MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL LIBRARY

MlAIRINE CORPS HISTORICAL LIBRARY

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_MYTHS, MARTYRS AND MARINES OF MOKAPU

A History of the Marine' Corps Air Station,
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Written by Staff Sergeant Al Steele, USMC

»«»

Edited by 1st Lieutenant C. A. P. McNease, USMC

Informational Services Officer

Commanding Officer Colonel Paul T. Johnston, USMC

First Edition January 1, 1965

Feb J fr5 5?»

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MARINE CORPS
HISTORICAL

DEC 2 8 1966

ARCHIVES & LIBRARY

"Marine helicopters buzzed overhead, church bells

rang, and little children raced barefoot along country

(1)
roads shouting "Statehood; Statehood! It's cornel"

Thus when Hawaii became the 50th of the United
States on August 21, 1959, the activities of Marines
were once again recorded in Hawaiian history.

The Marine helicopters — the Birds of Mokapu — are
but a page in a history that began eons ago — the history
of Mokapu Peninsula.

1.

Millions of years ago, a gigantic fissure appeared
in the Pacific Ocean floor. At the same time the ocean
floor began shifting levels intermittenly.

Time and again islands appeared and disappeared with
each heaving breath of the newly forming volcanic rift.

In this manner a string of hundreds of islands
stretching from Midway to Hawaii, the largest and south-
ernmost of a chain know as the Hawaiian Islands, was
formed.

During this "First we're here, now we're not" forming
stage, the island of Oahu upon which Mokapu Peninsula
is located, appeared.

Mokapu received its basic formation when volcanic
eruptions of the southeast end of the Koolau mountain
range produced many lava flows and much falling rock.
These same eruptions produced secondary tuff cones now
known as Diamond Head, Koko Head and Punchbowl.

A cone off the North Beach of the peninsula and most

of "Bird Rock Cone" slipped under the ocean during one

(2)
of the later recessions of the hardening volcanic crust.

Of the four volcanic cinder cones that appeared

from time to time on the peninsula, only Ulupau Head,

the semi-crater on the northeast corner of Mokapu, andw

(a)
Puu Hawaii-loa, remain today.

} (a) Now known as Kansas Tower

2*

Along the shore, the peninsula was enlarged through
the ages by limestone formations, sand and algae pebbles.
Oceanography studies indicate that at one time, the
ocean shoreline was about 12 feet above its present level.

The land width at the point where the peninsula joins
the main part of Oahu is more than one mile wide. This
portion of the peninsula includes an area known as Nuupia
fishponds .

Today Mokapu can be roughly divided into two land
portions. The western portion is marked by Hawaii-loa
Cone, the coral bluffs of Pali Kilo and Pyramid Rock.
The right potion's only distinct feature is Ulupau Crater.

Hawaiians of ancient days employed a most complex

system of land division. Undoubtedly, Mokapu, in part

or in total, changed hands countless time in the days

when deed consisted only of the spoken word of one in

power.

Basically the system used can be explained as follow:

(a)
It was the custom that on the death of the Moi and

the accession of a new one, the new ruler would re-divide

the lands of his domain among his favorite chiefs and

relatives. This subdivision was generally made in a

grand council of chiefs and those who were dissatisfied

had either to accept their lot or take their chance on

(3)
a revolt if they thought it feasible.

(a) King

3.

(a)

The ahupuaa was the basic land unit of the larger

estate of the chiefs. Its area followed no predetermined

or regular land measure. Each ahupuaa varied in size

and shape and it is doubtful that any two were iafdentical.

Usually the ahupuaas followed terrain features or imaginary

(3)
"fence" lines between two points.

Although no two were exactly alike, they did posses

basic similarities. The typical form was a strip running

from the mountains to the sea, marked by physical boundaries

of streams or gulches, and containing a sea fishery, a

(b)
stretch of land suitable for agriculture and an extent

of forest land.

Each division was expected to — and could — rely on its
own peoples' resourcefulness to sustain its economy and
food demands,

Mokapu Peninsula was divided into three ahupuaas,

known as Kailua, Kaneohe and Heeia.

(c)
The ahupuaas were subdivided by the Kononhiki into

smaller areas know as "ilis." The three ahupuaas of

Mokapu Peninsula contained six such sub-divisions. The

western lobe of the peninsula was called Mokapu and was

located in the Heeia ahupuaa. The eastern ahupuaa of

Kaneohe contained the ilis of Heleloa, Kuwaaohe, Ulupau,

Halekou-Kaluapuhi and Nuupia.

(a) Land District

(b) Mainly taro and yams

(c) Chief steward of the district

A small jut of land near the present main gate was
(a)
in the Kailua ahupuaa.

The area of Mokapu Peninsula that lay within the Heeia
district is now the Pyramid Rock area and the area covered
by the runway and aprons of the Marine Corps Air Station.

Along the eastern shore of the peninsula were the ilis

of Kuaaohe and Ulupau. The land mass cutting through the

center of the peninsula between Mokapu ili and Kuwaaohe

ili included the northern ili of Heleloa, marked by Puu

(b)
Hawaii-loa, and the southern ili of Halekou-Kaluapuhi.

Nuupia, however, was considered to be a separate piece
of property and did not automatically belong to, nor was
assigned with, the adjacent land. Parts of the fishponds
were assigned individually like the ili.

In early days the major sector of Mokapu Peninsula
was reserved for the high chiefs and kings.

The peninsula was once termed a barren, desolate waste-
land. However, this was not so in the sixteenth century*

King Peleiholani built his royal palace near the Nuupia
fishponds. During his reign there was much mirth and gay
court pageantry.

(a) Possibly the salt evaporation pits

(b) Halekou-Kaluapuhi is bounded by 3rd st.; Mokapu
Blvd. and the Nuupia fishponds

5.

In the following century, Kamehameha the Great (The

Lonely One) selected the site for use as a royal meeting

(a)
place with his aliis . It became the sacred land of Kam-
ehameha from whence the peninsula got its name.

The name was originally Moku-Kapu, and is derived
from two Hawaiian words. Moku is a small island or pen-
insula; Kapu means sacred or keep out. In reality, "Keep
out because what lies here is sacred,"

From many bones unearthed and from the ruins of a

Hawaiian village and temple area found, there is substantial

(4)
proof the Mokapu was once heavily populated. Wherever

Hawaiian royalty dwelled, there naturally was a concentration

of servants, lesser chiefs and in general, the "followers".

The temple area of Mokapu stood inland from Pali Kilo,
the coral cliffs south of Pyramid Rock. In 1917, Vaughn
MacCaughey, then Professor of Biology at the College of
Hawaii, paid an extensive visit to Mokapu to explore the
temple ruins.

Some of his observations included:

"On the flat summit of this elevated part of the coast,

several hundred yards inland, I found a maze of old ruins,

(b)
Among the ruins are traces of a native heiau. It is of

the husbandry class, and I believe Hina and Ku are its

(c)
deities.

(a) Chiefs

(b) Temple

(c) A husbandry class heiau was one where only livestock
were sacrified to the gods. In this heiau, it was
probaby Hina and Ku.

6.

Kamehameha the Great and the aliis used tine temple
exclusively. There were also two lesser temples on the
Pali Kilo bluffs. A small heiau was built for servant
class worshippers to pray to the gods for the replenish-
ment of the sea with fish. A larger one constructed by them
was devoted to gardeners who prayed for more taro and
potatoes and other food products.

The entire area was devoted to use as a place of worship

(a)
with the exception of a lookout tower which let a sentry

scan the off-shore waters for fish as well as intruders."
In these same heiaus some of the greatest of Hawaiian

royalty presided during their reign.

In the sixteenth century Peleilolani, King of Oahu,

met with his grand council at Mokapu. Later, Kamehameha

the Great assembled his leaders for talks, advice, or in

some cases, relaxation in the Sacred Land.

For relaxation, the royalty fell back on one of the

oldest of Hawaiian sports and, for that matter, livelihoods

— fishing*

(b)
The sea and bays around Mokapu were kapu in those days.

The right to fish in the surrounding waters was granted only

to the high chiefs and servants of the kingw

(a) Pyramid Rock

(b) Out-of -Bounds

7.

The fishing grounds were called ko'a. Fishing was at
that time as much regulated as it is today with license
restrictions, limits and seasons.

Fishing was confined to certain types of fish native to
certain sections of the surrounding waters.

Feeders were assigned to areas with the job of baiting

the fish two or three timesa week. Seaweed would be dumped

in the deep holes, thereby luring the fish to stay in one

(3)
place and available for the taking.

When the King was to entertain lesser royalty, or if he
himself desired to fish, feeders would carry specially pre-
pared baits to the fishing holes. The food was composed of
seaweed mixed with crushed kukui nuts. The effect was that
of a laxative. A few days previous to the fishing party, the
fish were given this mixture with the hope that they would
be extremely hungry at the appointed time.

Otftvtlme-** a finger placed in the water was the only in-

(4)
vitation needed to have it bitten.

The Hawaiians pursued fishing religiously and it was,

almost, their religion. They had many strange beliefs and

customs, and as today, their band formed an almost distinct

• (a)
community. They worshipped in small ku-ulas, like many

at the base of Pyramid Rock. These ku-ulas were countless.

Almost every rock jutting into the ocean was a shrine of sorts

(a) Shrines

8.

Kuula, the chief fish god, was a rude pile of coral
or volcanic stones erected by the fishermen. The fish god
was nothing more than an ordinary black lava block placed
upright upon a crude platform,

The fishermen prayed to Kuula for their fishing prowes
It was the custom that the first fish caught, no matter its
size, bo offered to Kuula.

