chow hall, no EM Club, no Officers club, no laundry, no Holmes and Narver generator station, no island.
That's an official U. S. Air Force photo, 1369th Photo Sq. - AAVS (MAC), approved for release to individuals by JTF-8, Sandia Base, so I was sure as hell was there once upon a time, and so was the island.
But then I noticed that the data provided to Google earth was provided by the U.S. Navy... it says so, when you first zoom to the island.
Either they bulldozed the entire island into the sea, or the greatest typhoon in history blew it all away, or you can't get a real view of the island today... just as if it was still heavily classified and still zealously guarded by zealous guards.
So now I'm wondering... whatever happened to Johnston Atoll?
12 comments:
Bob,
You were on JI back in the 60's 'eh? Way cool. I was there from 3/1996 to 12/2002.
In the 70's they started stockpiling chemical weapons on the island. From 1990 to 2000 all those chemical weapons were incinerated. From 2000 to June 2004 the island was cleaned up and flattened. The only building left standing is the JOC building. All other buildings were demolished. All the roads, sidewalks and foundations were left intact.
If you join Facebook, you can easily look up a few hundred of us that spent time on that wonderful little island.
What did I do out there for seven years? I was a Recreation Specialist working for BOS contractors to the Air Force. My job was running and maintaining the 50 meter long 370,000 gallon swimming pool we had on the island! Oh yeah!! We had us a pretty fresh water pool that I taught over 200 people to learn to swim and others to scuba dive.
When I first got there in March 1996, there was about 1,600 men and women there. Yep, we had women! Today there is no one. The Air Force was tasked with leaving the island in a "pristine" state as a Wildlife Refuge.
If you find me on Facebook, you can look at the photographs I posted of what JA looks like today. The pics were taken by a couple that is sailing around the world. They landed there in November 2008 and spent a few days.
We actually had a JA reunion in Las Vegas in 2007. We tried to find as many people as we could that had ever spent time on JA. We had well over 300 people attend. We know that there are thousands of others that would have attended if they had simply known about it. We simply did not have everyone's contact information. Today we have a database of contact information and will gladly add you to it. All you have to do is ask.
Cliff Pryor
Kalama Services 3/96-9/00
Raytheon Technical Svcs. 9/00-12/02
Pleased to meet you Cliff!
But go ahead and look up JA on Google Earth... the photo makes no sense at all. I mean the island that had the runway is GONE.
Bob,
That is because Google Earth does not recognize Johnston Atoll when you type it in the search area.
You know where JA is. Just keep Hawaii in the upper right of your screen and soon enough you will see a light blue/green dot that will appear to the west southwest of Hawaii. Zero in on that dot and you will soon see the last satellite image of JA complete with giant X's on the runway.
Cliff
Bob,
That is because Google Earth does not recognize Johnston Atoll when you type it in the search area.
You know where JA is. Just keep Hawaii in the upper right of your screen and soon enough you will see a light blue/green dot that will appear to the west southwest of Hawaii. Zero in on that dot and you will soon see the last satellite image of JA complete with giant X's on the runway.
Cliff
Found it!
You're right... Google Earth does not know where JA is. It keeps sending me to an atoll a bit NW of Howland Island.
There goes all my conspiracy theories down the drain...
Bob,
Glad you found JA on Google Earth! Now go to Facebook.com and register and find quite a few people who lived on JA. Also find your high school classmates, etc.
Cliff
Found a link to modern sat photographs. Images taken in 2009.
click on this link to google maps
Aloha,
Gee whiz, I was at Johnson from
1962/63 as the Communication
Specialist. Never realized the
hazards that could get you, I
got cancer of the bladder and
prostrate and the DOE denied any
assistance, only DOE guys get it.
The island is leveled now and
only a small detachment of
Dept of Land people there.
Island is overrun by "ants" per
one of their people.
Can't go there as it is controlled
by the Air Force at Hickam AFB.
Aloha
found an old film from test days, was there a Holmes Narver mess hall?
ALOHA, TERRY SCHEIDT, terryrs@hotmail.com
Yep 1962/63 worked for Bendix as a Communications Specialist, ran all the
COMM. I'm 80 now with my cancer and all. Been trying to get the GOV to own
up, they wont, all kinds of roadblocks yet they admit to radiation. There
was 11 of us. See you all, take care.
Aloha guys,
Well I just got a letter from DOL they administer the EEOICPA ACT.
Been trying for 11 years but always get turned down as I just cant get
the evidence to prove PMR/BENDIX did provide coverage for DOE. Damn
it really is unfair but our country chooses to deny.
Take are all of you that is left, pushing 80 now.
I think you certified my PADI cert!
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