The first week of February marked the 80
th Anniversary of Operation FLINTLOCK, the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands during WWII. This operation, the largest amphibious assault of the war to that date, was the first major central Pacific expedition and directly contributed to the Allied defeat of Imperial Japan the Pacific. To honor those who served and assisted in the liberation of the Marshall Islands during World War II, U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll invited dignitaries, historians, garrison staff, families, and the Marshallese to participate in five days of events, 31 January – 04 February, 2024.
“A primary objective of this week’s commemoration is telling Kwajalein’s story,” said U.S. Army Col. Andrew Morgan, USAG-KA commander. “Eight decades ago, brave Americans, several hundred of whom who gave the ultimate sacrifice, embarked on a journey that changed the destiny of these islands forever.”
Col. Morgan also noted the commemoration follows the recent wave that damaged the island of Roi-Namur in late-January. The community’s dedication to restore the island fortifies their name “Team Kwaj,” he said, and it demonstrates the strong will and resiliency Kwajalein has shown for the last 80 years. “Kwajalein, this entire atoll and everything in it, is important to our national security,” said Morgan. “This is our home. We are invested in returning Roi-Namur back to normal and making it important to America.”
Commemorations began on 31 January with a showing of the movie “Unbroken”, the life story of Louis Zamperini, a U.S. Olympic hero who was captured by the Japanese during the war (and was briefly held captive on Kwajalein) and survived brutal captivity as a POW. The dining facility on Kwajalein is named in his honor.
The next day, 1 February, a rarely-seen Marshallese dance troupe, the Jobwa Stick Dancers, performed for the crowd assembled at the historic Richardson Theater. Following the performance, historians Dr. Michael Krivdo (affiliation) and Dr. Timothy Francis (NHHC) spoke about the 7th Infantry Division’s four-day fight across Kwajalein Island and the 4th Marine Division’s two-day seizure of Roi and Namur in 1944.
The following morning, 2 February, Col. Morgan held an honorable carry ceremony to transfer possible remains of an American WWII service member which were discovered by the Kwajalein MIA Project in the waters of the lagoon this past summer. The remains, as well as possible Japanese or Marshallese remains discovered recently on the island, were transferred by Command Sgt. Major Ernest Miller, USAG-KA, to Dr. Denise To, Supervisory Forensic Anthropologist at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), for potential identification and return to next-of-kin.
A number of special guests attended the honorable carry ceremony, to include Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Christopher Adams, 4th Marine Division, who represented the unit that liberated the islands of Roi and Namur; Staff Sgt. Effie Mahugh, a public affairs noncommissioned officer from the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, representing the units that liberated Kwajalein island; and Marshallese Senator Kitlang Kabua, who shared her perspectives as a representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
During the historian presentation the night before, one of the pictures shown was of two Marshallese who survived the bitter combat on Namur, one of whom was Senator Kabua’s great-great grandmother. Reflecting on the image, Senator Kabua said that she wanted to tell the story from the RMI side.
“We have so many historians and information that can illustrate the war from the American perspective and the Japanese perspective,” said Kabua, “we don’t have enough information from the RMI perspective because we come from a culture that is oral—stories are passed down (from one generation to the next).” Kabua added, “We are still committed to peace and being partners with our allies, and the U.S.—our closest partnership that we Marshallese have— is something that we want to continue, as one.”
Col. Morgan supported her statements, concluding that “We cannot lose sight of the shared responsibility with our allies and partners in the region, most notably our Marshallese sisters and brothers, who are so robustly represented here today,” said Morgan. “We extend a hand of support and comfort to Roi-Namur and Third Island, reminding them that, by necessity, we face all trials and tribulations in this remote place, together.”
Immediately following the ceremony, the two historians – Dr. Francis and Dr. Krivdo – led a battlefield tour of Kwajalein Island, first stopping at the site of the Japanese memorial (which commemorates the almost 5,000 Japanese and Koreans who died on Kwajalein). Mr. Lance Posey, Charge d’affaires, U.S. Embassy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, led a short but meaningful reconciliation ceremony at the memorial site.