There were two such stones gods which stood on a fishing
shr-ifte near Pyramid Rock. They were, as legend tells it,
the gods Kane and Kanaloa. The story is that:

"Keawanui and Keawaiki were two Hawaiians living at
Mokapu. One day they were visited by two men, strangers
who came from across the bay, one of whom was lighter in
color than the other. While they were the guests of Keawanui
and Keawaiki these two men built a small fishpond known as
Paohua •

On the beach above Paohua was a large rock with a
shallow depression in which the fish were placed after
being caught. It is said they could not flop out of the
bowl.

After being hospitably entertained by Keawanui and
Keawaiki, the strangers took their leave, and as the two
watched their guests leave, they saw them walk out over the
water into the distance.

This was their first indication that they had been

(5)
entertaining the gods, Kane and Kanaloa."

Anthropologists from all parts of the United States

converged on Mokapu to study the new findings. Dr. Charles

E. Snow, physical anthropologist of the University of

Kentucky, spent nearly a year at Mokapu conducting extensive

(6)
studies of the burial grounds.

Dr. Snow challenged many theories about the Hawaaiian
peole. The world's ideas and concepts then were that the
people were a shiftless, carefree lot. Doctor Snow contra-
dieted these notions with facts which he found in the
graves •

He concluded that the Hawaiian lived a rugged life
filled with vigorous activity.

From the bones unearthed in the sand dunes, he deter-
mined that certain worn parts meant certain physical labors.
Muscles strengthened by taro planting, tapa beating and
canoe paddling left a tell-tale mark on bones of the arms.

Both the men and women were proclaimed expert hula
dancers by Dr. Snow. Extensive wear on the hip joints and
pelvic regions proved this point, he said.

The discovery of the bones led to a great deal of
speculation concerning their origin.

10,

Doctor Snow, then working with the Bishop Museum's
Department of Ethnology, thought the bones to be buried
more than 200 years ago. He based this time on the fact
that no foreign objects, beads or c_ naments were found
buried with the bodies. This indicated to him that they
had died before the coming of the white man to th3 islands.

The average Hawaiian was considered a senior citizen
in his forties. Most of the skeletons proved the average
person to be about 30 years of age. In addition, there were
more skeletons of women and children than those of men.
This can be accounted for by the fact that many men of
the community were killed while off on a war party or
died at sea while fishing.

Burials were accomplished in many ways. Some bodies
were buried in the flex position, other were horizontal,
sideways or even upright.

It was ascertained that, like the American Indian,
Hawaiian bound the skulls of newborn and young children.
The foreheads were lower, and the back of the heads flat-
tened to form a high crown.

11.

Although the island people were relatively free of
communicable diseases common to other parts of the world,

they did suffer extensively from one malady .,., arthritis

which affected more than 70 percent of the adults in their
lower back and pelvic regions.

Dr. Snow attributes this to the life of bending in taro
patches and leisure hours of hula dancing.

Female skeletons bore a high percentage of broken noses.

Dr. Snow .concluded that this may have been the consequence

of domestic difficulties.

Other versions of the Mokapu graveyards differ. In one
(7)
account, a writer contends that the bones were those of

Hawaiian warriors killed in battle.

When Kamehameha invaded Oahu in 1795, a high chief named
Kiana defected to the Oahu forces under King Kalanikupule .
Kiana and his army landed at Kaneohe Bay,cross-in.g the Pali
from the Windward side.

According to another version, the bones found in the

sand dunes at Heleloa Beach could have been a rriding party

(7)
from Molokai that was ambushed and annihilated. This

raiding party, using sneak tactics, could have moved in

(a)
during Kona weather passing undetected by the sentry

probably stationed atop Pyramid Rock.

(a) Weather during which winds blow from the mountains,
as opposed to normal trade winds from the sea.

12.

Many broken bones, both in male and female skeletons,
and battered canoes substantiate this account.

Women in battle were common sights in the Hawaiian
armies* Wives often were at their nusbands1 sides during
a battle; however, more often they would be used for carry-
ing supplies or helping the wounded men. It was considered
an honor for them to die with their husbands and for their
king.

War parties from other islands did not account for all
the battles, however. Small battles raged on the Windward
side between the chiefs of ilis . Fishing in unauthorized
areas of Nuupia Pond or Kaneohe Bay was cause for war.

his could have also been the case on Heleloa Beach.
A neighbQring. chieftan may have ventured too far into an-
other^ private fishing grounds.

' (a)

According to an old Hawaiian legend, Keone Kahakaka-Ka,

T
transpired on the beach at Heleloa. hree Hawaiian gods,

Kane, Ku and Lono^created man by craving his image in the
sands and brought him to life. Kane is said to have creat-
ed the head, Lono the heart, and Ku the body, or at least

(55

the legs.

(a) Sketch or drawing, in this case it concerns the
creation of man.

13.

^he ili of Ulupau, the most eastern of Mokapu Peninsula,
is the prominent terrain feature on the Peninsula.

Ulupau Head, now an extinct volcanic crater, rises
from an uplifted coral shield on tho extreme shore line.
It is a broad saucer-shaped vent, very similar in ap-
pearance to Diamond Head Crater on the southern tip of
Oahu.

All of the East face has been cut away and only a
curving under-water line indicate where the missing segment
of the crater stood. ^be largest diameter of the rim is a-
bout 3&00 feet. Its highest elevation is about 683 feet.

Geologist claim that Ulupau was probably one of the

first features to rise above the surf during the island's

formation. They speculate that it was created in a matter

(8)
of hours.

Ulupau' s northern slopes have been cut to sheer cliffs

nearly 500 feet high. It is claimed to be the steepest

cliff found anywhere on the coast of 0ahu. Ancient Haw-

(a)
aiians called it Kahekili's Leap,

(a) The only Kahekili in Hawaiian lore appears as King
of Lanai, Molokai and Maui.

14.

Kahekili, meaning "God of Thunder", had one side of

his body tattooed black, while the other side was its

natural color. This was his identification and made him

(9)
conspicuous in battle.

Kahekili undermined the power of Kahahana, King of
Oahu, and won his kingdom in a boody battle fought over
the Pali in Nuuanu Valley. Kahekili died in July, 1794*
at Waikiki. Kalanikupule, his son, then came into power,
and set the stage for the now legendary battle at Nuuanu
Pali with Kanehameha the Great.

Kamehameha defeated Kalanikupule' s army by forcing the
troops over the Pali cliffs.

The first military application of Mokapu Peninsula

may have been as a post for spies of Kahekili. There

is no known reason for the name Kahekili fs Leap; only

scanty reports are made in history books or legend of

Hawaiian lore.

'(7)
One account claims, "Kahekili was a crafty and shrewd

monarch. He sent spies from Maui or Molokai to Oahu. They

set up their reporting post on Ulupau Head. After gaining

information on the Army of Oahu, the spies would use the

cliff area there as a signal post to Molokai.

15.

•''hey would light gigantic fires and torches and, using
a system of fire signals, relay their messages to Molokai
lookouts* Their activities would go unobserved high atop
Ulupau behind the crater's rim.

Few persons inhabited the ili of Ulupau. In the early

part of this century. A few bones were discovered near the

rim of the crater. The only significant point of their

mention is that some of them were said to be almost eight

feet long. The ir origin has not been explained, and no

(4)
records remain as to their disposition.

In legends concerning Ulupau Head, it is said that Pele,
the Hawaiian Goddess of fire and volcanos, chose Ulupau for
her Oahu home while wandering about the islands. Ulupau
means "fumes going up;" more specifically, the actual
eruption and fumes that followed.

It formerly was called Kuwaaohe which, when translated,
means "stand and wait". That meaning may apply to sentries
that stood watch for invaders from the outer islands.

The last ili worthy of note — remembering that it was
considered a separate piece of property — is Nuupia.
Nuupia fishponds stand today much as they did in bygone eras.

At the turn of the century, the area was nearly 300
acres in size. This is slowly dwindling, as man continuously
pushes the shoreline outward.

16.

Then there were three separate, distinct ponds in the
Nuupia area. hey were Halekou and Nuupia on the west
of the road leading into the peninsula and Kaluapuki on
the east of the road.

At one time, Nuupia fishpond was •om.pletely surrounde"d

by groves of starch trees, from which it derived its name.

These trees were actually large bushes that grew potato-like

bulbs about the size of a watermelon. The juice from this

plant was used for starch and as a stimulant for the breast

(5)
of new mothers .

Another pond in this area has been lost in history.

(5)
It is believed to have been called Muliwaiolena.

This is the name of a stream near which the commander of

(a)
the Oahu troops was shot by Kaeo's foreign gunner when

Kaeo was not allowed to land on the Wirfward side. The

(b)
gunner was a haole sailor off a ship visiting Hawaii

at that time.

The armies of Hawaii were in that period supplemented

with seamen who jumped ship or were ordered off their ships

for misconduct.

These fishponds are among the last visible signs of a

bygone era of Hawaiian lore. Near the present-day entrance

to the Air Station are the native salt works. Called "pans"

by the Hawaiians, these were nothing more than depressions

in the coral rocks near the shore that were used to obtain

salt by evaporation.

(a) King of Kauai

(b) White man, stranger

17.

Times were changing for Hawaii in the middle part of the
nineteenth century. The influx of foreigners was making
its mark on the economic, cultures and customs of the islanders.

Royalty departed Mokapu for the fast-building Leeward
side of the island. Waikiki was the status residential area
for the monarch.

The land on Mokapu became barren and desolate, and the
proud vestiges of this royal playground withered and disappear-
ed. As royalty moved out, commoners move in, for in 18/+8
the common people of Hawaii were given a right known previously
only to Hawaiian royalty — the right of title to land.
Their title was for the full and unrestricted use and control

of their holdings.

(a)
Before the Great Mahele, the land belonged only

to the king and, therefore, title to it depended soley
upon his whims. Those in the king favor could transfer
land given to them by the king. But, if royalty dictated,
the land returned to the royal holdings. The great influx
of foreigners in the early 1800*3 did much to bring about
the execution of the Great Mahele.

