I am so happy I found this video. Just went on an adventure through google maps, and found a mysterious island in the middle of the ocean. I got so intrigued and looked around as closely as possible, though few details was revealed. Then to my surprise there was actually a UA-cam-video with a guy biking through the whole island with comments from lots of people telling stories about how they were there. This is so trippy (and I don't think the edibles kicking in is fully to blame)
Same story here lol. Was looking up some areas in Siberia, and if you could see Russian from Alaska much. Then took me to looking at some island in the pacific (kiribati) and saw Johnston Atoll on the map. Looked for images, virtually nothing, looked on youtube and found this gem lmao. There's something surreal and crazy about the odd coinciding things of just... dude with birds on an island of virtually nothing, and comments of memories.
Yes! So cool to see people that probably would never have come into contact with each other suddenly be together in this weird phenomena. I got super curious - who are you? I'm a 23 year old woman from Norway:)
was measuring the distance from hayward CA to the Philippines and stumbled upon the Johnston Atoll. Saw this gem when doing some research too. Great video!
My grandparents met on Johnston in 1949. My grandma was a singer from Honolulu who was invited to the base to perform for the troops. My grandpa (also from Hawai‘i) who was stationed there asked her if he could call her once he got back to Honolulu. She said sure, assuming he would have forgotten all about her by the time he returned several weeks or months later. Fast forward to 2020 and they just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary! Because of that event’s significance to our family I was curious about what the island looked like now...clearly very different from the Johnston my grandparents knew, but still cool to see!
@@exploreordie6335 I'm glad to here they had a long life after Johnson Island my family returned from the island not well. They all had short lives and many surgeries after leaving there.
I was there in 1991. The outdoor theater showed movies just like any theater, just under the beautiful Pacific stars. I remember watching Major League, and Die Hard 2. Free pop corn and 50 cent beers. Movies ran every night. On Saturday after the show the Dragon’s Den would open. Free beer and liquor for free. Just had to pay a $5 a week membership fee :) it was located near the pool.
I was there April 1991- March 1992! *were you there when the Australian Jets Landed? I was an MP and on duty downrange and I was a tense few minutes (and the Person at the big building was on a break and did not tell us!)
Back in the 1970s, the Continental/Air Micronesia flights used to land at Johnston and refuel. I used to travel that route back then going from Honolulu to Pohnpei [then called Ponape], Guam, and Saipan when I lived and worked in the old Trust Territory. I remember that here as well as at Kwajalein there was always a Russian "trawler" located just a few miles off the island where it was supposedly fishing. Many of the Air Mike pilots were former Navy pilots from the Vietnam War. Some of them used to buzz the trawler as we came in to land at the airstrip. Most of the time we had to stay on the plane at Johnston but the last couple of times we landed there, they made us get off and herded us into a waiting room in the building there. It was literally just a large room with no chairs, no restrooms, and no access to water or any amenity of any type. We were instructed to wait and forbidden to leave. There was a door out the other side to the room which showed a sidewalk and you could just see a little area with a picnic table and a soda machine. I and another guy who often made the journey were looking out the window in the door and discovered the door was unlocked. We walked out and over to the soda machine and bought a couple of sodas and then went back into the room. Some jerk started reading us the riot act for doing that and tried to confiscate the sodas as they were "government" property. I chugged mine and gave him the empty can. I do remember the bunkers and was told by someone I knew on Saipan who had been stationed there, that they were full of nerve gas and such. If I remember correctly he said that they had rabbits or such in cages in front of the bunker doors and they also had some sort of sensors. I don't recall specifically because it has been too long ago. He said they had sirens and such as well and used to do drills. He may have been pulling our legs but he wasn't the kind of guy who told wild stories. I also remember on one flight they brought a guy on board and he was sedated and in a restraining jacket [like a straitjacket. They had some guard [?] with him. They sat in the last seats in the back of the plane by where the rear stairs exited the plane. He was being medivaced to Honolulu. The story was he had gone seriously rock happy. I lived out there until 1986 when I returned to California. There are times when I wished I had never left. I never lived or worked on Johnston but Micronesia was a wonderful place to live and work.
I worked for Raytheon as a corporate photographer. I in 1997, flew on Continental from Honolulu to J.I. and stayed for a week, then took a very rare flight from J.I. to Kwajalein on Continental.
Saw a click bait ad for abandoned airports that listed Johnston. Did a UA-cam search and found your video. Watched the entire video. Thanks for making it and sharing. I must also say reading the comments just make it even better. Thanks to all those who served, and shared their stories.
I was an MP stationed on Johnston from 82 to 83. I didn't recognize anything course that could just be my memory. Great times except for the seclusion. 2 bars T-bone steaks twice a week Olympic sized swimming pool softball diamonds. We went scuba diving everyday. They made it so it wasn't a bad place to be stationed for a 1 year stint. Turtles we watched, we used to catch our own lobsters out on the reef. I still have shark jaws I caught myself. I have the pics to prove it. Iove that island. They were just in the beginning stages of figuring out how to incinerate the chemicals when I got transferred out of there. Thanks for the video. Now I'm going to go get my pictures out
Thanks bud. I was there as a contractor back in 2001-2003. It was a great place to work, great people, everyone was family, and surprisingly there was plenty to keep you entertained. Outdoor movie theater, library, 50 meter pool, nine hole golf course, softball field were I hit 13 dingers one season, indoor basketball court, were I was the free throw champ...besting the AF commander, excellent weight room, the Tiki bar, the outdoor Waikiki bar and bingo area where you could grill, drink and play.....bingo! Diving and snorkeling was top notch with warm and clear water. An occasional beyond the reef fishing trip was great fun.....fish on! fish on! All in all, a chill place with great people, the bluest water and skies you'll ever experience. T.
Gunny, is that you? DSA crew 4 life! I was there 96-98 in the army, then as a contractor 2000-2003. With the bunkers, JI was a prototype plant for storage and disposal of chemical weapons left over from WW2. We destroyed roughly 17% of the US stockpile left over. Afterwards, they built plants around the USA to do the same work. In the army, they stored the muntions in the bunkers, and would ship a load to the JACADS plant to be destroyed. In the army we had two platoons doing the shipping, alternating weeks. As they emptied the bunker the team emptying the bunker, last day, got to write their names inside the doors. Our platoon leader kept pulling shenanigans so we kept ending up with "the last shipment." and my name is in more than my fair share of those doors. There was a line across the island. The wind nearly always moves in the same direction from north to south across the island. There were markers for safety, and in case of an accident, you had to toss on a gas mask and head upwind past the markers. I say this, because the pins for "the dining hall" are wrong. Wrong side of the island. That was down near the agent orange storage yard. (left over from vietnam) The main dining hall was across the street from the basket ball court (Parking lot court, not the indoor gym court). There was another smaller dining hall down in the JACADS facility for the workers. In the army, I was all over that island. In Jacads, I woke up, went to work, came home and watched TV or played computer games then slept. It was two months of work, for two weeks of paid vacation. You were always either coming home from vacation, thinking of what to do on vacation, or getting ready for vacation.
Navy Patrol Squadron Twenty Eight sent me to Johnston for three month in 1960. The theater was an open air. I saw "The Time Machine, the 1960 version". It started to rain at the end of the movie, remember running ahead of a squall to get back to quarters. We were keeping an eye on three Russian ships. Our aircraft: P2V, stationed at Barber's Point, Oahu, Hawaii.
Thank you! I was part of the last Army soldiers to leave the island. It is unbelievable how unrecognizable the island is. The walk in theater was amazing. We watched Castaway! We had a rave in one of those bunkers after the plant was decommissioned. It was a great time.
@@shawnking1608 why did they close it? Seems kinda smart to have a presence in that sector of the ocean. What was base used for after the bomb testing was over in the 70s up until you left?
Dan Cotter 2/1/2022 I was just browsing Islands and ran across your video of Johnston Atoll, I watch the entire tour . Thanks, I thought it was real interesting!
i was a civilian photographer flying on a military plane from saigon to travis air base in ca in july of 1971. plane was only scheduled to refuel but we ended up staying 14 hours because of some minor technical glitch. flight had a bunch of soldiers and 15 or 20 government people. soldier's movements were restricted but me and the other civilians were allowed to wander around pretty freely. had a meal, napped in the shade, an unexpected place. looks pretty different now but the sun and the sea are still there. thanks for making this video.
We'll they'll reactivate the Island in the near future. There are military activities all around Micronesia and Guam. It has to do with the US pivot to Asia (China)
I was stationed there in ‘91-‘92, I enjoyed the bowling alley, outdoor theatre, the many social clubs, the ocean and all it had to offer, the friends I made there and of course the chow hall. The wildlife was remarkable as well. Thank you for sharing this video.
Thanks for making this video. In 2001 I helped document the atoll and buildings to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register and it was indescribably fascinating to see what it’s like nowadays. Great work!
Station from 87-88. I was the island’s certifying official for decontaminated items. I was also on the SAMs team (Site Air Monitoring). They were constructing JACADs at the time. Great memories. Tiki Lounge, Waikiki, Arnold Avenue Drive In Theater, etc. I also worked at the boat house with Moses making min wage but loving it (beer money). Took part in the Christmas Crawl. Rudy, Bobo, Fatui, Diane, Ben, Joe....I miss you all!!
I was there about that time on the hobie cat. all day on the one day off. Biggest cause of accidents BUI bicycling under the influence. Have a Satellite photo from that time.
Great video. I was an actor touring a murder mystery show for DoD overseas entertainment and we spent 3 or 4 days there in '98 or '99. We did one at that outdoor theater. There was a giant illuminated movie screen and midway through the play a huge frigate bird crashed into the screen and landed onstage at an actor's feet. It was both horrifying and hilarious. A guy came out of the audience, scooped up the bird and set it in a nearby bush. Then the show went on. Turned out the guy was the commanding officer or something like that. I remember many of the spots you showed. It's crazy to see them so reclaimed by nature. I've been fascinated by Johnston atoll ever since I visited. You're fortunate to be able to live there. I think. However, I remember when I left, a military dude laughingly advised me not to have kids for 2 years.
I was stationed on Johnston Island for a year in 1967, working in the JOC Building near one end of the island. Re: the outdoor theater, In the rear was a projection booth which showed a variety of movies. Behind the big screen were dressing rooms used by an occasional visiting troop of actors. I recall seeing a nice performance of Meanwhile, Back At The Forum! Occasionally during a film viewing, something might go wrong in the projection booth and the poor struggling technician would be treated to a loud, cheerful chorus of vituperation by the waiting audience!
spent a christmas here about 10 years ago now ,while crossing the pacific ocean on a 40 foot yacht from Hawaii to the Marshall islands .....the yacht needed maintainance and the U.S coastguard gave us permission to land .... an incredible place and an incredible story ,,,,,,, thanks to Stefan and his crazy ant team for a christmas to remember !
