That opening photo is recent, just last week when wifey and me were visiting Oahu for the first time in many years. We decided on that island since we were bringing first timers in the form of my sister-in-law, her husband, and their recently graduated 18-year-old. We prefer the less busy islands like Kauai or Maui, but Oahu is perfect for the newbies.
I think I was last there in 2018 or 19, before COVID, at some conference that I can't recall, but that was during my previous job which I have load shed when it comes to some of the memories.
Much of my time on the island was spent over on the Leeward side at Barbers Point NAS where our annual ASW qualifications were achieved. My squadron would either ride the carrier over from Japan for RIMPAC and fly back, or fly there and back with stops on either Johnson atoll or Wake Island. No, we didn't have the legs of an Israeli F- 35 😉, as our 4-plane division flight required a refueling "stop" halfway there from Hawaii, and halfway from there to Japan. Thanks Air Force!
Our resort happened to be on the Leeward side so our grocery shopping was in the vicinity of where the NAS was. In fact some of it was actually on land that once was part of the air station. That side of the island has grown massively since I was there in the late '90s, with many more houses, schools, and malls from what I remember. The base itself, which was turned over by the Navy to the state of Hawaii seems to have transitioned well, with several Hawaii government agencies and organizations taking up residence there. A huge FBI office building has been built just inside where that gate was. The old BOQ and BEQs have been converted to apartments, some of the hangers are taken up by the Hawaii National Guard, and the runway is still in operation as a Coast Guard Air station. But there's still a lot of surplus buildings that seem to be falling into disrepair. It's nice to see that the street names have maintained their Naval history character such as Boxer and Midway, Lexington, Yorktown, Saratoga, Saipan, etc.
Another historical note is that the former base is also home to Naval Air Museum Barber's Point featuring only a few airplanes, ones that served from the site. Apparently there was a battle, and maybe a bit of corruption, that prevented this museum from growing, to the benefit of the one on Ford Island.
Okay, I did some more research and found out that the Navy retained the housing, but that's quite a trek to Pearl Harbor. I guess base housing is better than the high costs outside.
Anyway, a lot has changed there so I guess the adage 'you can't go home again' still rings true. Although Barbers was never my home, yet it was a place where we could get a little bit of America while stationed in Japan.
As for the vacation it was wonderful. I drove the family up to the North shore, over to Kaneohe, up that beautiful drive that is the H-3 South through the tunnel, and a little bit of backtracking to see the Pali Lookout. Did a luau and took the kid Waikiki for a surfing lesson which he loved. Finally, we spent a bunch of time around the pool sipping Mai Tais, with an occasional dip into the lagoon for some pretty great snorkeling.
All in all, a good vacation was had by all. I got back to work in time to take Juneteenth off the next day. Don't get me started, I think it's a stupid name, but I will gladly take the day off thanks to the taxpayers.
Hope your summer kickoff is as memorable.
Quite a vacation post Tuna! Thanks for sharing.......:)
ReplyDeleteThose are fun posts to write.
DeleteI just realize you can zoom in on that memorial since it's of high enough resolution and find his name. It's the fourth one down from "United States Civilians" - Frank Cerney. He was a govt contractor there doing ship repairs when they were overrun by the Japanese. Forced to work for the Japanese, Frank died there, but his son , my wife's grandfather, who was also working there, was moved to Japan. He barely survived that, but was repatriated in 1945 and returned to Oregon where my father -in-law was born two years later. Unfortunately, the grandfather only lived until f.i.l. was five, due to health problems from the POW camp.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, Cerny, vice Cerney. My wife's grandmother remarried and took the name Fahey which was my wife's maiden name.
DeleteGreat bit of history, thank you.
ReplyDeleteTuna, thanks for the mental vacation. Lots of fond memories of that assignment and the places pictured.
ReplyDeletejuvat
We visited the Hale Koa for lunch- still a great deal and the Mai Tais at the barefoot bar are the best. The room rates, unless you're E-6 and below, aren't as great of a deal as they once were though.