Farmers and Tradesmen came to Mokapu. Over the flat-
lands where pheasant^ hunts once took place, cattle now
grazed.

(a) Land Reformation. The king gave written title to the
commoners.

18.

ifflftiH wtmwmmm

wa»«ga*wi&^tf^

Farming was carried out on a SuIeQ.1 scale. Many small
landowners endeavored to raise common plants such as taro
and yams..

Some ventured into what appeared to be a lucrative bus-
iness venture — cotton. But before the first season was
over, the cotton was devastated by the boll weevil.

The agrarian venture ended.

At the time of the Great Mahele, the districts of

Kailua and Kaneohe were presented to Queen Kalama, consort

(10)
of Kamehameha III.

Heeia was assigned to a royal high chief known as
(11) (a)

Abner Paki, Mokapu ili gave High Chief Paki fishing

rights in the waters of Kaneohe Bay. Upon the death of

Paki in 1856, the land reverted to Kamehameha III and was

then sold at public auction to William and John Summer

for the sum of $870. Later, William Summer sold his share

to his brother John.

Land titles changed swiftly in the hands of eager

business speculators. A Bruce Cartwright held the title

to the Mokapu Peninsula for a time under a trust deed

from John Summer, for John Wyllie Davis. Davis, excited

(b)
about his new land acquisition, built one of the first

homes on Mokapu.

(a) The area west of a line between runway four and Hilltop
Houslja^g. aj~ea.

(b) The Davis house stood until the mid-thirties about
where the present G-CA is located.

19.

After the turn of the century, beach resort houses
began to spring up on Mokapu. The residents of Honolulu
found it fashionable to have a "country place" at Mokapu.

They constructed their beach homes near the Davis
residence in the Heeia section. The Castles favored
Heleloa. Straub pigj^ferred the coastal breezes and
bird-shooting spots of Ft. Hase and Nuupia Pond.

Harold Castle built a great home near North Beach.
Doctor Georgo Straub owned a small plot of ground near
Fort Hase where he built his summer home — a house built
of shipping containers placed on stilts — a fashionable
home in those days.

It could well be called the first "ranch-style" home
on the island. Whenever the doctor wanted to add a room,
he simply acquired another crate, nailed it to an existing
"room", cut a hole for a door and a new room was there.
He eventually added a second floor in the same manner.

Thus life in the thirties was a pleasant experience
for the Mokapu dwellers; a far cry from the soup-lines
steadily growing longer on the Mainland.

Mokapu Peninsula was, in 1939, again a playground
for Hawaiians, and for the foreigners who had come and
made their mark on the island scene.

This was the Mokapu atmosphere Navy planners found
when, in 1939, they began eyeing the peninsula as a posi-
S"ible advance naval base.

20.

THE ARMY AT MOKAPTJ

As previously noted, Mokapu had been a battleground,
in the days of clubs and spears of the ancient Hawaiians.
Now it was decided the land could best serve as an advance
naval base.

It was not, however, the first time Mokapu had been
pressed into the United States defense system. Fort Hase
was established during World War I. It was one of the
oldest bases on Oahu, having been commissioned in 1918 as
the Kuwaaohe Military Reservation, which comprised about 322
acres.

President Vtfoodrow Wilson signed executive, order 2900 on
July 2, 1918 j which transferred Camp Kuwaaohe to the Army.

With World War II approaching, Port Hase was re-established,
Early in 1942 cannoneers began arriving to set up coastal
defenses on the Windward of Oahu. When commissioned in
1941 it was known as Camp Ulupau, but was redesignated Fort
Hase in February 1942, It remained as Fort Hase throughout
the war.

Named in honor of Major General William T. Hase, the
post also served as headquarters for the harbor defense of
Kaneohe Bay.

The largest weapons brought to Ft. Haso during World
War II were 14-inch guns from the battleship Pennsylvania
These were emplaced In a position known as Penn Battery. In
addition, French Battery stood between the Hilltop area and
North Beach.

21.

Pennsylvania Battery was, in itself, a mighty fortress
It had. been dug out of the side of Ulupau on the end of
Kahehili » s Leap. The emplacement was 210 feet in width
with gun emplacements on each end. The tunnel went back
into the side of Ulupau more than 100 feet.

It contained reinforced concrete rooms for radar,
powder storage, shell rooms, and quarters for sleeping and
messing. These quarters were always available, but seldom
used. The troops manning the positions were quartered in a
tent city at the base of Ulupau.

French Battery originally v/as designed to hold six-
inch guns. However, eight-inch guns were later installed
on permanent mounts. The inside walls of French Battery
measured 20 feet in height, while the overall height of the
emplacement was about 82 feet.

Between the sand dunes of Heleloa and the western
base of Ulupau, were a number of three inch guns manned by
Army cannoneers. Along the North Beach area from Pyramid
Rock to Ulupau, were 50 calibre machineguns.

The first commanding officer assigned to Ft. Haso in

the early 1940 's was a General Earrcn, who soon became

friends with the Straub family, oft-time residents of Ft.

(12)
Hase Beach.

When General Harren remarked that the Straub Home

would make a fine officers club, Dr. Straub willingly gave

his resort holdings to the Army and moved to Waikiki. He,

too, could feel the tension in the air as the military

prepared the peninsula for war.

22.

Pop almost two years Dr. Straub and other Mokapu
dwellers had watched the carthmoving machines churning
about in the Hccia section of the peninsula. The off-shore
dredges worked around the clock sucking up mud and coral
from the bottom of Kane oho Bay. More and more land was
needed and was being added to the fast developing war base.

Prior to and during World War II, the Ft. Hasc

detachment grew from its humble beginning as a defense

battalion to the gigantic major unit of the Windward Coastal

Artillery Command. With Its growing pains taxing the

(a)
facilities, the Army acquired an additional 474 acres

of land from Harold Castle.

By the end of the war, thousands of troops were
stationed at Ft. Hasc, or had received the training given
there .

In late 1945, the 98th Army Division departed Ft.
Hasc bound for occupation duty in Japan. They had just
completed their training in preparation for the invasion of
Japan, which never occurred.

On April 1, 1947, Fort Hasc, which had onccd based
elements of three divisions, became a skeleton outpost of
the Army *s Ft. Rugcr,

(a) The present Capchart Housing area.

23.

A NAVAL AIR STATION IS BORN

Mokapu Peninsula pleased Navy planners. Intelligence
specialists liked the isolated location. With only one road
to the surrounding countryside, security would be easier.

The airfield planners and engineers particularly liked
the flat plain of Heeia. The main direction of flight
over unpopulated areas would be into the wind.

Word was flashed to Navy Department headquarters to
acquire the needed Mokapu Peninsula land.

As Harold Kainalu Long Castle looked over his Mokapu
empire, little did he know that some day the government
would require every inch of it... and then some.

On August 5, 1939, the Navy Department inked Contract

NOy-3550, marking the beginning of Contractors, Pacific

Naval Air Bases. This contract, which started the work

here at Kaneohe, also gave birth to other naval installations

(13)
at Palmyra, Johnson, Midway, Alaska, and other Oahu locations.

Kaneohe Air Station began its life with an appropiation
amounting to $5,820,000.

The 464 acres comprising the Heeia section were taken
from the Mokapu Land Company "and others" in transactions
which the Mokapu ili was acquired on Sept. 8, 1939.

24.

In all, the U. 3. Government paid a total of ^1,097,736.04
for nearly 500 acres.

Mot content with its newly acouirrd land, and also desiring
to improve its holdings, the Navy began "creating" additional
acreage.

On Sept. 5, 1939, workers began building a dike pre-
paratory uo filling with material dredged from the Kaneohe 3ay.

L~ter in the month « Sept. 27 — an inconspicuous
drrd-^e arrivod and anchored in Kaneohe Bay. That day the
"B. F. Dillingham" began dicing into the waters of the bay,
disgorging mud and coral rock onto the soon-to-change
shoreline. Work had begun earnest.

Dredging an'-5 fr'.lling continued on the new Naval ftasr
until 1)43. By then workers had added 280 acres to the
original land acquisitions which totaled 2265 acres. One

of the most prominent addition to the .iir Station -- made
from the bottom of Kaneohe Bay — extends from ar, electric

sub-station near hanger 105 almost to sixth street, back
across the Station transportation compound and continues
East along a lin^ extending to the rubbish carp. In all,

19'v acres were added to the confines of the Station in this
area, "/est of the runway a dike was built and l62 acres were
added to the ancient 'leeia section.

25.

The eastern boundaries of the Air Station in 1939 (and

through the forties), stood next to Fort Hase. They extended

southwest on old Lawrence Road to Mokapu Road, then southeast

(a)
to include the area held by the fish and game farm.

The Main Gate to the Naval Air Station was at the

intersection of "GM Street and. Mokapu Road where the taxi

stand is nov; located. Access to Fort Hase was gained

through a gate located about one-half mile east of the

(b)
former main gate.

In August 1940, the Navy decided to expand its new

Naval reservation by acquiring all Fokapu Peninsula,

Halelou-Kaluapuhi was included in land given to ^ueen

Kalama as described previously in the Heleloa and Ulupau

sections. Executive Order 112 earmarked the area for the

Territorial Fish and Same Commission. This was cancelled

by Executive Order 97^ which made th«* land property of the

?Tavy Department on March 3, 1942,

(a) Brigade Special Services now occupies the former bird
farm office and worker Ts quarters (Building #930)

(b) At the center of the big curve on Mokapu Road.

26.

The Territorial Fish and Same Commission lands were
located in the Halekou-Kaluapuhi ili. It had been established
in 1921 as the first government-sponsored Fish and Game farm
in the Hawaiian Islands. On describing the 345 acre tract,
a newspaper account reads: "an arid waste, barren, silent,
almost desolate, facing the open ocean and located on Mokapu
Peninsula. It will someday become a wooden paradise and bird
refuge."