Was stationed there from OCT 97 to FEB 99. Amazing transformation there, I walked, ran, rucked and biked that island and still recognize some of those areas. Man, so many happy days playing golf and drinking with the teammates, or hanging out by the shark chute in afternoon to see all the fish and sharks come in after the food was dropped. Thanks for what you guys are doing out there.
I was a MP there from 85-86. The shark chute was my favorite hang out. Had a 12 foot tiger shark on at the chute. 3 of my buddies got some serious rope burns trying to get him in. He finally bent the steel hook and got off. Had our platoons' xmas party down there. We caught a grey reef and people took turns beating the hell out of the thing for most of the night. Hell of a way to spend xmas !
Please tell me you have pics of the golf course! Only the Military would build a golf course on a small ass island!! 😂😂😂. Although I’m sure it’s much needed on a place like that! I wish I was stationed there. Sounds 100x better than any stateside base!
Aloha...My husband and his Mom worked on Johnston Island for two years , his Dad worked there for many years. He watched this with me and said it looks so different without the buildings. He has a lot of memories there. My husband's family has many health problems now, especially his Dad had more exposure as he was the one doing the actual cleanup. But it posed many risks if the dust was traveled throughout the air. My husband developed polycythemia , I believe it was due to being there. My husband's Dad ended up with a multitude of problems, including dementia. Just be careful with your own health. Mahalo for sharing
I did watch it all and enjoyed it, I got here on a search after watching a video by The History Guy, I've always found abandoned military bases fascinating. There where so many here in the UK during the cold War, basically entire towns and infrastructure that either disappeared or the service personnel left and shut the gates. Its funny to think that now we are all in the covid crisis you had the perfect quarantine on Johnston. Thanks man for uploading and good luck.
Thank you so much for watching it all! I agree, so crazy how many abandoned bases there are around the world. Quarantine was much more fun on Johnston than it is back in the states haha.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I was stationed at Johnston island from 85 to 86. Matter of fact, the bunkers you showed down at the honey hole... I watched them be built! The JOC was the only building to have air conditioning so I spent a lot of time down there at the library. We fished off the wharf and went to the walk in theater. There was a bowling alley as well. Thanks again for the video. Brought back memories.
Thank you SO much for making this video. I've been fascinated with Johnston Atoll for years and this was very satisfying and answered a lot of my questions.
The place was like living in a lullaby. The constant wind blowing through the palm trees, the sound of the waves. Contrast that with the island-wide hum of the chemical incinerator exhaust units... All the liquor and food... I loved being there. An air strip with a coral reef around it...
Johnston Island has always interested me because of the history. Thanks for the tour! Who would have thought there were OWLS ON AN ATOLL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC!?!?!
I was on J.I. from 96 to 97. I think about and miss this place. I've never seen such sunsets and sun rises like I have there. Even though I was handling chemical weapons, it was a very peaceful place.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Very well done. I was stationed here for 19 months with the ARMY Chemical Ammunition Storage Division (CASD) and working downrange and eventually as the 1-1 RTO for operations. January 1993- July 1994 I watched many movies there at the theater but the terrible movie “Son in Law” with Paulie Shore is the only one that comes to mind. Played a ton of softball on the field next to the JOC our team name was the “Numerous Alcoholics” Lol has some great battles with the “Brew Crew” good times man. Thank you again.
Thank you for posting this tour, along with your other JI videos. At 1:00:09 you asked about a platform in the distance: the platform served as a deck for remote cameras used during the test launches. That information is based on some old documents. It's basically a large circular concrete pad, about 55 feet in diameter. During a changeover, I believe some of the past CAST members went there.
Was stationed there in 1972-73 as Commander of Detachment 1, 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron, P437. And led a team in 1976 to dismantle the missile facilities. The movie theater then showed regular Hollyweird movies. It was in the open, so we all brought our ponchos and sat on them until it started to rain when we put them on and continued to watch the movie. Launch emplacement 1 was radioactive from a 1962 high altitude nuclear test failure. The concrete was hot, so we painted the sidewalks every 60 days - scrape and repaint, repeat. Learned to scuba dive there, so I have a collection of shells and coral displays.
Just some added information. My unit had a radar tracking and guidance facility right next to what you now call the Shark Chute. It was then the edible garbage dump and we all called it the "Shit Chute" Guys fished for sharks there and used their eyes to make jewelry and of course gaping shark's jaws. Their relatives then feasted on the remains. At certain times of the year we might have hundreds of 4 - 5 foot long sharks swimming in that area. On the opposite corner next to the Herbicide Orange storage, we had a liquid oxygen and nitrogen plant that produced the products for use with our missiles. The basketball court was located across the street from what was then the on chow hall on the Island. I was built over an emergency water storage vault that held half a million gallons of fresh water. The Race track was built over what was in the 60s and 70s the Non-Commissioned Officers Club. The Slow Pitch Softball field and Par 3 Golf course were built one shoebox full of dirt at a time brought in by people flying into JI.
I was stationed there in the mid 1960's for 11 month's and change. You asked what kind of movies were show there and it was the same as being shown in theaters at the time. I fell asleep watching Lawrence of Arabia and I had to watch it a second time the next night to see the ending. Hope this helps
@@exploreordie6335 If there is anything else I can help you with, let me know. I was in the supply corps for the Navy Boat Group and my job took me all over the island every day.
Thanks! Was there 87-88. Enjoyed seeing it all again. Amazing how overgrown it became. When there, we had an area called the National Forest across from the dining hall that had a dozen or so trees. That overhang at the JOC was added when the JACADS demo work was going on, Before moving the medical center there, it was in an old bunker across from the dining hall. outside that were the TWO telephones that all 600 residents shared, We got one 3 minute call each 2 weeks, No internet, no TV, Got newspaper on weekly flight from Hawaii. Civilian Air Mocronesia/Continental came twice a week. The came mainly for the cheap fuel. Since it was a military base, no federal nor state tax on the fuel. So they would fly from Hawaii to JI and refuel for cheap before continuing on to Kwaj, etc. Thanks for filming! Jack Dougherty
"Civilian Air Mocronesia/Continental came twice a week. The came mainly for the cheap fuel. Since it was a military base, no federal nor state tax on the fuel. " No doubt, with military presence all around the aircraft so no one could disembark.
I found one in the bunker at the South east peninsula one of the limited lines to Honolulu was a lot better than the sweat boxes they called phone booths. @@exploreordie6335
I watched the entire video. Great job in explaining everything and showing what it's like there. It's amazing how much nature has taken over the place. You would not even realize there had been a large military base there. I wonder if in 50 years all of what is there now will also be gone. Also, my thanks to you and your team of scientists for spending your time there to get rid of the ants to help the seabirds. I am sure that was not an easy assignment, but I've read it was successful, so good work.
I kinda stumbled onto this video yesterday as a result of a chance encounter with a reference to Johnston Atoll, in checking it's location out, I also found and watched your video, not having ANY idea what you were there for. Today I "accidentally" became aware of the Crazy Yellow Ant problem and "you-all's" efforts concerning this nasty problem. Thank You kindly for your work on the island and for the tour video.
Ok! Looking at your map and marked points, right to left in 2001, when I left: Pinnacle- edge of the main road, where the driving range was at the end of the golf course and softball field. Sector 16 Peninsula- Hazardous waste storage/Island club JOC- This structure was a nuclear safe haven from the testing in the 60's and a chemical decon & administrative center afterwards Sooty Tern Colony- This is the general are of the contractor dorms. Airport- yep Racetrack- I want to say it was labeled as a velodrome when was there, but had been used for both Tide Station Peninsula- Navy Pier. It had been condemned after hurricane damage in '98, and wasn't in use after that South Beach- Old antenna array. It was pretty cool to look down, but I see the ocean finally won Internet- Looks like it's set up about where the post office was Signs and Theatre- Yes. The outdoor theatre was great, we were about 6 months behind the States Corner Beach- at the point of the regular wharf and then the marina was east, at the boat launch Tennis/Basketball Courts- yes, those were the only ones, and yes, the ornamental plants look like they're remnants of the Raytheon Garden Club EdCenter was an old Army/DTRA facility Pool is definitely the pool. It was an Olympic sized partial salt pool. It was great, no sharks! Mt. Pluto- So it looks like the Major never shipped all of his coral off the island. :) HideyHole/JACADS- That was the plant, and I didn't head over there, but yes, it was a prototype facility and even its destruction was the prototype for the destruction of the four facilities it was prototyping in the US (Anniston, Bluegrass, Pueblo, Umatilla) Ant Lab looks like it was near the machine shop or the AM-Vets Honey Hole/Trash Chute/Trash Bunker are all "downrange," where the VX/GB munitions were stored when the plant was in operation Mess Hall/Trash dump are where our trash incinerator was and where they'd dump food waste at high tide Martha's Beach was "Pluto Beach" when I was there The Ant Cave and Asbestos dump are in the old Junkyard
Very interesting video. I stopped there in 54 as a child on a Pan Am flight to NewZeland and again in the early 80s on a Marine C-130. We were issued gas masks before we got off the plane.
A sad looking overgrown largely unrecognizable remnant of its more recent past as a large chemical weapons demilitarization processing site that lasted a good 15 yrs or so. At that time it was a tidy very well maintained island with a nice central small town , extensive living quarters , additional very nice visitors barracks, and generally with a fair number of amenities located near the JOC which was the secure operations center for the demil ops. The dining facility was notable for plentitude of good food. There was a large highly secure reinforced concrete chemical weapons processing/destruction center several miles from the JOC. Several thousand workers and an Army MP unit made it a rather comfy fun home away from home. One of the coolest aspects was arriving by charter or military planes wherein the island from above looked like a big aircraft carrier, as the Navy once had jurisdiction i dont think that was mere coincidence. Oh yes on Friday evening there would be dockside steak dinner and feeding the sharks the remnants. The sharks quickly learned to aggregate at that location, amazingly however drunk participants became, none managed to fall in. Why was JI at that time so nice and well maintained? Simple - good military and contractor leadership and competent thoughtful workers who worked hard but likewise enjoyed the unique experience on off hours. A lot of good people, then again an island of adults that acted like adults. A place of responsibility with very good pay and an opportunity to get away from the epidemics of stupidity infesting the rest of the planet ;-)
Thank you for sharing the atoll with us! I used to live on Kaua'i during my teen years, we moved there in 1981. The vegetation reminds me so much of my jungle adventures. I never knew at the time how many atolls there were like Midway, Johnston and such. 1200 miles I believe NW of Kaua'i lies midway and 800 miles probably SE is Johnston? I wish I could do a DX'pedition on Midway and Johnston with a group of ham radio operators including myself to set up our radios, antennas and power them with wind, solar and occasionally, diesel generators and make contacts all around the world as a special event station. Anyone we contact would receive a QSL card from us. A QSL card is a type of postcard that has the callsign, frequency, mode, date, time, signal report and such that proves the contact from the atolls. Your videos have been fun to watch and learn from, do research. How long was your stay on Johnston? How did you deal with medical emergencies, injuries or illnesses while there? Hopefully, there were none but heck, we're human and things happen! How were the evenings after nightfall? I bet it was quiet except for the occasional nighttime critters, owl calls but not sure what else calls it home. Were there any rats and mice issues? I bet the owls would've helped with them. Last question, what all did you see on the atoll from the animal, insect, spider and reptile world? There should not have been a single snake to be found unless they were accidentally or intentionally loosed for rodent control.