DeleteWhen I was there in 2016 I went for a ride in an SNJ that operated out of the museum at Barbers Point. Separately, our tour visited the museum. The guys who ran the museum also took us (the tour group) into the nearby woods to what was a swimming pool in an area of the base at the time of the attack. That pool was in some famous photos of the day. I was there on a WWII history tour so that kind of thing was what we were looking for.
ReplyDeleteI regret not touring the base.
DeleteJBPHH runs a shuttle boat from a landing on the housing side, over to the base side, one of the stops is at the old Hospital Point charlie landing.
ReplyDeleteFrom Barbers, or Iroquois Point housing? That'd be quite a boat ride from the leeward side. Btw, don't ask me why I capitalized leeward twice in the post.
DeleteThanks for sharing the pictures Tuna! Looks like a great vacation.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle was stationed on Kauai in the 1970's; we visited him but all I can recall are beaches and the smell of Waimea Canyon (and the chickens). I went back in the early 1990's to see a friend attending UoH and we went back to Kauai. Sure enough, it smelled the same and the chickens were still there. We had an enjoyable time on Oahu as well. It is on the list to get back to someday.
My buddy was CO of PMRF on Kauai. Sleepy hollow little base, but he was like the mayor of that side of the island. We visited him when he was there. Still lots of chickens.
DeleteDid anyone get the F-35 joke? Maybe I'm not as funny as I think I am.
ReplyDeleteI got it. Very topical attempt at a joke. The Romanian judge gives it a 6.5 (now that's going way back for a reference.)
DeleteI'll take it.
DeleteNice photos. I remember, still, vividly, the Arizona memorial. Middle of summer and the place felt cold. Also remember visiting that cemetery with the family. Some places seem to remain timeless.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed at the Ambassador Hotel in Waikiki the three times we stayed in Hawaii, back in 1970, 1972 and 1973.
We also, in 1970, spent maybe an hour or two on Johnson Atoll on the way to Kwajalein. We weren't allowed to see anything, so, well, boring for a 7 year old.
As to Juneteenth, SKSCartoons on X had the perfect version of it. Why do we celebrate Juneteenth? We celebrate Republicans beating the Democrats!
My sis-in-law described it as very somber, especially after seeing that documentary narrated by Stockard Channing. It gets my eyes all dusty every time.
DeleteThe Ambassador is still there! Hilton property now.
I'll look up SKS.
Must have been somebody's repost as the latest from SKSCartoons is dated June 5.
DeleteOne time at the Ambassador, we were on the 12th floor. We discovered it didn't take much extra oomph from throwing to make a superball bounce all the way back up. The things I used to do before vertigo and bad inner ears ruined heights for me.
DeleteThe second time at the Ambassador it was for a week-long vacation with my only grandmother. My grandmother brought 2 suitcases full of oranges from groves outside her town. How she made it through customs still makes me wonder. So we had to eat all 2 suitcases full of oranges by the end of the week. Which wasn't bad because fresh fruit on Kwajalein was a luxury (it was early 1970s after all.)
Will have to look up the documentary.
One time we got to visit the home of the head of the USN's salvage detachment. His house was on one of the hills and had a basement. The ceiling of the basement had a Japanese bomb stuck in it. The, at the time, 1941, people just disarmed and steamed out the explosives. Salvage officer was talking to my dad about diving in Pearl Harbor and still, in the early 70's, were finding explosives and other things. Dad dealt with said Salvage officer because dad was responsible for the USN dive teams that came to Kwaj harbor to recover reentry vehicles fired at Kwaj lagoon from launches at Vandenberg. So dad got to do things like scuba dive while monitoring salvage ops in the lagoon and take a few trips on the Perry Cubmarines used by salvage teams.
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ReplyDeleteDon't be shy Rob!
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. Thanks Tuna for the pinch hitting. That view from the gate of the Punch Bowl is somber, and peaceful at the same time. As it should be.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on returning to Barber's Point after so many years were similar to mine returning to what once was Griffiss AFB some 20 years ago, something like 10 years after it got BRAC'ed. Ghosts, the spectral strains of the last "Retreat" echoing off SAC Hill, 10 years after the base PA last sounded. Wistful memories of times spent with comrades in arms. The past is a different country.
That Christmas at the Gate was three years before my first Christmas.
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