The purpose of the game farm was to produce and establish
game birds throughout the territory. Practically all of the
birds kept at the farm were imported. The farm was stocked
with green-winged doves and r^d- chested wood partridges of

the East Indies was well as other fowl. They were introduced

(a)

to propagate the species in the Hawaiian Islnnds. '

The Navy had. the unusual role of "landlord" of the
peninsula in the early forties to about 250 landholders in
the Heeia section. Before work could actually begin on the
airfield runways and aprons, the tenants — including the
Darvisea- had to be relocated.

(a) One may see ring-necked pheasants occasionally early in
the morning along road in thp Ft. Hase-Nuupia Fish Pond
area.

27.

The "rental" system lasted for about three months,
giving the residents time to acquire other acreage to which
they would move their belongings. Homeowners paid monthly
rental fee to the Navy for living within the new Air Station
boundaries.

The last land acquisition during the forties was the
Nuupia Fishpond area. This land, orginally the property of
Queen Kalama, and held temporarily on a ten-year lease by
Piikoi, high chief under Kamehameha III, was sol^ to the
United States on June 13, 1%3 for $90,000. It included
additional acreage adjoining the fish pond area. The land ■•
was t^.ken by condemnation from Mr. Harold Castle, Sr.

Now that th^ Navy hid acquired the land, workers began
arriving by the hundreds to complete the advance Naval Base
that was at that time to be only a small seaplane base.

In a matter of months, supply warehouses sprung up,
communication facilities rose and the largest structures, the
seaplane hangars made their appearance.

Actually, some of the first structures to dot the K^neohe
skyline wpre the new quonset huts built to house civilian
workers.

28.

Work progressed on the Station in an orderly manner. At
first, contractors furnished their own security personnel on
the ,iob but by November 1940, the Navy had taken over control
of security forces on the yet unfinished air base — and the
first U. S. Marines arrived at K-Bay.

Early in November 1940, Platoon Sergeant George Spence
came aboard with thirty Marines. . .the first military unit to
occupy the Naval Air Station.

As the seno/r military man present, Platoon Sergeant f>
Spence could be considered the first commanding officer of
the Station. However, this command was short-lived. A few
weeks later, Marine Major J. C. Donehoo, Jr., arrived to become
the first Marine Barracks Commanding Officer at Kaneohe.

The Marine guard w s concerned primarily with the
protection of vital contruction materials and the policing
of the area which was to become the Station. They accomplished
part of their mission using horses which were st'bled in
Building #713 west of the runway.

Meanwhile, the Navy Air Station's first commanding officer
had received his new assignment. Commander Harold M. Martin,
USN, was on his way.

Commander Martin h-ad wanted this assignment because,
for the past several years, he had been engaged in the
preparatory planning of this, the Navy's new Pacific Gibraltar.

29.

He had envisioned Hawaii-loa as an excellent vantage
point from whereto control aircraft both in the waters of
Kaneohe Bay and on the North-S^uth runway of the Station.
Kansas Tower (as we know it today) can be credited to
Commander Martin.

When the commander arrived on Dec. 7, 1940, little more
than mudflats, brush and blowing dust caused by earthmoving
machinery met his eye.

Commander Martin moved into his spacious quarter (a small
wooden shack), sat at his desk (an apol^ crate) and immediately
begqn plannine and executing his. own orders th.Tt would
someday transform his embryo command into a sprawling,
multi-million-dollar military installation.

It was not yet a sprawling, million-dollar establishment,
though, just two months after his arrival when sailors,
marines an^ civilians took time out for their tasks to attend
the commissioning ceremonies.

On February 15, 1941, th^ facility became know officially
as the Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station. Platoon Sergeant
Spence hoisted the colors over the new command.

30.

Work continued at a raoid pace during the next few
months, but nothing progressed faster — or was more closely-
watched — than Commander Martin's favorite project, Baker
Tower.

Puu Hawaii-loa, once the home of an ancient chief, was
soon to be nerve center of the Air Station. From high atop
th<=> cone, aircraft controllers could see the entire western
coast of Windward Oahu.

Hawaii-loa, as you recall, is situated in the ili of
Heleloa. Much could have been said of the prominent land-
mark earlier, but as it was being prepared for wartime use,
legends be^an to arise concerning Baker Tower.

Baker Tower was the first of many names for the present
Kansas Tower.

From a geological standpoint, Puu Hawaii-loa is regarded
as being older than Ulupau, Diamond Head, Koko Head or
Punchbowl. Pali Kilo, Pyramid Rock, the Moku Manu Island,
and Hawaii-loa ar^ beli)ved to have been craters or vents

from which lava erupted and late from what is called the

(a)
Kaena Stand and hence, are considerably, ol^er than

Ulupau Heo^. Various geologist-authors are inclined to

(8)
agree with his theory.

(a) Formed from the sea.

31.

A spring was once located near the top of Pauu

Hawaii-loa. Old Hawaiians obtained fresh water from the

spring. The hill took its name from this suring. Con-

(5)
struction in the early forties destroyed the spring.

Hawaii-loa, according to a legend, was a chief who

came with his followers to settle in the Hawaiian Islands

However, Hawaii-loa was superseded by Papa, the earth

mother, and Wakea, the sky father — gods who are said

to have created the Hawaiian Islands. Legend has it that

Hawaii-loa was the original member of the Hawaiian race,

(6)
and it is his namesake on which Kansas Tower now rests.

Another spring existed on the Air Station prior to

the construction days. Lu 0 Wai 0 Kanaloa is the name

of an old brackish well now covered by Runway 22. It

(5)
was ten feet deep and contained four feet of water.

Commander Martin once said, "We began to build

shelters all around the Baker Tower area. It seems

Baker Tower was the central gathering place on the

(15)
Air Station before other facilities were erected."

Life at K-Bay was pretty carefree in the early

forties. Perhaps the most restless of the workers

were the civilians brought in from the Mainland.

32.

The story of the war workers is not a happy one.

The importees came with high expectations. They found

chaotic conditions and complained about Hawaii. Many

from the South brought concepts of white superiority.

Many lived in barracks or quonset huts . Workers from

the Mainland were housed in six main camps here on

Oahu. Kaneohe Bay had one of these camps which was

(a) (15)
called Termite Village.

By late 1941, the major protion of the StqpLon!s
construction was nearing completion.

During that year, the mission of Kaneohe was ex-
panded to include the added responsibility for the admin-
istration of Kaneohe Bay Naval Defense Sea Area and the
Kaneohe Naval Air Space Reservation. The StavLon was
given additional aircraft to support this mission.

But for the military men at Kaneohe Bay, life was
one seaplane patrol after another.

Chief Ordnanceman John W. Finn, on watch December
7, 1941, stood waiting for the return of a PBY flight he had
helped launch earlier that morning.

(a) Now Rainbow Village

33.

Just before 8 a. m., he, like many others here,
heard the drone of approaching aircraft. Eyes strained
to see the low-flying crafts that were hidden behind
Kansas Tower and the North Beach sand dunes.

But it wasn't his familiar PBY amphibians re-
turning home. Japanese fighter planes and dive bombers
swooped down on the unsuspecting Air Station, giving birth
to what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the "Day
of Infamy."

34.

THE ATTACK ON MOKAPU

Lietenant Pusata Iida, a. 28-year-old fighter pilot

in the Imperial Japanese Navy, toasted the Rising Sun

Flag, climbed into the cockpit of his Zero, and roared

(16)
from the flight deck of carrier Soryu.

The lieutenant, a short handsom man with a glowing
personality and quick wit, was in command of the Third
Air Control Group whose target for the morning's attack
was Mokapu Peninsula .. .the Kaneohe Naval Air Station.

As his flight sped low over the waves, little did
Iida realize that his earlier toast, and this flight,
would be his last. He had, in fact about one hour to
live .

His life had been fast-lived, however. He had
survived three years of aerial combat in China, plus
the rigors imposed on a popular and hard-drinking
squadron leader.

While miles out at sea, he spotted the landmark

for which he was searching, the landmass of Ulupau

(a)
Crater and Kansas Tower.

(a) Commander Martin1 s "Baker Tower", was known now
as "K-Tower." According to Admiral J. P. Heath
(Ret), it was only a code name used in communica-
tions and radio contact with aircraft . (17)

35.

He led his squadron of Zero aircraft down to the

tops of the churning whitecaps and sped to the shore of

North Beach for what he knew to be a surprise attack.

The attack was not undetected; but w/arning of it
(13) f

went unheeded. A few miles north of the Air Station,

at Kahuku Point, Army Privates Joseph Lockard and George

Elliott of the 55th Signal Aircraft Warning Service had

been manning a radar station.

Radar was a new experiment for the military, and

several such centers were in operation on Oahu at the

time. There was one in operation high atop Ulupau

(a)
Crater.

Suddenly the privates sprang forward, staring at the

dancing impulse on their scope. Lockard thought at first

that something was wrong with their instruments, but

after checking it, he knew that the signal meant approch-

ing aircraft.

(a) On Dec. 7, Hawaii had 50 Army post sand 26 Naval
reservations. On Mount Kaala, highest point of
Oahu, was one of the several radar stations which
wereestablished 12 remote areas. All of these
required new access roads which presented major cons-
truction problems. At Kaala, as well as the Kaena
Point and Ulupau Head, the extreme inaccessibility
of the sites required the installation of steel
cableways to carry men and materials to the stations .( 13)

36.

The two began plotting the nearing flight of airplanes.
They began the known course at 136 miles out. When it
closed to 132 miles, they called their Information Center.

The officer on duty — Lieutenant Kermit Tyler — told
them not to Wrry about it, that it was a flight of B-17
bombers from California expected to land at Hickam shortly
after 8 a. m.

It was, at the time, 7:15 a. m., and Kaneohe Bay had
only slightly began to rise from slumber on a tropical
Sunday morning.