I was getting bored and looking at random islands I could find on Google Maps for some reason, and when i found this island it somehow caught my attention and I decided to look into it. Thanks for making this video, it was cool to watch and learn about this place I didn't know existed an hour or so ago!
I spent a few years there in the late 80s and early 90s. Amazing to see how it looks now. Quite sad. We had a huge outdoor movie theater, the pool was huge and lots of “dormitories”. It was like a resort, particularly when the airport was functioning. best of luck.
My barracks room over looked the tennis courts. We also held pt formation there every morning at something like 0430 or 0500. We had to start that early because it was too hot after the sun came up. We generally ran the loop around the airfield. I also remember a tropical storm came in and we had to evacuate the barracks nest to the tennis courts and go across the road to the "cinder block" barracks for safety. There was water about shin deep across the road. The end result was they brought in an army engineering unit from Alaska, of all places, to renovate our barracks....still didn't install air conditioning though. The JOC also has a built in decontamination line so that everyone on the island could pass through and come out clean in the event of a massive chemical agent exposure. It has walk through shower stations and storage for clean garments.
I can totally relate to starting early because of how hot it gets out there. Thanks for the great anecdotes! I briefly saw the decontamination showers in the first couple weeks I was there, but forgot to mention them in the video!
Thanks for your in-depth video. I was never on this island, but was on Midway 1970’s very much the same environment, then and now. I’d love to be there away from everything and just amerced in the nature. Hope you had plenty of sun screen! I’ve got plenty of skin cancers because of my love of the open air scouting. Still wouldn’t trade the experiences… oh yes, was aboard the USS Reclaimer ARS 42, back and forth to Vietnam at that time. Thanks again🙏Love your videos👍👍👍
My husband was stationed there for the Air Force on a 1 year remote in 1998. The overgrown nature has really taken over. We have pictures of everything on the entire island.
Great video! After watching yours, I watched one that was shot back in 1991. I don’t know why but it was kind of sad to me to see everything gone. It was almost like you were a new species discovering an ancient human existence from years ago. I know that sounds weird, but just kind of what I felt. Your video all crystal clear, and the 91 video so grainy and old. My father retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I’ll have to mention your video to him. Good job!
Thank you!! I've watched some of those older videos as well and it's a much different place. It would be nice to have the amenities but I love that the island is back to being a home for the birds as it was before humans first took it over to mine guano.
I was amazed to see the vegetation growth since the atoll was deactivated. I had the pleasure of being on Jo9hnston twice, once for a familiarization visit when I first went to work with the National Nuclear Security Administration and the second time as Deputy to the Commander, JA. I would like to talk to you about what was on the island at the height of the weapons programs and provide a map of the facilities from that time.
Only a Johnston visitor on my frequent Continental / Air Mic Island Hopper trips while stationed on Kwajalein Atoll. Great video! Thank you for taking the time to make it for us.
Thanks for the video. I spent 7 years there. It is a trip seeing it overgrown like that, especially watching you try to figure out what we used to do there. I'm guessing you did well in anthropology. I can see other JIers have answered the outdoor theater question, but let me know if you have more. I worked at the marina so I know the lagoon pretty well. Thanks again for the video.
Thank you! Wow, that's such a long time out there! Hahaha thanks I had to keep my mind wandering to stay sane out there, trying to understand what I was observing out there from our limited resources.
Yes I spent two weeks there in 1967! I was stationed at Kaneohe air station Hawaii, I worked as a electronic tech. In I believe it was July when the unit I worked in was called to land President Nixon plane on the island for a splash down of the Apollo space capsule! I clearly remember the EM club, nice big bar and patio good food and drinks were cheep 5cents for beer and 10cents for mixed drinks and the patio had poker games going 24 hrs a day!
I was there from 1988 to 2003. I was operations superintendent at JACADS. Refuge road was called Arnold Avenue. Are you winning the war on the ants? I used to see scorpions on the island. It was figured that they came in blasting sand that came from Texas.
Cool seeing all the relations everyone has to this island in the comments. My Grandfather was a Colonel and manager of Operation Pacer Ho on Johnston Atoll in 1977, cleanup of all the remaining Agent Orange. Found a bunch of film slides of the dock area where all the barrels were, couple shots of the ship Vulcanus used to dispose. Cool they still have this project to help preserve the island. Hope all is good for you couple years later.
What an interesting video. I was EOD in the Army and this place was well-known to us and our partners in Tech Escort. I remember my then wife was going to be stationed there as part of the demolition mission of the chemical rounds.
My Dad worked on Johnston Island for years when he was in the Air Force during the 70’s and 80’s. I’m going to send him this video so he can have a look and possibly comment on some of the questions you had about certain locations around the island. The photos he has of J.I. are pretty amazing. Thanks for taking the time and putting this video together. It’s fantastic!
Am loving this tour on an island I would love to visit but never will. I found this from a facebook post about Gilligans Island. Someone mentioned this place, did a google search and here I am. I'm convinced the only way to save our planet (and the oceans) is to ban plastic all together. We may be inconvenienced, but it would be a much bigger inconvenience to not have a planet to live on. Thank you for sharing your life!
First time to JI in 1987 and last time on the rock in Aug 1990. We were the Eagle Flight from Wheeler Army Airfield, using a G-159 and a C12-D. did a medevac one time of a Japanese fisherman and staged out to get ot Kwaj on numerous occasions. It was a treat to get the fish and make use of the dining facility. The dining was a treat for us. Had to be fitted with a gas mask if we ventured out. I did play on the Par 3. Used a Driver on the course into the wind to drive 90 yards due to wind. Gulls kept divebombing us cause they thought we were using their eggs.
I was stationed there when that happened with the fisherman put us on full alert watched over that boat with I think two or three M60 machine guns. Got a bottle of rum off of them for a trade for a bunch of Playboy magazines
Very cool video thanks for taking the time. I was on the island three times 2000-2001 doing the hazardous waste cleaning of chemical and fuel storage tanks and some remediation at the incinerator. I was the GM for Site/Field svcs group for Safety-Kleen/Kleen Harbors Environmental. I remember when first getting there me and my guys went snorkeling at what we come to find out was Platinum and Dioxin beach we started in an area that the coral was alive ending up in the area that was dead from mentioned contaminants it was pretty shocking to say the least. I asked them what was up with the dead coral and got the full story of incidents. He mentioned that we weren't supposed to be swimming in that area...I was like oh great glad that wasn't mentioned in our briefing..one of many such circumstances i found my self exposed too at high security projects. Anyways it was quit a place first time there everything was still operational, with 3 bars, bowling ally, landing craft used to go out fishing which was amazing the cooks would cook up what you caught. The last time i was there they had pretty much quit dumping organics at the shark area you mentioned at that time there was alot of shark. I had a rather large tiger shark looking to have me as a meal i made myself look rather large and did a pretty impressive under water growl which made it turn thinking perhaps i was some rad exposed octopus. Unfortunately a resident who like to swim in the channel lost his leg to an attack I think he lived being transported back to Pearl. The shark were quit hungry so swimming was shut down. I got stuck for like 10 days on my final projet letting my guys go home first as it was the last of closure an there was no room left on the flight. That was a long 10 days I couldn't imagine being on the island as you have been. I think you are an incredible biologist !!! All in all it was an experience I hold dear !!! Take care my friend. Phillip Sellers
1990-96 I worked at the plant. Military MPs controlled access to the plant where civilians worked. Red hat delivered us the product. Two evacuations off the island for hurricanes, planes from Germany and S Isle, Green peace ship in 1990, the poor lost girl from rec center, and so much more. Good people, good mission, good food, much beer, and too much heat.
@@thepretenda There was no newspaper on the island. The plant workers and JACADS had a brief of 4-5 pages for a while called Jackie JACADS. It was in the early 90s. The young woman worked at the Recreational facilities (weight gym, diving equip, and many more jobs). It was nearly dark and she went out on a boat to let some divers know that they needed to come to shore. As the divers returned to shore, they found her boat without her on it. That night several of the plant workers--and probably many others--went out searching for her. But she was never found. I felt so bad for her family. I never knew her name. She deserves recognition though.
Thank you for the tour of Johnston Island! I was stationed there, on two separate assignments in the 1980's. Gotta tell you it looks very different now. Just an FYI; the concrete pads next to the golf course were barracks and just east was the Mess Hall, or dinning facility if you will.... Oh by the way the Swimming pool was just east of the amphitheater. Also that long area of bunkers was known as the "Red Hat Area" I spend many days down there. Thank you again, brought back a lot of memories.
I was stationed at Johnston Atoll from September 1973 until September 1974 with the United States Air Force. At that time we had about 300 Coast Guard, Army, and Air Force personnel stationed there. We also had about 300 civilian contractor personnel who worked for Holmes and Narver Corp. They maintained the buildings, operated the mess hall, ran the Base Exchange, etc. I watched your entire video and was amazed at how overgrown the island is. When I was there it was bare coral rock for the most part. We did have a small area of trees near the mess hall which we called the National Forest. I did take a number of pictures while there and would share some of them with you if you are interested.
Wow! So difficult to imagine that many people being there since there was only 5 of us haha. Yeah so much more overgrown than the landscaped flowerbeds and coral rubble that used to be everywhere. Haha I like that, National Forest. Yes! I would definitely be interested in seeing some pictures!
I was there on and off from 91-93. Did the preliminary testing of the JACADS incinerator, which was called the 'BRA'. Also did testing during the actual incineration of the VX, GB and the final burning of the 'rockets'. We stayed in what the 'locals' called the Redwoods, it was East of the golf course and South of the pier and the desalination plant. Spent many a night at the Tiki lounge getting wasted off .50ct Corona...lol Did snorkeling and scuba on the most pristine coral reef there is...or was at the time. Watched only 1 movie while there, Unforgiven, only a handful of peeps there that night...I guess few wanted to watch a movie during the frequent rain showers that the island experienced. All and all, I enjoyed being there....was amazed at how the rock has become so overgrown...looks nothing like it did back then....also back then the area north of the swimming pool was fenced off and off limits because of the residual plutonium from the exploded missile launch. Another memory is the night a 'reportedly' Russian cargo plane made an emergency landing, didn't hear it land but it woke everyone up when it took off. lol.