The battlefield tour began shortly thereafter, starting at a lagoon side beach of Kwajalein with a view of Carlson Island. This was followed by three additional stops – one at a Japanese bunker marking the initial Army landing sites, a second bunker near the airfield, and the third marking the combined memorials to the 7
th Infantry Division and 4
th Marine Division. The final stop took place at “Bunker Hill,” an earthen mound marking the spot of the last organized Japanese resistance on Kwajalein.
During the tour, the historians took turns highlighting the course of the battle and the many hard lessons learned during the fighting. These included the difficult task of reducing Japanese fortifications, which the Army called “Blind, Burn, and Blast,” the importance of heavy fire support (from tanks, artillery, naval gunfire, and aircraft) to destroying pillboxes and bunkers, and the critical importance of good communication and phased movement to avoid friendly fire casualties.
The historians also pointed out that between the two divisional memorials on Kwajalein, there was a third, dedicated to the nine Marines who were captured during the Makin Island raid in August 1942, sent to Kwajalein, and later executed. Their remains have never been found. There is an active POW/MIA group on Kwajalein who are helping DPAA try to find them along with the 13 other U.S. MIAs in the lagoon.
That evening, Col. Morgan held an official dinner to mark the commemoration, which was attended by newly-arrived Maj. Gen. Reginald Neal, DCG for Mobility and Reserve Affairs (M&RA), as well as Col. Lisa Lamb, Director of the Army Reserve Engagement Cell (AREC), US Army Pacific, Lt. Col. Casey Rumfelt, Range Director, Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, and other VIPs.
On the morning of 3 February, the official party (including Maj. Gen. Neal and the two historians) embarked in a U.S. Army catamaran for the forty-mile trip to Roi-Namur. The sea state was moderate (only two soldiers felt a little queasy), and the weather was sunny and clear. This enabled Dr. Francis to show the assembled party what the lagoon approaches to Roi-Namur looked like in-person, including a view of Jacob and Ivan islands on the left and the Abraham chain of islands on the right (what the Marshallese call Third Island). All these islands were taken the day prior to the main landings in order to secure the deep water passages into the lagoon and establish artillery fire support bases.
Once ashore, the party made three quick stops on Roi – one at Betsy Point at the end of the runway to show what the reef line looked like, the second at the site of two destroyed Japanese 5-inch gun mounts, and the third an intact Japanese bunker on the ocean-facing northwest corner. The party then toured flooding damage caused by a series of weather-driven waves that struck Roi-Namur on 20 January. Resuming the battlefield tour, the historians showed participants the Japanese airfield HQ building, an air raid shelter, the old Japanese industrial area, storage bunkers, and the heavily damaged bunker at Nadine Point.
More or less owing to chance—Roi-Namur was not an active base in the 1950-60s—the Japanese bunkers and other buildings on Roi-Namur are some of the best surviving examples of Pacific War fortifications still in existence. Nowhere else has the same number or diverse examples of such buildings, and the USAG-KA should be congratulated on keeping them safe and unspoiled.
That afternoon the official party boarded a plane, which allowed Maj. Gen. Neal to survey the damage to Roi-Namur by air, and returned to Kwajalein, officially ending commemoration activities at USAG-KA.
As summarized by Col. Morgan, “Eight decades ago, brave Americans, several hundred of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, embarked on a journey that changed the destiny of these islands forever. Today, as we look back with reverence and gratitude for those sacrifices, our hearts are heavy with a new responsibility. Two weeks ago a half-dozen terrifying waves flooded most of Roi-Namur. They not only tested the mettle of our people, but also touched the very core of our shared commitment to one another—that community bond we call TEAM KWAJ.”
“In times of hardship,” he continued, “it’s our unity of purpose and the strength of our community that brings us together on our beloved Pacific-island home. Our community faces a degree of uncertainty and our Roi-Namur workforce the emotional toll of displacement. Your strength in the face of adversity and the heroism demonstrated over the last two weeks exemplify the spirit of TEAM KWAJ—the same spirit that fueled American Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen to victory in Operation FLINTLOCK. Our duty as Team Kwaj-mates, forward-stationed on this small island fortress, is not only to commemorate the past but also to stand in solidarity in the face of present day challenges.”
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Col. Morgan's full remarks here.