Lieutenant Iida nosed his Zero up over the dunes of
North Beach, sighted in on the temporary structure silhouetted
on top, and touched the button causing his machineguns to
chatter a staccato rhythm, sounding for possibly the first
time, Japanese war drums of World War II in the Pacific.

Kaneohe Naval Air Station was under attack between
7:45 a. m. and 7:50 a- m. It is believed that Pearl Harbor-
bound aircraft arrived over "Battleship Row" a few minutes
later.

37.

As Iida pulled up over the top of Puu Hawaii-loa crater,

a lone Marine sentry fired at the departing Zeros with his

Springfield 03 . Though not an effective anti-aircraft

measure, it was a determined one. The sentry received a

minor flesh wound -- probably from a ricochet -- and was

(IS)
firing in retaliation.

The Japanese attackers continued across the peninsula

with guns blazing. Fires began to burst out from buildings

hit with incendiary ammunition. The planes then circled and

began their deadly bomb runs.

For ten minutes the twelve attackers swooped over the
dazed Air Station. The defenders were unable to launch a
single plane against them.

The first targets were the big PBY patrol aircraft
moored in the waters of Kancohe Bay.

Following the attack, the damage inflicted by the
invaders totaled 27 of 36 PBY' s destroyed and six others
damaged; only three Catalinas out on patrol that morning
escaped destruction. The Japanese had racked up near total
success •

38.

A stunned Kaneohe began to recover from the initial

shock of the first onslaught. By the end of the attack,

anti-aircraft measures were functioning and fire apparatus

was attempting to control the blazing aircraft. As yet, no

building had suffered a hit more than that of machine gun

bullets .

After some fifteen minutes, the attackers drew off to

the north, all but one that is. Lt . Iida's Zero had suffered

direct hits from angry Kaneohe guns. Bullets cut into his

fuel tanks and gasoline began to spurt out in a long white

spray. As his crippled plane dropped from the sky, Iida must

have remembered the advice he had so often given to his men.

He had repeated it earlier that morning:

"The most important thing for a soldier who is a samurai

is his determination. If, for instance, I should receive

fatal damage to my fuel tank, I would aim my plane to effect

the greatest destruction and, without thought of survival,

(16)
would throw myself into the target."

True to his samurai code, Iida now signalled his group,

to disband formation, pointing first to himself and then to

the ground to make clear his intention. Then he plunged

earthward with guns ablazing.

39.

During a pilot's debriefing session later that morning

aboard the Soryu, Lt . Iyoze Fujita related that, "The last I

saw of Iida was when he began his crash dive, his plane

hurtling straight downward into a flaming hangar on Kaneohe

(16}
Air Base."

It was not a hangar that Iida hit. His crippled Zero

slammed into the side of Kansas Tower, near where the Child

(a)
Care Center is situated today.

For some 25 minutes a lull developed before the second

attack commenced. During the lull, Kaneohe sprang to life.

The Marine sentry came down from his Kansas Tower post,

cursing his minor wound, and reported to the Station Dispensary

for treatment.

Among the casualties that continued to pour in, was

Aviation Chief Ordnanceman John William Finn, carried on a

stretcher.

Later, Finn received the Medal of Honor for his part

in defending against the first attack on Kaneohe Bay.

Seeing the first planes rise over Kansas Toiler, Finn

had jumped into action in a Lewis Machinegun position and

began returning fire on the Japanese attackers.

(a) Building # 579.

40.

(19)

His citation road: "For extraordinary heroism,

distinguished service and devotion above and beyond the call

of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on

the Naval Air Station at Kancohc Bay, Honolulu, Territory of

Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, he promptly secured and manned a

nachinegun mounted on an instruction; s-t-and" in a. completely exposed

section of a parking ramp, which was und'-r heavy enemy

strafing fire."

"Although painfully wounded many times, he continued

to nan his gun and return the enemy fire vigorously and with

telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing

attack and with complete disregard for his own personal

safety."

"It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded

to leave his post to seek medical attention. Folloiving first

aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and

moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron

(a)
area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes.

His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action are

considered to be in accord with the highest traditions of
(b)
the Naval Service."

(a) The throe that returned from an early morning patrol.

(b) Finn, later promoted to Lieutenant, is now retired
and lives in Pine Valley, Calif.

41.

It is possible that he accounted for the hits on Lt .
Iida's downed Zero.

Sailors now swarned over the runway and around the
burning amphibians. But there was little they could do for
the crippled aircraft. They knew, though, that there was
something that they could do for thenselves. During the
first attack their white uniforms were quite conspicuous to
to the strafing enemy.

According to an eye witness, it was recalled that on the

site where the Brigade Headquarters Company barracks now
(a)
stands, large mess hall pots were set to boiling over

open fires during the lull between the first and second phases

of the attack. Into these pots were tossed white uniforms,

to be dyed a brownish-khaki color. Men stripped off I, waited

while their whites were dyed, then put them back on to
(20)
return to the fight.

The drone of heavy bombers continued ito sound over the

Air Station, but they did not attack it. They were

continuing on over the Koolau Mountains, bound for Hickam

and Pearl Harbor.

(a) Building #279

42.

Then, nearly a half-hour later, another squadron of
dive bombers appeared overhead. They began their attack

by steep dives during which they strafed everything in their
path. This time, they loosed 100-pound bombs on remaining

aircraft and hangars at K-Bay.

Hangar Number One received a direct hit and crumpled

(a)
under the force of the explosion. Four aircraft inside

were destroyed.

Most of the casualties on the Air Station occurred

during this second attack. Bomb fragments accounted for a

high toll of those wounded and dead.

But the Kancohe defenders fought back. More machineguns

were rigged on the damaged aircraft and on temporary mounts.

They took a toll among the attackers. One plane was seen

to have crashed into Kailua Bay; another went down in the i

water off Pyramid Rock; still another crashed into the

sea off North Beach.

After about 15 minutes, the attackers wheeled about

and disappeared over the North Beach sand dunes, seeking

the safety of the carrier some 200 miles off Oahu.

(a) Now Hangar 102.

43.

Nov;, as the enemy departed, the Station set about

licking its war wounds. The fires were brought under control.

The dead and wounded were removed to the dispensary and the

women and children on the Station "h-re evacuated to the

Kailua School.

As the battle was being waged at Kaneohe Bay, one PBY

launched from here earlier that morning, possibly had the

first visual contact with the enemy.

Just off Pearl Harbor on routine patrol, the pilot

of a PBY spotted an unidentified submarine. He radioed

the nearby destroyer, USS Ward. The planed circled the area

' (U) (16)

and watched the Ward sink the submarine minutes later.

While it was subsequently established that the submarine

was part of the reconnaisance group of the Japanese task

force attacking Pearl Harbor, the initial report of the action

sent high ranking Naval leaders here and at Pearl Harbor

into consternation. Popular belief was that the Kaneohe PBY

and the Ward had acted hastily and that the sub was American.

The submarine incident was under discussion here at the

Air Station an hour later when I»t. Iida arrived over North

Beach in his Zero.

44.

American casualties for the day incljded 19 dead,
scores wounded and 27 aircraft destroyed. For the Jap-
anese, one was known 'dead; possibly three others were
down in the surrounding waters of the Air Station.

Another casualty figure was recorded that day. At
the Government Bird Farm, cages and pens were broken
open by bomb blasts and strafing. About fifteen thousand
pheasants and other game birds were casualties of the
attack. The remaining birds^, about 9000, were quickly
gathered and slaughtered and put on the food market to
relieve an anticipated food shortage. The bird farm
was abandoned later in the month after having functioned
for nearly 20 years.

December 8 was a day of gloom for the survivors of
the previous day's attack.

In the cool, precise phrasing of an official report

of the Japanese attack were the words:

"At about 1600 on Monday the dead were buried in a

(21)
grave in the sand dunes with aporopiate ceremonies..."

It was a day of grief for Mrs. Grace Watson as she
stood in the quickly prepared graveyard in the sand dunes
of Heleloa. It had been centuries since Heleloa had re-
ceived the bodies of warriors fallen in battle. Now,
today, December &_, 1941^ twenty warriors were paid final
respects .

45.

Aviation Machinist Mate First Class Raphael .A. Watson
had been on duty with Chief Finn the previous morning. He
had fallen in a deadly hail of machinegun bullets from
the strafing aircraft.

At twenty minutes to eight, before the attack, Mrs.
Watson had gone to pick up her husband who was to be off
duty at 8 a. m. The world around her exploded .. .the attack
had begun. She didn't see her husband that day. At about
9:30 a. m., all civilians were evacuated from the station.

Today, as Navy Chaplains presided over the fallen
Navynen, Mrs. Watson stood in disbelief with countless
others, as theirs were laid to rest.

In a single row facing the sea, now lay the bodies of:
Ensigns R. S. Foss, L. Fox Jr., J. G. Smartt and R. W.
Uhlmann, Third Class Petty Officers W. S. Brown, J. D.
Buckley, M. A. Manning, L. G. Newman, R. K. Porterfieldj
Second Class Petty Officers G. W. Ingram, C. Lawrence,
C. W. Otterstetter and J. H Robinson; First Class Petty
Officers S. D. Dorkck, C. M. Formoe, D. T. Griffen, L. D.
Weaver, I. Lee, and Mrs. Watson's husband, Raphael

One other grave was in the enclosed cemetery. There
alone, thousands of miles from his Land of the Rising
Sun, lay Imperial Navy Pilot Lieutenant Fusata Iida.

46.

Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station staggered., and wept,
under its baptism of fire.

But now, more than ever, work must proceed on the
Navy's Gibraltar of the Pacific; to linger and mourn over
the dead meant disaster.

47.

K-BAY REBOUNDS

December 7, 1941, was one of the most important dates
in the history of the world, and Kaneohe Bay was the scene
of its first importance. But few, if any, had the time
or energy to speculate on its significance.