My dad was stationed at Johnston Island in the mid 1960s. He was in the Air Force detached from Vandenburg AFB in California and we lived during that time in Lompoc. He told me many years later when I was in college that the AF had a missile base there and were shooting down Soviet Russian Satellites.
My sister inlaw worked on the island in the 90s She was a painter, constantly repainting equipment as the salt water is corrosive to metal. I was always envious of her. She made really good money while working their.
Thanks for sharing your video with us. I did watch the whole thing and recognized some of the land marks. I was stationed there in 1966-1967 . There were only a clump of greenery there then, white corral was all I remember. I was part of a joint task force at that time. Hard to believe it is so overgrown with plants and trees. I was on the ground support for the USAF we did the refueling of aircraft both Military and civilian that came through the area. At that time we were not allowed cameras or to take pictures of the island. So I enjoy pictures and videos of the island. I stayed on Arnold Ave in the military barracks next to the Coral reef dining hall (best food ever in the military). I could view the tennis courts from my room window. I have seen several of the videos the Ant strike teams have made. The Movie theater was a staple at that time I remember we would get high lights of college and NFL football game weeks later than played., as well as current movies.
Agreed. The food was outstanding! I used to joke about it saying it was the best food and cheapest beer the military had to offer! People think I was lying when I'd tell them if you told the Mess Hall in 1992-1993 about your birthday coming up, you would have a steak and lobster dinner for 4 waiting on you. I absolutely LOVED it! Steak night every Saturday night too?!?!?!
Thanks for the tour. I wish you had shown your camp. I would liked to see how you guys lived. Too bad you didn't have a Ham Radio license. With a small radio and a wire antenna you would have been one of the most popular guys on the planet.
Based there as a Navy pilot in the 60's. I was a licensed ham but we could not identify the QTH. Super secret stuff. But our Hawaii base of KH6AHQ was loud and clear to the Pacific. Also KL7AIZ from Adak was fun.... Tom, now K9FLY
The pictures on google earth are amazing. The movie theater, the docks, the barracks, excellent photos. Thanks for the explore! Thanks for clearing up the race track btw, looks great! haha.
Thank you for posting. I watched all the way through-- fascinated to see what I recognized... and what I didn't. I was at JA from 1995-1998 with one of the civilian contractors. I wish I could post my photos so you could see the "before" for things like the outdoor theater, the racetrack, JOC, dining hall, and radar array. Your video stimulated good memories of good times. Thank you.
There was a softball field right next to the par 3 golf course. The "barracks" I lived in (the 80's) were just west of them. Man I can't believe how much the island has changed and how overgrown it is! Other than the JOC and the Shark Chute, I didn't recognize much. Well the north seawall looks about the same. I used to sit on it at night and play my guitar.
Was that around the old Waikiki Lounge? I used to sit out there at that one and play as well as walking up to the Tiki Lounge for Karaoke nights. :) Fished off the wharf area west of that spot.
@@truthortinfoil Yes as I recall it was just west of the Waikiki. One night a violinist came out there and accompanied me. I have no idea who he was and never saw him again that I recall. It was a pretty amazing experience.
@@pcs56 I can imagine! I would set in with several at the Tiki when shows would come in. Did you guys have Uncle Joe's? Thursday night Ladies Night? We had a couple of bands that would play there for the fun of it when they came in.
I was on Johnston as part of CAST 13! It’s cool to see what the island looks like after a couple years and a couple hurricanes. The South Beach pillars really took a beating, and the Ed Center and southern sea wall breach have both deteriorated even further, but other than that it looks pretty similar to when I was there. I was curious to see how much the vegetation had grown, but even that looks like it’s only increased a little. I enjoyed seeing all the new additions around camp in your Ant Cave video, too. It’s interesting to hear the names you guys gave to different parts of the island. We used many of the same names for places but a few of them were different. I’ve always found it fascinating how there isn’t much of an enduring culture across CASTs because each crew sort of reinvents the wheel as they explore and learn about the island in a vacuum. It’s one of those fun little quirks about the CAST experience that makes it so unlike anything else. Thanks for making these videos and helping document Johnston during the CAST era.
Thank you!! I watched your videos before heading out there, and they got me ready for what to expect. Of course, it's much more hectic once you get there and can hear all of the birds for yourself, and the constant action happening around the island. I also got knocked off my bike because of boobies a few times haha. I'd find different drawings and stuff around the ant cave and papers in some of the books with names for places and it was always interesting to try and figure out what they were referring to. If we didn't know we'd just make something up, or if a funny event happened there that could contribute to the name. Absolutely! Same to you, I'm heading back out there for CAST XX and ready to get out of the mainland for awhile.
@@CASTaways-in-Paradise Yeah they got delayed because of COVID, so we aren't scheduled to leave until the end of the year. Preparing myself for extreme veg management and getting attacked by wasps.
I was a paralegal, in the JAG Corps, for the Army, stationed there 1997, for 12 months. It was the best assignment I had in 22 1/2 years. During that time JACADS was running at its peak. We had hobie cat boats to rent, great fishing, snorkeling, the best food in the military, 9 hole short course, pool, outdoor movies, a full library, and a full woodworking shop. Soldiers could have part time jobs working at one of these facilities for $12 an hour…great money back then. I remember watching Air Force One at the outdoor theater. There were at least 5 bars, and the social/party scene was in full swing. You were allowed to walk around with alcohol because only a few personnel had access to vehicles. Fri or Sat was lobster and prime rib…we would get as much as you could eat, no cost, eat outside at the boat ramp beach, grab some beers at one of the bars and then throw the scraps at that beach or walk down to shark cove to throw the scraps and watch the sharks eat. There was quite a lot of fraternizing, however it never became a problem like in normal Army assignments. There was one over reaching rule that if you were a part of a fight, threatening, assault, or even a harsh disagreement, you and all parties involved would be removed from the island/assignment within 24 hours, no second chance. So everybody got along and that contributed to the overall great atmosphere. The weather was better than Hawaii’s. It was literally a pacific island paradise. Many fond memories.
I was an Ammunition Supply Specialist stationed on the island from '99 to 2000. At 50:15, you mentioned the ed center. They would give CLEP tests there to people who wanted to do some kind of continuing education. Families weren't allowed on the island, so no kids, wives, etc. Also, around the year 2000, there was only 300 military personnel stationed there, with about 1000 civilian contractors. 2 Army platoons, about 60 people each, Military Police Company (MPC) and the Chemical Ammunition Company (CAC). The Air Force had a unit there and was actually in charge of the island. At any given time there was around 1000 people on the island, with the remainder usually on vacation. The big slab just northwest of the JOC was the club house, where the island commander lived. He was a colonel, nice guy. The thing you called a big parking lot was the tarmac where planes would park and people would get on and off. No cars allowed. I remember on Halloween watching Rocky Horror at the theater. It was great, but not a lot of Army guys went. I was one of the few. Once a year we would do a type of fun run down the runway in formation. We had Denver cable TV piped to the island, which was odd. I lived in the 3 story barracks next to the tennis courts. The big parking lot on the other side of the tennis courts was across the street from the Coral Reef Cafe, the main chow hall. The weekend I got on the island, somebody from the 25th infantry division that was deployed to the island temporarily to help with something got drunk and fell off the 3rd floor landing of the stair well. He was found the next morning barely breathing and med-evac'ed out. I played D&D with some of the civilians. There was a sound studio somewhere, maybe in the JOC, but I can't remember. When I was there you could only get food from about 4 places but there were 9 places you could get drunk at. The Tiki bar was a common hang out, and it was up by the club house. It had pool tables, some arcade games, and a big room people would dance in. The building layout reminded me of an elementary school though. The area surrounding JACADS was called the Red Hat area. There was a bar on the east point of the island called the hideaway that was rumored to be a gay bar, but I also heard that was started by civilians that wanted a break from the Army guys. The isolation of the island ate at you after a while. I once drank a bunch of whisky and jumped off the big pier and just floated in the water with the sharks. I saw lots of people go pretty crazy on the island. The little point to the right of corner beach was a place to eat, they had bands come through with the USO sometimes and every friday was burn your own steak night. Some of us would dangle meat off of the point, and we had sharks and sea snakes and fish all biting at it until the island commander gently ordered us to knock it off.
Wow such great info man!! Thank you so much, that really gives me so much insight to what life was like back when it was an active installment. I was wondering how many people got seriously injured out there. We have to be as careful as possible so we don't have to call in the coast guard to get us out.
@@exploreordie6335 Yeah, the clinic had a couple of doctors and could patch people up OK, women could get exams and birth control, etc. But for anything serious you had to go to Hawaii. The troops called one of the doctors "the Ethiopian doctor," which was mean. He was a white guy, but was abnormally thin and looked mal-nourished even though he wasn't, and overly sun-baked. I told him what the troops said about him and asked him why he looked like he did, and he told me how his knee got injured and how he had several surgeries on it and it always caused him pain, then he lost 10 lbs and the pain diminished, so he lost more weight and the pain got better. He basically used his medical knowledge to lose as much weight as he could as a pain-management strategy, and he took walks around the parameter of the island every day, so he got a bronze colored tan. If you have specific questions, I can try to reach into the memory banks and see if the bitrot has claimed the memories yet, or if I have to do another stream-of-consciousness writing thing to coax them out. :)
@@JoeRawson I definitely looked similar when I got off the island haha, comparable to when I first landed there. For sure, I'll let you know if I think of any more questions. Thanks again man!
@@JoeRawson honestly sounds like a great duty station. Why did they shut it down tho, seems like a great presence to have in that sector! Seems like a great forward deployed base at least.
Was great looking back at JI. Was there from beginning of 2001 till end of 2003. Was there working at JACADS. Met some great friends and loved the experience. Weird seeing everything gone and the place taken over by nature.
I worked there in 1987 on jcad project I was an electrician. I watched a few movies right there. I took a bunch of pictures of Johnston Island when I was working there.
Was there in 88-89 supporting JACAD from Aberdeen, MD. Was part of the team setting up the monitoring plan for the incinerator. Great times put worked about 100 hrs week.
I was stationed there January 1982 to January 1983. I was a Military Police Officer and as a side job a Life Guard at the pool. Thanks for the tour. Man, all the buildings are gone and I picture that as a ghost town now. It used to be bustling. Please email me so I can send you pictures of what it looked like when I was there.
I was an MP there in 1996. I grew up in Hawaii so I was used to the island life. The food was great (except the Burger Mister guy at JCADS) and the diving was awesome. We used to watch all kinds of popular movies at the outdoor movie theater.
Nice tour. What an adventure. The site where you went for internet is the JOHN seismic station, used for earthquake monitoring by the US Geological Survey and PTWC. earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/stations/IU/JOHN/ I installed some of that equipment back in 2003, the two long solar arrays, satellite dish, fiberglass shack. I'm happy to see that the solar and satellite equipment are in good shape still. Sorry about the slow internet. We appreciate the help of the extermination team over the years, performing maintenance for us from time to time.
I had no clue! I knew the USGS had a hand in a lot of things on Johnston but didn't know about the seismic station. Haha no worries, I now appreciate that the internet was slow since it allowed me to focus on other things like exploring and snorkeling. Thank you!
I am so happy I found this video. Just went on an adventure through google maps, and found a mysterious island in the middle of the ocean. I got so intrigued and looked around as closely as possible, though few details was revealed. Then to my surprise there was actually a UA-cam-video with a guy biking through the whole island with comments from lots of people telling stories about how they were there. This is so trippy (and I don't think the edibles kicking in is fully to blame)
That’s exactly how I found this video too! Amazing history! Im fascinated by all the now empty islands scattered around tge Pacific!
Same story here lol. Was looking up some areas in Siberia, and if you could see Russian from Alaska much. Then took me to looking at some island in the pacific (kiribati) and saw Johnston Atoll on the map. Looked for images, virtually nothing, looked on youtube and found this gem lmao. There's something surreal and crazy about the odd coinciding things of just... dude with birds on an island of virtually nothing, and comments of memories.
Yes! So cool to see people that probably would never have come into contact with each other suddenly be together in this weird phenomena. I got super curious - who are you? I'm a 23 year old woman from Norway:)
Same here. Started at Midway Atoll, then found Johnston. Then found this video. I would love a reason to spend some time on one of these islands!
was measuring the distance from hayward CA to the Philippines and stumbled upon the Johnston Atoll. Saw this gem when doing some research too. Great video!
My grandparents met on Johnston in 1949. My grandma was a singer from Honolulu who was invited to the base to perform for the troops. My grandpa (also from Hawai‘i) who was stationed there asked her if he could call her once he got back to Honolulu. She said sure, assuming he would have forgotten all about her by the time he returned several weeks or months later. Fast forward to 2020 and they just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary! Because of that event’s significance to our family I was curious about what the island looked like now...clearly very different from the Johnston my grandparents knew, but still cool to see!
That's incredible!! Happy 70th anniversary to your grandparents! Definitely much different now than the island they knew.
@@exploreordie6335 I'm glad to here they had a long life after Johnson Island my family returned from the island not well. They all had short lives and many surgeries after leaving there.
Incredible and very interesting! Thanks for sharing!!
Amazing story...you should write a screenplay about it and put it on film to honor/memorialize your grandparents 😀
@@dmanduff9108They might not be in a position to write a screenplay Maybe they have a job.
I was there in 1991. The outdoor theater showed movies just like any theater, just under the beautiful Pacific stars. I remember watching Major League, and Die Hard 2. Free pop corn and 50 cent beers. Movies ran every night. On Saturday after the show the Dragon’s Den would open. Free beer and liquor for free. Just had to pay a $5 a week membership fee :) it was located near the pool.
Amazing, the stars were beautiful out there! So crazy to me to think of all the amenities that used to be out there, sounds like some great deals!
I was there April 1991- March 1992! *were you there when the Australian Jets Landed? I was an MP and on duty downrange and I was a tense few minutes (and the Person at the big building was on a break and did not tell us!)
I miss the twentieth century
Umm i live in samoa and that is offensive im doing a project on johnston atoll
@michael boultinghouse It's a National wildlife refuge
Back in the 1970s, the Continental/Air Micronesia flights used to land at Johnston and refuel. I used to travel that route back then going from Honolulu to Pohnpei [then called Ponape], Guam, and Saipan when I lived and worked in the old Trust Territory. I remember that here as well as at Kwajalein there was always a Russian "trawler" located just a few miles off the island where it was supposedly fishing. Many of the Air Mike pilots were former Navy pilots from the Vietnam War. Some of them used to buzz the trawler as we came in to land at the airstrip. Most of the time we had to stay on the plane at Johnston but the last couple of times we landed there, they made us get off and herded us into a waiting room in the building there. It was literally just a large room with no chairs, no restrooms, and no access to water or any amenity of any type. We were instructed to wait and forbidden to leave. There was a door out the other side to the room which showed a sidewalk and you could just see a little area with a picnic table and a soda machine. I and another guy who often made the journey were looking out the window in the door and discovered the door was unlocked. We walked out and over to the soda machine and bought a couple of sodas and then went back into the room. Some jerk started reading us the riot act for doing that and tried to confiscate the sodas as they were "government" property. I chugged mine and gave him the empty can.
I do remember the bunkers and was told by someone I knew on Saipan who had been stationed there, that they were full of nerve gas and such. If I remember correctly he said that they had rabbits or such in cages in front of the bunker doors and they also had some sort of sensors. I don't recall specifically because it has been too long ago. He said they had sirens and such as well and used to do drills. He may have been pulling our legs but he wasn't the kind of guy who told wild stories.
I also remember on one flight they brought a guy on board and he was sedated and in a restraining jacket [like a straitjacket. They had some guard [?] with him. They sat in the last seats in the back of the plane by where the rear stairs exited the plane. He was being medivaced to Honolulu. The story was he had gone seriously rock happy.
I lived out there until 1986 when I returned to California. There are times when I wished I had never left. I never lived or worked on Johnston but Micronesia was a wonderful place to live and work.
I worked for Raytheon as a corporate photographer. I in 1997, flew on Continental from Honolulu to J.I. and stayed for a week, then took a very rare flight from J.I. to Kwajalein on Continental.
Saw a click bait ad for abandoned airports that listed Johnston. Did a UA-cam search and found your video. Watched the entire video. Thanks for making it and sharing. I must also say reading the comments just make it even better. Thanks to all those who served, and shared their stories.
I was an MP stationed on Johnston from 82 to 83. I didn't recognize anything course that could just be my memory. Great times except for the seclusion. 2 bars T-bone steaks twice a week Olympic sized swimming pool softball diamonds. We went scuba diving everyday. They made it so it wasn't a bad place to be stationed for a 1 year stint. Turtles we watched, we used to catch our own lobsters out on the reef. I still have shark jaws I caught myself. I have the pics to prove it. Iove that island. They were just in the beginning stages of figuring out how to incinerate the chemicals when I got transferred out of there. Thanks for the video. Now I'm going to go get my pictures out
Upload them sir! :) So many folks found this interesting, you can add to it with your pictures and stories! Thank you for your service!
I was stationed there 1978-1979. It was rocking back then. Wish I could have been with him to explain things from my memory.
really? That's so cool to imagine. What kind of stuff would you do?
Thanks bud. I was there as a contractor back in 2001-2003. It was a great place to work, great people, everyone was family, and surprisingly there was plenty to keep you entertained. Outdoor movie theater, library, 50 meter pool, nine hole golf course, softball field were I hit 13 dingers one season, indoor basketball court, were I was the free throw champ...besting the AF commander, excellent weight room, the Tiki bar, the outdoor Waikiki bar and bingo area where you could grill, drink and play.....bingo! Diving and snorkeling was top notch with warm and clear water. An occasional beyond the reef fishing trip was great fun.....fish on! fish on! All in all, a chill place with great people, the bluest water and skies you'll ever experience. T.
Gunny, is that you? DSA crew 4 life!
I was there 96-98 in the army, then as a contractor 2000-2003. With the bunkers, JI was a prototype plant for storage and disposal of chemical weapons left over from WW2. We destroyed roughly 17% of the US stockpile left over. Afterwards, they built plants around the USA to do the same work. In the army, they stored the muntions in the bunkers, and would ship a load to the JACADS plant to be destroyed. In the army we had two platoons doing the shipping, alternating weeks. As they emptied the bunker the team emptying the bunker, last day, got to write their names inside the doors. Our platoon leader kept pulling shenanigans so we kept ending up with "the last shipment." and my name is in more than my fair share of those doors.
There was a line across the island. The wind nearly always moves in the same direction from north to south across the island. There were markers for safety, and in case of an accident, you had to toss on a gas mask and head upwind past the markers. I say this, because the pins for "the dining hall" are wrong. Wrong side of the island. That was down near the agent orange storage yard. (left over from vietnam) The main dining hall was across the street from the basket ball court (Parking lot court, not the indoor gym court). There was another smaller dining hall down in the JACADS facility for the workers.
In the army, I was all over that island. In Jacads, I woke up, went to work, came home and watched TV or played computer games then slept. It was two months of work, for two weeks of paid vacation. You were always either coming home from vacation, thinking of what to do on vacation, or getting ready for vacation.
Yes I sat in that theater, it was the year 1968 or 1969,was 19 years old, i was working as a deck hand for Hawaiian tug& barge...im 70th now....
Navy Patrol Squadron Twenty Eight sent me to Johnston for three month in 1960. The theater was an open air. I saw "The Time Machine, the 1960 version". It started to rain at the end of the movie, remember running ahead of a squall to get back to quarters. We were keeping an eye on three Russian ships. Our aircraft: P2V, stationed at Barber's Point, Oahu, Hawaii.
Thank you! I was part of the last Army soldiers to leave the island. It is unbelievable how unrecognizable the island is. The walk in theater was amazing. We watched Castaway! We had a rave in one of those bunkers after the plant was decommissioned. It was a great time.
What a perfect movie!! haha
I was one of the very last soldiers to leave the army command. I helped out process all the army soldiers when it closed.
@@shawnking1608 why did they close it? Seems kinda smart to have a presence in that sector of the ocean. What was base used for after the bomb testing was over in the 70s up until you left?
@@cubsbball92 it was closed to end of mission
@@shawnking1608 did you take part in any of the tear down or was that all contracted out?
Dan Cotter 2/1/2022
I was just browsing Islands and ran across your video of Johnston Atoll, I watch the entire tour . Thanks, I thought it was real interesting!
Thank you for blessing us with this video
i was a civilian photographer flying on a military plane from saigon to travis air base in ca in july of 1971. plane was only scheduled to refuel but we ended up staying 14 hours because of some minor technical glitch. flight had a bunch of soldiers and 15 or 20 government people. soldier's movements were restricted but me and the other civilians were allowed to wander around pretty freely. had a meal, napped in the shade, an unexpected place. looks pretty different now but the sun and the sea are still there. thanks for making this video.
Love the way nature is already reclaiming this place after less than 20 years.
We'll they'll reactivate the Island in the near future. There are military activities all around Micronesia and Guam. It has to do with the US pivot to Asia (China)
I was stationed there in ‘91-‘92, I enjoyed the bowling alley, outdoor theatre, the many social clubs, the ocean and all it had to offer, the friends I made there and of course the chow hall. The wildlife was remarkable as well. Thank you for sharing this video.