There were more urgent matters to ponder. Kaneohe
was practically defenseless against an entirely possible
recurrence of that dayTs attack.

The great question in the minds of those who stood
their careful watches here at the Air Station and on other
posts around Oahu, of those who tended the wounded, and
of those who were hurriedly improvising defenses, was:

"Will the Japanese return tomorrow? Would return
mean invasion?"

But the question was merely a background to increased
activity.

Fort Hase artillerymen prepared and strengthed their
coastal defenses. The big guns of Penn and French Bat-
teries were unlimbered and stripped for action. The
Army set up numerous 155mm gun positions around the
Station covering the approaches and beaches of both
Fort Hase and the Air Station.

The length of North Beach was a formidable line

of 50 caliber machinegun emplacements, ready to repel

(13)
enemy landing craft.

43.

Military personnel and civilians, both on the
Station and in the neighborhood, were immediately
called into action, each taking up his particular
duties with all his or her energies.

Skills, abilities and energies were turned to

the immediate defense of Kaneohe Bay. Among others,

the supple fingers of Hawaiian lei makers who. spent

their peacetime days in the gracious art of producing

the flower-lei — long a symbol of goodwill and love —

turned abruptly to weaving the wartime necessity of

(21)
camouflage nets.

Kaneohe Bay had been popularly dubbed the country
club of the Pacific, not because of any lack of work
accomplished, but because of its natural scenic beauty,
its balmy climate, and its attempt to provide sufficient
recreational facilities to compensate for its comparative
isolation.

Superficially, it might have appeared to be a playground
but the work and training accomplished, the high morale,
and the cooperation between the military and civilian
populace was evidence that both the natural factors and
the investments had been utilized for the best interest
of the Navy. This confirmed in the story of its develop-
ment.

The spirit of Kaneohe is an ijTangible, but powerful
tradition.

49.

Perhaps it was intensified, and certainly was portrayed,
by the men who fired guns still covered with packing
grease in defense against the sneak attack which started
the war.

Their defiance and resourcefulness in their taste
of battle exemplified the spirit of Kaneohe as described
by Commander Martin following the December 7 attack:

"After the seventh of December it was my duty to

recommend individuals for commendation. I thought a

great deal about it. No one shirked, no one avoided

danger, everyone did the job he was supposed to do.

It suddenly occurred to me that we were not individuals,

buttle" NAS Kaneohe Bay and that the Station had conducted

itself in a manner which was in keeping with the best

(a)
traditions of the Navy. I'd like to feel that this

(21)

Dtation will always be that way."

As previously stated, Kaneohe wasp originally in-
tended for a small permanent seaplane base, but early
in 1941 plans were being made for the expansion of
both its mission and facilities.

(a) It was Commander Martin however, who recommended
Aviation Chief Ordnanceman Finn for the Medal of
Honor.

50.

The first tactical unit assigned was Patrol Squadron
24 which suffered the brunt of the attack on December 7»
In addition, Patrol Wing One came to Kaneohe about six
weeks before the fateful day in December,

It was in September, 1942, that Patrol Wing One
was transferred to New Caledonia and Patrol Wing Two —
later Fleet Air Wing Two — moved in8

In August, 1943, CASU-1A came and stayed a short

while before being replaced by CASU-38 which remained

(21)
throughout the war.

The attack on December 7 automatically placed the
base on a forward area, wartime basis.

By early 1942 the immediate danger had passed,
and the Station became a base for Fleet Activity,
serving both as an important part of the supply line
and as host to visiting units.

As the "Forward Area" moved westward, the Station
increased Its activities in supply, assembly and re-
pair of aircraft, training, and the provision of accom-
modations for Fleet Activities quartered here.

Before much training could be accomplished on the
relatively short runway that existed then, the landing
pattern had to have obstacles removed.

51.

'(a)
Moored to Cris Holmes1 Island in Kaneohe Bay, was

the regal old schooner ship, "Seth Parker." The ship*s

masts were a hazard to the slow, low-flying naval training

planes that were arriving daily.

The owners, who previously had installed red warning
lights atop the masts, obligingly removed them from the
drydocked pleasure palace. The Seth Parker slowly de-
teriorated during the war years, with dry rot and sea-
page taking a toll in the old sailing ship which had at
one time plied the waters of the Pacific in inter-island
trade. In the few preceeding years, it had been brought
to its Kaneohe Bay moorage and turned into an elaborate
club for guests of Cris Holmes1 Island.

Quarters at first was a problem, for at the height

of World War II, personnel stationed at Kaneohe Bay

numbered more than 19,000 men — in addition to the

thousands of Army personnel undergoing training and

(15)
defending Fort Hase.

(a) Known more commonly now as Coconut Island.

52.

Termite Village, which at first had housed the
war workers needed to build Kaneohe Naval Air Station,
now became home for officer personnel who lived in
the huts four to a unit. Late in 1945, two of the larger
houses were allotted to civilian girls working on Station.
A few quarters were assigned to Senior civil services workers
and their families. Military dependents were not permitted
to join their men here during the war years.

One set of quarters constructed here during the
early war years was called the "Maui Barracks."

Early in the hostilities, it was determined that
nurses and WAVES would be sent to Kaneohe to take over
administrative and medical duties.

One set of barracks plans — plus materials on
their way to Maui — were diverted to Kaneohe Bay to
house the female military members. The site of the
Maui Barracks was across the street from the Officers
Club, At one time, it was nearly as large as the
bachelor officer quarters which still stands today.
Now, only a few small slabs of concrete — utilized
as an officers club parking lot — is all that re-
mains of the female "Maui" barracks.

53.

The enlisted barracks at Kaneohe were different
than those most military men lived in. At the time,
there were eleven concrete and fire-proof buildings
connected in an L-shape row by a long covered veranda
or arcade. The barracks are still in use today.

The men of Kaneohe Bay did not have all the com-
forts of home, but they had some of the best quarters
in the Navy.

In the mid-war years, there were four messhalls
in operations. Three were in the central camp area,
while one was situated across the runway in the areas
of the outlying squadrons. Today, one of the original
four remains.

One of the important functions of the Naval estab-
lishment here was the operation of the Fleet Gunnery
School which was established in Building #455^ today
known as the Old Mokapu School. Thousands of Navy
gunners went through the courses offered at this, the
largest naval gunfire school in the Pacific.

For their outside practice, the gunners journeyed
to an area near the present main gate. Off to the side,
near Kailua Bay, was a circular small-gauge railway
which conveyed targets for the fledging machinegunners.

54.

Also in the sane area, slow-moving Navy planes
carried target banners back and forth over the beach
for the gunners to practice their new trade real-
istically.

In other training facilities, the Navy excelled.
At one school they had in operation nore than 50 mobile
"Link" trainers to aid new pilots in the latest flying
techniques.

Two complete mock-up aircraft frames — one each
of the PBY and PBM — were electronically wired to
test crews for combat reaction time in multiple sit-
uations.

There was also a school for celestial navigation,
sonar, aircraft recognition and turret operation.

But, the IFGHA (instrument Flying Center, USN,
Hawaiian Area) remained the main institution for
higher learning. In addition to the 50 link trainers
and two patrol bomber mockups, there were 44 instruct-
ors and more than 130 other enlisted personnel assigned
to the school. Theirs was the mission of training and
familiarizing Navy and Marines aviators from Hawaii,
Maui and Oahu in flight operations prior to their
being sent to a forward combat area.

55.

Communications was : another of the problems that
faced Commander Martin upon his arrival. His contact
with the "outside world" — mainly the Naval Headquart-
ers at Pearl Harbor — was for more than a year after
his arrival, a hand-cranked wall-hung monstrosity that
defied it's user and rebelled at every crank of the
handle.

It was not uncommon for a call to Honolulu to
require more than 30 minutes to complete.
The first dial-type telephones were installed in Dec-
ember, 1942. By war's end, there were 11S1 instru-
ments in the command. Record-wise, on "VJ" Day, the
Station switchboard heralded the news — both in-
coming and outgoing — with 27,650 calls.

On the "first" VJ Day — August 14, 1945
one such call was for Francis Cardinal Spellman,
who was visiting Kaneohe Navy Air Station. The
Cardinal immediately departed for the Navy's Head-
quarters at Pearl Harbor to celebrate a Mass in
honor of those fallen in battle during the past
four years.

So it was — three years, eight months and seven
days after it all began — Kaneohe, like the rest of
the world, could relax after engaging in the greatest
struggle man had ever know.

56.

Peace officially came September 2, 1945* when the
surrender was signed on the decks of the USS Missouri
in Toyko Bay,

57.

THE DEMOBILIZATION

Following the signing of the Japanese surrender in
September, the remainder of 1945 and on through 1946
could be called the "facelifting" era for Kaneohe Naval
Air Station.

Just three months after the cease fire, civil

service workers here had removed thousands of tons

of sandbags from important Station facilities. The

bomb shelters which had been constructed throughout

the living areas came down and In their place the

vegatation returned.

Most of the persons here did not know the size

(a)
or shape of the Station Telephone Exchange Building.

For days laborers removed tons of sands from atop and

around the structure, revealing the lines of the

building as they are today.

Blackouts and dimouts were now a thing of the past

and Kaneohe began living a normal life again. During

war years the average day was all work and no play.

Now the military men and civilian workers needed

recreational facilities.

(a) Building #213

58.

Klipper Beach became the "Waikiki" of the Wind-
ward side. There were bathhouses, a cafeteria,
numerous lifeguard stands and, best of all, a huge
dance pavillion built along the sandy strip.

The last week of September, a USO show came to
Kaneohe Bay to aid in the victory celebrations
that were in progress throughout military estab-
lishments in Hawaii.

Kaneohe was host to Bob Hope, Francis Langford

and Betty Hutton. The Kaneohe "Klipper" newspaper

reported the "Bob Hope laid many brilliant eggs

(22)
in the red dust of Kaneohe Bay."