Thanks for making this video. In 2001 I helped document the atoll and buildings to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register and it was indescribably fascinating to see what it’s like nowadays. Great work!
Station from 87-88. I was the island’s certifying official for decontaminated items. I was also on the SAMs team (Site Air Monitoring). They were constructing JACADs at the time. Great memories. Tiki Lounge, Waikiki, Arnold Avenue Drive In Theater, etc. I also worked at the boat house with Moses making min wage but loving it (beer money). Took part in the Christmas Crawl. Rudy, Bobo, Fatui, Diane, Ben, Joe....I miss you all!!
It's absolutely amazing that this was going on out in the middle of the ocean.
I was there about that time on the hobie cat. all day on the one day off. Biggest cause of accidents BUI bicycling under the influence. Have a Satellite photo from that time.
Great video. I was an actor touring a murder mystery show for DoD overseas entertainment and we spent 3 or 4 days there in '98 or '99. We did one at that outdoor theater. There was a giant illuminated movie screen and midway through the play a huge frigate bird crashed into the screen and landed onstage at an actor's feet. It was both horrifying and hilarious. A guy came out of the audience, scooped up the bird and set it in a nearby bush. Then the show went on. Turned out the guy was the commanding officer or something like that.
I remember many of the spots you showed. It's crazy to see them so reclaimed by nature. I've been fascinated by Johnston atoll ever since I visited. You're fortunate to be able to live there. I think. However, I remember when I left,
a military dude laughingly advised me not to have kids for 2 years.
I was stationed on Johnston Island for a year in 1967, working in the JOC Building near one end of the island. Re: the outdoor theater, In the rear was a projection booth which showed a variety of movies. Behind the big screen were dressing rooms used by an occasional visiting troop of actors. I recall seeing a nice performance of Meanwhile, Back At The Forum! Occasionally during a film viewing, something might go wrong in the projection booth and the poor struggling technician would be treated to a loud, cheerful chorus of vituperation by the waiting audience!
spent a christmas here about 10 years ago now ,while crossing the pacific ocean on a 40 foot yacht from Hawaii to the Marshall islands .....the yacht needed maintainance and the U.S coastguard gave us permission to land .... an incredible place and an incredible story ,,,,,,, thanks to Stefan and his crazy ant team for a christmas to remember !
Best video I've seen on UA-cam in ages. Very nicely done.
Was stationed there from OCT 97 to FEB 99. Amazing transformation there, I walked, ran, rucked and biked that island and still recognize some of those areas. Man, so many happy days playing golf and drinking with the teammates, or hanging out by the shark chute in afternoon to see all the fish and sharks come in after the food was dropped. Thanks for what you guys are doing out there.
Absolutely, thank you for your service!! That island brought me many happy days as well.
Was there from Feb 97 to Oct 98
I was a MP there from 85-86. The shark chute was my favorite hang out. Had a 12 foot tiger shark on at the chute. 3 of my buddies got some serious rope burns trying to get him in. He finally bent the steel hook and got off. Had our platoons' xmas party down there. We caught a grey reef and people took turns beating the hell out of the thing for most of the night. Hell of a way to spend xmas !
Please tell me you have pics of the golf course! Only the Military would build a golf course on a small ass island!! 😂😂😂. Although I’m sure it’s much needed on a place like that! I wish I was stationed there. Sounds 100x better than any stateside base!
@@cubsbball92 How many girls on the island?
Aloha...My husband and his Mom worked on Johnston Island for two years , his Dad worked there for many years. He watched this with me and said it looks so different without the buildings. He has a lot of memories there. My husband's family has many health problems now, especially his Dad had more exposure as he was the one doing the actual cleanup. But it posed many risks if the dust was traveled throughout the air. My husband developed polycythemia , I believe it was due to being there. My husband's Dad ended up with a multitude of problems, including dementia. Just be careful with your own health. Mahalo for sharing
@@user-uv5hx yes, they were all civilians
I did watch it all and enjoyed it, I got here on a search after watching a video by The History Guy, I've always found abandoned military bases fascinating. There where so many here in the UK during the cold War, basically entire towns and infrastructure that either disappeared or the service personnel left and shut the gates. Its funny to think that now we are all in the covid crisis you had the perfect quarantine on Johnston. Thanks man for uploading and good luck.
Thank you so much for watching it all! I agree, so crazy how many abandoned bases there are around the world. Quarantine was much more fun on Johnston than it is back in the states haha.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I was stationed at Johnston island from 85 to 86. Matter of fact, the bunkers you showed down at the honey hole... I watched them be built! The JOC was the only building to have air conditioning so I spent a lot of time down there at the library. We fished off the wharf and went to the walk in theater. There was a bowling alley as well. Thanks again for the video. Brought back memories.
Thank you!! That's awesome, I wish the bowling alley was there when I was there haha
Thank you SO much for making this video. I've been fascinated with Johnston Atoll for years and this was very satisfying and answered a lot of my questions.
The place was like living in a lullaby.
The constant wind blowing through the palm trees, the sound of the waves. Contrast that with the island-wide hum of the chemical incinerator exhaust units...
All the liquor and food...
I loved being there.
An air strip with a coral reef around it...
The radiation from all the nuclear test
Thanks for making this, I was there from 1998-2000. The wind only blew one direction on the island about 360 days a year.
Johnston Island has always interested me because of the history. Thanks for the tour!
Who would have thought there were OWLS ON AN ATOLL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC!?!?!
I was on J.I. from 96 to 97. I think about and miss this place. I've never seen such sunsets and sun rises like I have there. Even though I was handling chemical weapons, it was a very peaceful place.
Normally viewed it from google earth. Thanks for the tour. Neat to see how nature reclaims all!
Same. It looked so unnatural. I thought that was a big boat.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Very well done. I was stationed here for 19 months with the ARMY Chemical Ammunition Storage Division (CASD) and working downrange and eventually as the 1-1 RTO for operations. January 1993- July 1994
I watched many movies there at the theater but the terrible movie “Son in Law” with Paulie Shore is the only one that comes to mind. Played a ton of softball on the field next to the JOC our team name was the “Numerous Alcoholics” Lol has some great battles with the “Brew Crew” good times man. Thank you again.
Good times Gene. Hard to believe it looks like this now. I don't guess anyone wants to go there for a reunion? Lol
Amazing! Thank you for your service! I had no clue about the softball field!
Thank you for posting this tour, along with your other JI videos. At 1:00:09 you asked about a platform in the distance: the platform served as a deck for remote cameras used during the test launches. That information is based on some old documents. It's basically a large circular concrete pad, about 55 feet in diameter. During a changeover, I believe some of the past CAST members went there.
The place has changed a bit in the last 50 years. Thanks for bringing back some memories.
Was stationed there in 1972-73 as Commander of Detachment 1, 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron, P437. And led a team in 1976 to dismantle the missile facilities. The movie theater then showed regular Hollyweird movies. It was in the open, so we all brought our ponchos and sat on them until it started to rain when we put them on and continued to watch the movie. Launch emplacement 1 was radioactive from a 1962 high altitude nuclear test failure. The concrete was hot, so we painted the sidewalks every 60 days - scrape and repaint, repeat. Learned to scuba dive there, so I have a collection of shells and coral displays.
Just some added information. My unit had a radar tracking and guidance facility right next to what you now call the Shark Chute. It was then the edible garbage dump and we all called it the "Shit Chute" Guys fished for sharks there and used their eyes to make jewelry and of course gaping shark's jaws. Their relatives then feasted on the remains. At certain times of the year we might have hundreds of 4 - 5 foot long sharks swimming in that area. On the opposite corner next to the Herbicide Orange storage, we had a liquid oxygen and nitrogen plant that produced the products for use with our missiles. The basketball court was located across the street from what was then the on chow hall on the Island. I was built over an emergency water storage vault that held half a million gallons of fresh water. The Race track was built over what was in the 60s and 70s the Non-Commissioned Officers Club. The Slow Pitch Softball field and Par 3 Golf course were built one shoebox full of dirt at a time brought in by people flying into JI.
Did you play golf?
I was stationed there in the mid 1960's for 11 month's and change. You asked what kind of movies were show there and it was the same as being shown in theaters at the time. I fell asleep watching Lawrence of Arabia and I had to watch it a second time the next night to see the ending. Hope this helps
That's awesome! Thanks for the comment, really helps form a mental picture of what that would've been like back then!
@@exploreordie6335 If there is anything else I can help you with, let me know. I was in the supply corps for the Navy Boat Group and my job took me all over the island every day.
@@FERRARIDOUG355 any underground stuff there ?
Did you play golf there?
JUST WATCHED THE WHOLE VIDEO, REALLY ENJOYED IT......YOU ARE DEFINITELY LIVING THE LIFE !!!!!THANKS BILL
Thanks! Was there 87-88. Enjoyed seeing it all again. Amazing how overgrown it became. When there, we had an area called the National Forest across from the dining hall that had a dozen or so trees. That overhang at the JOC was added when the JACADS demo work was going on, Before moving the medical center there, it was in an old bunker across from the dining hall. outside that were the TWO telephones that all 600 residents shared, We got one 3 minute call each 2 weeks, No internet, no TV, Got newspaper on weekly flight from Hawaii. Civilian Air Mocronesia/Continental came twice a week. The came mainly for the cheap fuel. Since it was a military base, no federal nor state tax on the fuel. So they would fly from Hawaii to JI and refuel for cheap before continuing on to Kwaj, etc. Thanks for filming! Jack Dougherty
Thank you!! I'm surprised there were only 2 phones! I was wondering about the civilian flights, makes sense they would come in for the cheap fuel.
"Civilian Air Mocronesia/Continental came twice a week. The came mainly for the cheap fuel. Since it was a military base, no federal nor state tax on the fuel. " No doubt, with military presence all around the aircraft so no one could disembark.
I found one in the bunker at the South east peninsula one of the limited lines to Honolulu was a lot better than the sweat boxes they called phone booths.
@@exploreordie6335
The outdoor theatre was one of the highlights here. We watched regular movies that any post theatre would get. Next to the theatre was the cleaners.
Damn sure did not watch bird Videos, I was there for OP Steel Box in Early 90's
DJ Stanley I did recontainerization of rounds the plant could not take a part and burn. Worked the VX and GB 155mm missions for the most part.
I’m sure that I watched many movies there, but for some reason I only remember The Lawnmower Man.
I was there 1998-2001, and it had all kinds of movies, rain or starshine
We use to land there everytime we flew back in forth between Majuro and Honolulu back in the early 90's.
1:12:48 minutes - Totally worth it, fantastic video! Awesome job
Nice trip down memory lane. Thanks
I watched the entire video. Great job in explaining everything and showing what it's like there. It's amazing how much nature has taken over the place. You would not even realize there had been a large military base there. I wonder if in 50 years all of what is there now will also be gone. Also, my thanks to you and your team of scientists for spending your time there to get rid of the ants to help the seabirds. I am sure that was not an easy assignment, but I've read it was successful, so good work.
I kinda stumbled onto this video yesterday as a result of a chance encounter with a reference to Johnston Atoll, in checking it's location out, I also found and watched your video, not having ANY idea what you were there for. Today I "accidentally" became aware of the Crazy Yellow Ant problem and "you-all's" efforts concerning this nasty problem. Thank You kindly for your work on the island and for the tour video.
Ok! Looking at your map and marked points, right to left in 2001, when I left:
Pinnacle- edge of the main road, where the driving range was at the end of the golf course and softball field.
Sector 16 Peninsula- Hazardous waste storage/Island club
JOC- This structure was a nuclear safe haven from the testing in the 60's and a chemical decon & administrative center afterwards
Sooty Tern Colony- This is the general are of the contractor dorms.
Airport- yep
Racetrack- I want to say it was labeled as a velodrome when was there, but had been used for both
Tide Station Peninsula- Navy Pier. It had been condemned after hurricane damage in '98, and wasn't in use after that
South Beach- Old antenna array. It was pretty cool to look down, but I see the ocean finally won
Internet- Looks like it's set up about where the post office was
Signs and Theatre- Yes. The outdoor theatre was great, we were about 6 months behind the States
Corner Beach- at the point of the regular wharf and then the marina was east, at the boat launch
Tennis/Basketball Courts- yes, those were the only ones, and yes, the ornamental plants look like they're remnants of the Raytheon Garden Club
EdCenter was an old Army/DTRA facility
Pool is definitely the pool. It was an Olympic sized partial salt pool. It was great, no sharks!
Mt. Pluto- So it looks like the Major never shipped all of his coral off the island. :)
HideyHole/JACADS- That was the plant, and I didn't head over there, but yes, it was a prototype facility and even its destruction was the prototype for the destruction of the four facilities it was prototyping in the US (Anniston, Bluegrass, Pueblo, Umatilla)
Ant Lab looks like it was near the machine shop or the AM-Vets
Honey Hole/Trash Chute/Trash Bunker are all "downrange," where the VX/GB munitions were stored when the plant was in operation
Mess Hall/Trash dump are where our trash incinerator was and where they'd dump food waste at high tide
Martha's Beach was "Pluto Beach" when I was there
The Ant Cave and Asbestos dump are in the old Junkyard
Thank you so much!! So much great info, love trying to see what it was like for you guys back then.
Wasn't the swimming pool at the west end of Arnold Ave? This looks like it was immediately east of the Learning Center.
Very interesting video. I stopped there in 54 as a child on a Pan Am flight to NewZeland and again in the early 80s on a Marine C-130. We were issued gas masks before we got off the plane.
Love the video, I decided to travel the world through UA-cam and luckily there is a video for everywhere
1990-1996 Loved it. It was an amazing experience. Thanks for the memories
A sad looking overgrown largely unrecognizable remnant of its more recent past as a large chemical weapons demilitarization processing site that lasted a good 15 yrs or so. At that time it was a tidy very well maintained island with a nice central small town , extensive living quarters , additional very nice visitors barracks, and generally with a fair number of amenities located near the JOC which was the secure operations center for the demil ops. The dining facility was notable for plentitude of good food. There was a large highly secure reinforced concrete chemical weapons processing/destruction center several miles from the JOC. Several thousand workers and an Army MP unit made it a rather comfy fun home away from home. One of the coolest aspects was arriving by charter or military planes wherein the island from above looked like a big aircraft carrier, as the Navy once had jurisdiction i dont think that was mere coincidence. Oh yes on Friday evening there would be dockside steak dinner and feeding the sharks the remnants. The sharks quickly learned to aggregate at that location, amazingly however drunk participants became, none managed to fall in. Why was JI at that time so nice and well maintained? Simple - good military and contractor leadership and competent thoughtful workers who worked hard but likewise enjoyed the unique experience on off hours. A lot of good people, then again an island of adults that acted like adults. A place of responsibility with very good pay and an opportunity to get away from the epidemics of stupidity infesting the rest of the planet ;-)
Thank you for sharing the atoll with us! I used to live on Kaua'i during my teen years, we moved there in 1981. The vegetation reminds me so much of my jungle adventures. I never knew at the time how many atolls there were like Midway, Johnston and such. 1200 miles I believe NW of Kaua'i lies midway and 800 miles probably SE is Johnston? I wish I could do a DX'pedition on Midway and Johnston with a group of ham radio operators including myself to set up our radios, antennas and power them with wind, solar and occasionally, diesel generators and make contacts all around the world as a special event station. Anyone we contact would receive a QSL card from us. A QSL card is a type of postcard that has the callsign, frequency, mode, date, time, signal report and such that proves the contact from the atolls. Your videos have been fun to watch and learn from, do research. How long was your stay on Johnston? How did you deal with medical emergencies, injuries or illnesses while there? Hopefully, there were none but heck, we're human and things happen! How were the evenings after nightfall? I bet it was quiet except for the occasional nighttime critters, owl calls but not sure what else calls it home. Were there any rats and mice issues? I bet the owls would've helped with them. Last question, what all did you see on the atoll from the animal, insect, spider and reptile world? There should not have been a single snake to be found unless they were accidentally or intentionally loosed for rodent control.
Was an MP stationed there 94-95 amazing how it changed since then. Thanks for doing this!
I was getting bored and looking at random islands I could find on Google Maps for some reason, and when i found this island it somehow caught my attention and I decided to look into it. Thanks for making this video, it was cool to watch and learn about this place I didn't know existed an hour or so ago!
I spent a few years there in the late 80s and early 90s. Amazing to see how it looks now. Quite sad. We had a huge outdoor movie theater, the pool was huge and lots of “dormitories”. It was like a resort, particularly when the airport was functioning. best of luck.
My barracks room over looked the tennis courts. We also held pt formation there every morning at something like 0430 or 0500.
We had to start that early because it was too hot after the sun came up.
We generally ran the loop around the airfield.
I also remember a tropical storm came in and we had to evacuate the barracks nest to the tennis courts and go across the road to the "cinder block" barracks for safety.
There was water about shin deep across the road. The end result was they brought in an army engineering unit from Alaska, of all places, to renovate our barracks....still didn't install air conditioning though.
The JOC also has a built in decontamination line so that everyone on the island could pass through and come out clean in the event of a massive chemical agent exposure. It has walk through shower stations and storage for clean garments.
I can totally relate to starting early because of how hot it gets out there. Thanks for the great anecdotes! I briefly saw the decontamination showers in the first couple weeks I was there, but forgot to mention them in the video!
Love this! Thank you for a great video! And yes I watched it the whole way through!
Thanks for your in-depth video. I was never on this island, but was on Midway 1970’s very much the same environment, then and now. I’d love to be there away from everything and just amerced in the nature. Hope you had plenty of sun screen! I’ve got plenty of skin cancers because of my love of the open air scouting. Still wouldn’t trade the experiences… oh yes, was aboard the USS Reclaimer ARS 42, back and forth to Vietnam at that time. Thanks again🙏Love your videos👍👍👍
My husband was stationed there for the Air Force on a 1 year remote in 1998. The overgrown nature has really taken over. We have pictures of everything on the entire island.
I would love to see the photos you have of the island during that active times.
Great video! After watching yours, I watched one that was shot back in 1991. I don’t know why but it was kind of sad to me to see everything gone. It was almost like you were a new species discovering an ancient human existence from years ago. I know that sounds weird, but just kind of what I felt. Your video all crystal clear, and the 91 video so grainy and old. My father retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I’ll have to mention your video to him. Good job!
Thank you!! I've watched some of those older videos as well and it's a much different place. It would be nice to have the amenities but I love that the island is back to being a home for the birds as it was before humans first took it over to mine guano.
ExploreOrDie I agree. It’s nice to see nature taking back the island and the wildlife enjoying it.
Thank you for your De tour.... Brings back memories.
I was amazed to see the vegetation growth since the atoll was deactivated. I had the pleasure of being on Jo9hnston twice, once for a familiarization visit when I first went to work with the National Nuclear Security Administration and the second time as Deputy to the Commander, JA. I would like to talk to you about what was on the island at the height of the weapons programs and provide a map of the facilities from that time.
@Mike Sims Mike when would it be the best time (times) to link up and would you prefer to use zoom or the phone?
@Mike Sims thats awesome
Only a Johnston visitor on my frequent Continental / Air Mic Island Hopper trips while stationed on Kwajalein Atoll. Great video! Thank you for taking the time to make it for us.
Thanks for the video. I spent 7 years there. It is a trip seeing it overgrown like that, especially watching you try to figure out what we used to do there. I'm guessing you did well in anthropology. I can see other JIers have answered the outdoor theater question, but let me know if you have more. I worked at the marina so I know the lagoon pretty well. Thanks again for the video.
Thank you! Wow, that's such a long time out there! Hahaha thanks I had to keep my mind wandering to stay sane out there, trying to understand what I was observing out there from our limited resources.
U remember the Eagle Flight from Wheeler?
Denny taught me how to windsurf and was just an alright good dude. To sad we lost Jody at sea.
I have a map sky view of the island in the mid 50s
Yes I spent two weeks there in 1967! I was stationed at Kaneohe air station Hawaii, I worked as a electronic tech. In I believe it was July when the unit I worked in was called to land President Nixon plane on the island for a splash down of the Apollo space capsule! I clearly remember the EM club, nice big bar and patio good food and drinks were cheep 5cents for beer and 10cents for mixed drinks and the patio had poker games going 24 hrs a day!
That's awesome!! Such a historic time to be out there, from what I've heard that sounds like the most interesting era of Johnston's history to me.
I was there from 1988 to 2003. I was operations superintendent at JACADS. Refuge road was called Arnold Avenue. Are you winning the war on the ants? I used to see scorpions on the island. It was figured that they came in blasting sand that came from Texas.
Cool seeing all the relations everyone has to this island in the comments. My Grandfather was a Colonel and manager of Operation Pacer Ho on Johnston Atoll in 1977, cleanup of all the remaining Agent Orange. Found a bunch of film slides of the dock area where all the barrels were, couple shots of the ship Vulcanus used to dispose. Cool they still have this project to help preserve the island. Hope all is good for you couple years later.
What an interesting video. I was EOD in the Army and this place was well-known to us and our partners in Tech Escort. I remember my then wife was going to be stationed there as part of the demolition mission of the chemical rounds.
I went tech escort then was sent to ji.