During the following year, outdoor living really
came of age and the Klipper Beach was equipped with
the latest innovation, the barbeque pit. Dozens
were constructed for the beach parties that were in
progress almost continually.

Thousands of military of all services passed
through the Kaneohe Naval Air Station bound for
the Mainland for discharge and return to civilian
life.

59.

But for those who remained here, those not yet
ready for discharge, or those who just recently
arrived^ Kaneohe was home, and therefore, their
homes — and families — came to Hawaii.

Mrs. John H. Whitener, wife of Lieutenant

Whitener, the Station Commissary Officer, was the

first dependent to arrive at Kaneohe Bay and set

(23)
up housekeeping on January 12, 1946.

Mrs. Whitener was followed by hundreds of wives
and children wh° rushed to Kaneohe to join their
husbands. Many wives had not seen their men in
years .

Termite Village was rapidly losing its civ-
ilian workers and female military occupants. Quick
renovations on the units began, and the arriving
families soon filled the housing development with
the laughs and cries of family life. They had —

after years of war and separation — found their pot

(a)
of gold at the end of the rainbow.

But no sooner had many of the newcomers arrived

when, on April 1, they were routed from their homes

by the order, "Evacuatei"

(a) The name Rainbow Village has replaced the
wartime term of Termite Village.

60.

Many families fled their hemes in the early morning
darkness not knowing the meaning of the shouting word
"Tidal Wave",

But around 7 a. m. they stared in awe as waves
nearly 25 feet high swept over the peninsula, nearly
covered the runway and Fort Hase area, then rapidly
receded back to the sea.

Kaneohe damage was comparatively light. Approxi-
mately 100 feet of road near North Beach was washed
out. Debris, included many fish, covered the lower
end of the runway. Six warehouses stored with re-
cently arrived home furnishings were flooded, A
radio relay building near Klipper Beach was de-
molished.

The man on duty, Coast Guardman Roy Fine, RM2c,
was swept from the building and tumbled in the building
wave. He clung to swirling wreckage and, when the
water receded, he waded to Mokapu Boulevard and flagged
a car down to take him to the dispensary were he was
treated only for shock.

Marine personnel were hurriedly posted in the
magazine area, on theb.eaches, and near the damaged
buildings shortly after the gigantic wave struck.

61.

The northeast portion of Fort Hase and the sur-
rounding area were flooded, but the damage was slight.
The light wooden structures formerly used as housing
for soldiers had been abandoned when the 9&th Division
departed for Japan a few months previous.

A second wave expected to hit at approximately
1 p.m., did not materialize. The civilian workers
aboard the Station were given time off that clay to
gather fish from the small pools on the runway.

During the same month, April, the aircraft control

tower atop Kansas Tower ceased operations and control

of the airfield was carried out in the newly completed

(25)
tower above Hangar 105.

One of the last traces of wartime to disappear
from the Station scene was the temporary cemetery
where the Pearl Harbor Day dead were buried. In June,
the 19 Americans were removed and sent to the Mainland
for final internment at the request of their survivors.

Now Lt. Iida was completely alone, buried under

the sand and soil of North Beach, almost below the

spot where his airplane crossed over the beach as the

first invader nearly five years earlier.

It was not until 194& that Lieutenant Iida was

(17)
returned home at the request of Japanese authorities.

62,

In August, the WAVES departed Kaneohe for duty
at Pearl Harbor and future discharge. In their place
came another flood of dependents.

Housing for the first time became critical, but
the situation was alleviated by the arrival of a
huge tug-pulled barge arriving in Kaneohe Bay with
new quonset huts on August 30, 1946.

For the first time it became evident that Kaneohe
Bay would need a school. The one elementary school
in Kailua would not be able to meet the demands of
the growing military community.

The Gunnery School Building — vacant for nearly
a year now — became the institute for higher learning
for grammar school pupils when the doors swung open
September 4> 1946, for the first elementary classes.
At the time it was call ed the Kailua Annex.

The Enlisted Club became a reality in November,
1947* and has since served off-duty military men at
Kaneohe. Previous to the spacious club's debut, en-
listed men were left to shift for themselves for enter-
tainment •

However, entertainment was widespread. The earlier
mentioned Klipper Beach proved to be the most popular
attraction for the leisure hours of all personnel.
Organized spirts played a big part in the high morale
of the Station.

63.

Also in 1947 a club was organized for the civilian
workers here at Kaneohe, They moved into the now-
vacant WAVES Recreation Club building on Crescent

Circle. The lower floor was their place for re-

(a)
laxation.

Then in February 1949> sports really cane into

their own with the opening of the finest golf course

in the Islands. Amdiral J. P. Heath had pushed for

the completion of the golf course for many years.

(17)
Now it was a realty... all nine holes of it.

But its use was short-lived. Three months later,,
a ceremonywas conducted in front of the administration
building that halted all activities here.

The K-Bay Naval Air Station was de-commissioned.

Taps sounded as the flag was slowly lowered. The
(b)
two saluting batteries barked, and then the Station

went into hibernation.

(a) Presently the transient and bachelor staff quarters,
Building #336.

(b) The two ornamental guns in front of the Station
Administration Building were brought here by the
first commanding officer, Commander ' Harold M. Martin
They are Hotchkiss 75mm, model 1894, taken from the
USS Albany, a cruiser of Spanish-American War vintage
They were salvaged when the ship was dismantled at
Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. Previously, they were
located just in front of the building, but have since
been moved to the side of the flag pole. (26)

64.

THE COAST GUARD AT KANE 0 HE

The IT. S. Coast Guard, although not active hero during
the Second World War, played a part in the development and
history of the Station.

A unit arrived here in October, 1945, the month
following the signing of the surrender.

Coast Guard Lieutenant G. W. Girdlcr, was the
commanding officer of a detachment of five officers and
IS enlisted men.

The unit had the responsibility of search and rescue
for the Windward side of Oahu.

In addition, they maintained a fleet of aircraft
consisting of two PBY-4 amphibians and one JRP, The unit
regularly made trans -Pacific runs to the Phillipines, China,
Japan and other forward area Coast Guard stations.

The local detachment was part of the 14th Coast Guard
District quartered in Honolulu.

The unit remained here as the Station search and rescue

unit until its deactivation when the Station shut down

(27)
in 1949.

65.

KANEOHE AIR STATION III INACTIVE STATUS

Following its do- commissioning in June, tho Station
was placed In a maintenance status with just enough personnel
remaining to replace broken windows and keep the grass trimmed,

All property, except buildings, was transferred to the
still thriving Naval Air Station at Barber's Point.

Mosshall utensils, machine shop equipment and household
furniture was hauled away from Kane oho by the truekload.

According to one oldtimcr who remembered the Station
In tho deactivated period, there is some question as to how
much of tho equipment found its way all tho way across the
island to tho Leeward Air Station.

There was, at tho time, an uncxplainablc amount of
Items flooding the local surplus market. Then again, the
government was releasing surplus equipment faster than the
local market could absorb it.

For tho next two and one-half years, vegetation
crawled unhindered around the buildings and grounds on tho
now- forgotten Air Station.

66,

After do-commissioning the Station, the Navy had put

the Mokapu land up for lease, but therofne takers.

A Staff Sergeant Moore, of the Marine Barracks at

Barber »s Point, was the "commanding officer" of the sleeping

Air Station. He was quartered in the first house on Crescent

(a) (28)
Circle.

Admittance to the Air Station was gained by placing a

call to the Sergeant and waiting for him to come to the

(b)
outer gate to unlock it. A barricade thcro kept out

unwanted visitors to the still-government property.

With the Station stripped of all valuables, onboard
personnel strength by Juno 30, 1950, was limited to a small
security detail.

The Station was then left entirely to the mercy of the
elements and f ast-crcoping vegetation.

(a) Building #562.

(b) The site of the present main gate on Mokapu Blvd.

67.

Then in 1951, the Marine Corps decided that the idle
airfield at Mokapu would make an ideal training site for a
combined air-ground team. The Station was assigned to the
Marino Corps and soon the first elements of maintenance
personnel arrived to clear the area.

It was decided that one of the first considerations would
bo the construction of a communications building for trans-
Pacific messages.

However, Marine bulldozers accidentally bumped the

(a)
corner of the present communications center.

V/orking parties struggled for nearly three weeks
clearing the vinos and jungle growth which, had enveloped the
once-bustling Navy installation.

VJbrkod progressed rapidly at K-Bay until, on January
15, 1952, Colonel Frank G. Dailcy, the first Marine Corps
Air Station commanding officer, participated in the
commissioning ceremonies of the new Kancohe Marine Corps
Air Station^

The Marine Corps has made its mark on the sacred land
of Mokapu.
(a) Building #505

68.

THE MARINES ARRIVE AT MOKAPU

Following commissioning, Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps
Air Station was "open for business. V

Early in 1952, Marine Aircraft Group 13 began
moving into its new Hawaiian quarters. Marine Fighter
Squadrons 235 and 451, both flying the F^U "Corsairs,'!
were the first tactical units to arrive.

Maintenance and base squadrons and Marine Ground
Control Intercept Squadron 2 rounded out the aircraft
group •

The first "Windward Marine" newspaper hit the
streets of the Air Station on March 28, 1952, re-
porting that the Station Sergeant Major, SgtMaj.
Irwin F. Wladvogel and Disbursing Sergeant Joseph
Remis, each received a case of their favorite beer
for winning the "name-the-paper" contest.

According to the same issue, other facilities

were rapidly becoming operational on the Station.

(a)
The Station Brig had opened the previous week with

three registered "guests."
(a) Building #211

69.

Work was still progressing on the recently dis-
covered communications building according to a Wind-
ward Marine, article . In May, while new equipment was
still being installed, Communicators were outside

busily working on the beautif ication of the grounds

(29)
of their Kansas Tower home.

Preparations were rapidly being completed in the
newly designed regimental area. Soon "ground" Marines
would be arriving to set up housekeeping and begin
training at Kaneohe.

Then on schedule, the First Provisional Marine
Air-Ground Task Force came to Kaneohe in February, 1953

Units from the Third Marine Division, based at
Camp Pendleton, Calif., arrived for six months1
training and became the first outfit to be trained
under the joint air-ground training program.

This particular unit, the Third Marine Regiment,
was sent to Japan when the Third Division was ordered
overseas in August, 1953.

On April IS, 1953, President of the United States
Harry S, Truman was honored guest at the parade and
review and commissioning ceremonies af the First
Provisional Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Task Force
Commander was Brigadier General James P. Riseley.

70.

Dependents here at the time applauded the
inauguration of the Station's new commissary store which
opened for business on March 10, 1953.

On October 30, 1953, the Windward Marine went
"big time," by appearing in newsprint as a regular
commercially published weekly.

Not since the days of World War II had Kaneohe been

the home of female "warriors," but, on November 6, 1953,

First Lieutenant Phylis J. Young, commanding officer

of the newly-activated Women Marine Detachment,

arrived with the first WMs to have duty here. They

were quartered in Barracks #279 — the only barracks

(b)
at Kaneohe without urinals.

When the Fourth Marine Regiment arrived from Japan

on February 4, 1955, the Station assumed its fulltime

role of "providing facilities to support regular

operations of Fleet Marine Force aircraft in direct

support of a regimental combat team."

(a) In Building #401

(b) Urinals were not installed in Building #279
until 1957.

71.

Elements comprising the First Marine Brigade were
Marine Aircraft Group 13; HeadquartersCompany , First
Marine Brigade; The Fourth Marine Regiment (Reinforced);
and Com^/pW C (Reinforced), Seventh Engineer Battalion.

Nearly 2000 spectators were on hand May 1, 1956,
to observe the rebirth of the First Marine Brigade at
Kaneohe. In a historic ceremony which took place on
the regimental parade field, the color of the First
Provisional Marine Air-Ground Task Force was retired.

To fulfill its mission, the Marine Corps Air
Station required all of Mokapu Peninsula. Fort Hase
was now a thing of the past. The Main Gate was moved
from its Harris Street location out to the present site
on Mokapu WiifM by Nuupia Fishpond.

The Peninsula was, for the first time in history,
under one command. Ancient Hawaiians had divided the
land between chiefs, World War II leaders had portioned
the Peninsula out to both Army and Navy users.

Marine Fighter Squadron 232, the "Red Devils,"
received their new FJ3 "Fury" jets on November 12,
1954, and retired their outmoded F9F "Panthers."

On April 3> 1955> Marine Helicopter Squadron 161,
Marine. -Composite Squadron 1 and Marine Attack Squadron
212 reported aboard for duty with the aircraft group.

72.

Work now was rushed on the rebuilding of the
runway and taxi areas. The fast-landing jets re-
quired more roll-out length than did their slow
World War II predecessors. On March 53 1956, the
airfield runway construction work began.

The Women Marine tenure here was short. On
August 14> 1956, the detachment packed up and left
for duties at Camp H. M. Smith, Headquarters of
Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.

An aid to the fast-landing jets was installed
on the runways on January 18, 1957> when the new
mirror landing system was put into operation.

The year 1957 might be called the expansion year
for the Corps' newest Air Station.

Among the projects completed then were: the opening
of a 10-lane bowling alley in Building 1090 and the
enlargement of the Enlisted Club with the addition of a
new cafeteria.

Best of the news in the construction field, however,
was the announcement that plans for nearly 1000 Cape-
hart homes had been approved. Work would begin in 195^.

73.

An air of "Hollywood" touched Kaneohe Bay in Sept-
ember when Mitze Gaynor and the cast for the motion
picture "South Pacific" arrived and began filming
their soon-to-be-hit. Marines of the Brigade's First
Amphibious Tractor Company were given roles in the
color musical.

On November 4, the First Marine Brigade paraded
on the newly dedicated Piatt Field. It was named in
honor of a former Fourth Marine Regiment Commander,
Colonel Wesly McCoy Piatt.

The Station's Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course — begun
in 1949 — was doubled in size in June, 1958, with the
completion of the back nine holes.

Then in September, 1958, the roar of the mighty
Marine Aircraft Group 13 jets could be heard no more
in the skies above the Station. The group deployed to
Atsugi, Japan, and remained there on duty 'until March
k, 1959.

With completion of new Capehart Housing near,
Station officials determined that a new elementary
school was needed for the vast community of children.
The youngsters had outgrown andover taxed the facilities
of the Old Mokapu School which had stood since the days
of World War II. On July 2^ 1959,, a contract was let
for the construction of the most modern school in the
islands .

74.

With the routine of the Air Station firmly established,
other units began eyeing Kaneohe as a home.

The Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaiian
Area, became a tenant of the Marine Corps Air Station in
September, 195#. The unit is the primary "down range"
site for the nation's largest missile range*

It is headquarters for eight other Hawaiian and
mid-Pacific instrumentation island sites — Barking
Sands and Kokee, Kauai; South Point, Hawaii; Christmas
Island j Tern Island; Canton Island; Wake Island; Midway
Island; and Japtan Island of Eniwetok Atoll.

Another "tenant," the First Composite Radio Company,
Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, was activated in September,
1958, but it was not until early 1959 that they departed
their Camp H. M. Smith Headquarters and arrived at Kaneohe Bay*
-In July 1964, the Company became the First Radio Battalion.

Today, the major units of the versatile, hard-
hitting First Marine Brigade include the Fourth Marine
Regiment, Marine Aircraft Group 13, the Third Battalion,
Twelfth Marine Regiment, serving as the Brigade's art-
illery arm, and a Service Battalion composed of a number
of separate companies.

75.

Today's Brigade utilizes flashing jet aircraft and
mighty amphibious personnel carriers to carry out their
mission in contrast to the ancient Hawaiians who once
walked the Sacred Land of Mokapu with their spears and
stone axes, and plied the surrounding waters in their
frail outrigger canoes .

The indomitable fighting spirit of today's
Marine is a fitting modern counterpart to that of
the ancient Hawaiian warrior of Mokapu.

The words of the Air Station's first commanding
officer, Commander Harold M. Martin are today, as they
were on December 7 } 1941, holding true: "....we are
not individuals, but the Air Station Kaneohe Bay, the
Station, not individuals, ...continues to conduct itself
in a manner which is in keeping with the best traditions

These traditions are the legends, the myths, the
martyrs ... .the Marines of Mokapu.

-pau-

PRE-fFVAL AIR STATION COMMANDER

Platoon Sergeant George Spence — Nov. 1940 Marine Detachment

NAVAL COMMANDERS
Cdr. Harold M. Martin — 29Nov40 - 10Jul42
LtCdr. Robert C. Warrack — 10Jul42 - 29Jul42
Capt. Wallace M. Dillion — 29Jul42 - 18May43
Capt. Nolan M. Kindell — 18May43 - 26Jan45
Cdr. Walter E. Premo, Jr. — 26Jan45 - 28Jan45
Capt. Marion E. Crist — 28Jan45 - 28Jun46 .
Capt. John P. Heath — 28Jun46 - deactivated

KANEOHE MARINE CORPS STATION COMMANDERS

Col. Frank G. Dailey — 15Jan52 - 13Aug54

Col. Charles H. Hayes — 13Aug54 - 10ct55

Col. William D. Steiner — 10ct55 - 6Sep56

LtCol. Homer G. Hutchison, Jr. — 6Sep56 — 30ct56

Col. Jack R. Cram — 30ct56 - 20Aug58

Col. Marion M. Magruder — 20Aug58 - 4Aug60

Col. William R. Campbell — 4^ug60 - 3Jun63

Col. Paul T. Johnston — 43un63 -

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. HawaiiPono, a Social History, 1961, L. H. Fuchs

2. Geology of the Hawaiian Islands, Sterns, 1946

3. Hawaii, A Pageant of the Soil, Hobbs

4. The Lonely Warrior, K. D. Mellen

5. Bulletin of Geological Society of America — 1939

6. Mid-Pacific, Vol. XIV, Dec. 1917

7. Land Court Application 667

8. Land Court Grant 1015

9. Interview with Dr. George F. Straub, former land
holder of Mokapu Peninsula. Dr. Straub founded
the Straub Clinic in Honolulu.

10* Files and manuscripts of Bishop Museum, Honolulu.

11. Archaeology of Oahu, J. G. McAllister

12. Bishop Museum Ethnology Department Files

13. Hawaii's War Years 1941-1945, Gwenfread Allen

14. Honolulu Star Bulletin, 310ctl929
1$. Kaneohe Klipper, l6Febl946

16. "Tora, 'Tora, Tora," The Bntold Story of Pearl
Harbor, Part II, G. W. Prange

17. Interview with Admiral J. P. Heath, USN, (Ret),
former Commanding Officer of the Air Station,
Jun46 - Jun49.

18. "K-Tower^World Warll" "First" — Windward Marine,
lDecl96l, Grace Brophy

19. Medal of Honor Citation for Aviation Chief Ordnance*
man John William Finn, Jr., USN

20. Windward Marine, 6Decl957

21. U, S. Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, T. H.
Brochure of 15Febl946

22. The Kaneohe Klipper, 29Sepl945

23. The Kaneohe Klipper, 15Janl946

24. The Kaneohe Klipper, 6Aprl946

25. The Kaneohe Klipper, l6Marl946

26. The Kaneohe Klipper, 27Aprl946

27. The Kaneohe Klipper, 25Aprl947

2g. Mr. Stanley Payne, Civil Service Commission, who
was at Kaneohe Bay at the time of the deactivation
His first work at the Station began in 1940.

29. Windward Marine, 23Mayl952

MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL LIBRARY

>

VG94.5 .K3 S74 1965