My Dad worked on Johnston Island for years when he was in the Air Force during the 70’s and 80’s. I’m going to send him this video so he can have a look and possibly comment on some of the questions you had about certain locations around the island. The photos he has of J.I. are pretty amazing. Thanks for taking the time and putting this video together. It’s fantastic!
i wish we could see these photos
Loved the video. I was there 12/75 to 12/75 assigned to 267th MP Detachment. Thank you bringing back some awesome memories!
i been there work there for 15 years before they closed down .all the people there are all like a family to us. i missed that island and the people.
Love this! Thanks for taking the time to make this - always wondered what it looked like now.
Am loving this tour on an island I would love to visit but never will. I found this from a facebook post about Gilligans Island. Someone mentioned this place, did a google search and here I am. I'm convinced the only way to save our planet (and the oceans) is to ban plastic all together. We may be inconvenienced, but it would be a much bigger inconvenience to not have a planet to live on. Thank you for sharing your life!
First time to JI in 1987 and last time on the rock in Aug 1990. We were the Eagle Flight from Wheeler Army Airfield, using a G-159 and a C12-D. did a medevac one time of a Japanese fisherman and staged out to get ot Kwaj on numerous occasions.
It was a treat to get the fish and make use of the dining facility. The dining was a treat for us. Had to be fitted with a gas mask
if we ventured out. I did play on the Par 3. Used a Driver on the course into the wind to drive 90 yards due to wind. Gulls kept divebombing us cause they thought we were using their eggs.
I was stationed there when that happened with the fisherman put us on full alert watched over that boat with I think two or three M60 machine guns. Got a bottle of rum off of them for a trade for a bunch of Playboy magazines
Thanks for sharing this. I've been curious about this place for years.
Its amazing how much nature has reclaimed. I was there from 1990 to 2003.
Very cool video thanks for taking the time. I was on the island three times 2000-2001 doing the hazardous waste cleaning of chemical and fuel storage tanks and some remediation at the incinerator. I was the GM for Site/Field svcs group for Safety-Kleen/Kleen Harbors Environmental. I remember when first getting there me and my guys went snorkeling at what we come to find out was Platinum and Dioxin beach we started in an area that the coral was alive ending up in the area that was dead from mentioned contaminants it was pretty shocking to say the least. I asked them what was up with the dead coral and got the full story of incidents. He mentioned that we weren't supposed to be swimming in that area...I was like oh great glad that wasn't mentioned in our briefing..one of many such circumstances i found my self exposed too at high security projects. Anyways it was quit a place first time there everything was still operational, with 3 bars, bowling ally, landing craft used to go out fishing which was amazing the cooks would cook up what you caught. The last time i was there they had pretty much quit dumping organics at the shark area you mentioned at that time there was alot of shark. I had a rather large tiger shark looking to have me as a meal i made myself look rather large and did a pretty impressive under water growl which made it turn thinking perhaps i was some rad exposed octopus. Unfortunately a resident who like to swim in the channel lost his leg to an attack I think he lived being transported back to Pearl. The shark were quit hungry so swimming was shut down. I got stuck for like 10 days on my final projet letting my guys go home first as it was the last of closure an there was no room left on the flight. That was a long 10 days I couldn't imagine being on the island as you have been. I think you are an incredible biologist !!! All in all it was an experience I hold dear !!! Take care my friend.
Phillip Sellers
1990-96 I worked at the plant. Military MPs controlled access to the plant where civilians worked. Red hat delivered us the product. Two evacuations off the island for hurricanes, planes from Germany and S Isle, Green peace ship in 1990, the poor lost girl from rec center, and so much more. Good people, good mission, good food, much beer, and too much heat.
What's the story about the lost girl?
@@thepretenda There was no newspaper on the island. The plant workers and JACADS had a brief of 4-5 pages for a while called Jackie JACADS. It was in the early 90s. The young woman worked at the Recreational facilities (weight gym, diving equip, and many more jobs). It was nearly dark and she went out on a boat to let some divers know that they needed to come to shore. As the divers returned to shore, they found her boat without her on it. That night several of the plant workers--and probably many others--went out searching for her. But she was never found. I felt so bad for her family. I never knew her name. She deserves recognition though.
It was a place I wanted to be stationed as an MP. Then Desert Storm started.....
Awesome. Watched the whole video. I was stationed there 88 -89 Military Police. Watched many movies at outdoor theater. Thank u
Thank you!
Thank you for the tour of Johnston Island! I was stationed there, on two separate assignments in the 1980's. Gotta tell you it looks very different now. Just an FYI; the concrete pads next to the golf course were barracks and just east was the Mess Hall, or dinning facility if you will.... Oh by the way the Swimming pool was just east of the amphitheater. Also that long area of bunkers was known as the "Red Hat Area" I spend many days down there. Thank you again, brought back a lot of memories.
Cool! What your job while you were there?
@@ericd.slyter4135 I was an ammunition Specialist and works with the chemical weapons directly
Thank you! Was stationed there as an MP around 98’ and worked for extra $ at the theater. Great memories and I think about that place a lot.
I was stationed at Johnston Atoll from September 1973 until September 1974 with the United States Air Force. At that time we had about 300 Coast Guard, Army, and Air Force personnel stationed there. We also had about 300 civilian contractor personnel who worked for Holmes and Narver Corp. They maintained the buildings, operated the mess hall, ran the Base Exchange, etc. I watched your entire video and was amazed at how overgrown the island is. When I was there it was bare coral rock for the most part. We did have a small area of trees near the mess hall which we called the National Forest. I did take a number of pictures while there and would share some of them with you if you are interested.
Wow! So difficult to imagine that many people being there since there was only 5 of us haha. Yeah so much more overgrown than the landscaped flowerbeds and coral rubble that used to be everywhere. Haha I like that, National Forest. Yes! I would definitely be interested in seeing some pictures!
You can email me @ exploreordie2019@gmail.com
@@exploreordie6335 will send you some photos tomorrow. Jim Dandeneau
@@jimdandeneau Thanks Jim!
James, I was stationed with Coast Guard 1978-1979.
I was there on and off from 91-93. Did the preliminary testing of the JACADS incinerator, which was called the 'BRA'. Also did testing during the actual incineration of the VX, GB and the final burning of the 'rockets'.
We stayed in what the 'locals' called the Redwoods, it was East of the golf course and South of the pier and the desalination plant.
Spent many a night at the Tiki lounge getting wasted off .50ct Corona...lol
Did snorkeling and scuba on the most pristine coral reef there is...or was at the time.
Watched only 1 movie while there, Unforgiven, only a handful of peeps there that night...I guess few wanted to watch a movie during the frequent rain showers that the island experienced.
All and all, I enjoyed being there....was amazed at how the rock has become so overgrown...looks nothing like it did back then....also back then the area north of the swimming pool was fenced off and off limits because of the residual plutonium from the exploded missile launch.
Another memory is the night a 'reportedly' Russian cargo plane made an emergency landing, didn't hear it land but it woke everyone up when it took off. lol.
I thought this was awesome and really informative. Thanks for putting this together!
Absolutely loved this video. I was there in 2000-2001.. was part of the completion of mission. Your tour was awesome.
Wow I was there as a 54B in 94-95. blown away all is gone... Had a great time there and Shafter! Great Memories!
My dad was stationed at Johnston Island in the mid 1960s. He was in the Air Force detached from Vandenburg AFB in California and we lived during that time in Lompoc. He told me many years later when I was in college that the AF had a missile base there and were shooting down Soviet Russian Satellites.
My sister inlaw worked on the island in the 90s She was a painter, constantly repainting equipment as the salt water is corrosive to metal. I was always envious of her. She made really good money while working their.
Thanks for sharing your video with us. I did watch the whole thing and recognized some of the land marks. I was stationed there in 1966-1967 . There were only a clump of greenery there then, white corral was all I remember. I was part of a joint task force at that time. Hard to believe it is so overgrown with plants and trees. I was on the ground support for the USAF we did the refueling of aircraft both Military and civilian that came through the area. At that time we were not allowed cameras or to take pictures of the island. So I enjoy pictures and videos of the island. I stayed on Arnold Ave in the military barracks next to the Coral reef dining hall (best food ever in the military). I could view the tennis courts from my room window. I have seen several of the videos the Ant strike teams have made. The Movie theater was a staple at that time I remember we would get high lights of college and NFL football game weeks later than played., as well as current movies.
That's amazing, happy to hear they were serving y'all good food out there. I was wondering how nice the dining halls were. Thank you for your service!
Agreed. The food was outstanding! I used to joke about it saying it was the best food and cheapest beer the military had to offer! People think I was lying when I'd tell them if you told the Mess Hall in 1992-1993 about your birthday coming up, you would have a steak and lobster dinner for 4 waiting on you. I absolutely LOVED it! Steak night every Saturday night too?!?!?!
Thanks for the tour. I wish you had shown your camp. I would liked to see how you guys lived.
Too bad you didn't have a Ham Radio license. With a small radio and a wire antenna you would have been one of the most popular guys on the planet.
I would've liked to put that pin in my map lol!
Based there as a Navy pilot in the 60's. I was a licensed ham but we could not identify the QTH. Super secret stuff. But our Hawaii base of KH6AHQ was loud and clear to the Pacific. Also KL7AIZ from Adak was fun.... Tom, now K9FLY
The pictures on google earth are amazing. The movie theater, the docks, the barracks, excellent photos. Thanks for the explore! Thanks for clearing up the race track btw, looks great! haha.
Thank you for posting. I watched all the way through-- fascinated to see what I recognized... and what I didn't. I was at JA from 1995-1998 with one of the civilian contractors. I wish I could post my photos so you could see the "before" for things like the outdoor theater, the racetrack, JOC, dining hall, and radar array. Your video stimulated good memories of good times. Thank you.
There was a softball field right next to the par 3 golf course. The "barracks" I lived in (the 80's) were just west of them. Man I can't believe how much the island has changed and how overgrown it is! Other than the JOC and the Shark Chute, I didn't recognize much. Well the north seawall looks about the same. I used to sit on it at night and play my guitar.
Such a peaceful spot on the north seawall at night.
Was that around the old Waikiki Lounge? I used to sit out there at that one and play as well as walking up to the Tiki Lounge for Karaoke nights. :) Fished off the wharf area west of that spot.
@@truthortinfoil Yes as I recall it was just west of the Waikiki. One night a violinist came out there and accompanied me. I have no idea who he was and never saw him again that I recall. It was a pretty amazing experience.
@@pcs56 I can imagine! I would set in with several at the Tiki when shows would come in. Did you guys have Uncle Joe's? Thursday night Ladies Night? We had a couple of bands that would play there for the fun of it when they came in.
@@truthortinfoil I don't recall Uncle Joe's. I remember having open mic at the Tiki a couple of times.
I was on Johnston as part of CAST 13! It’s cool to see what the island looks like after a couple years and a couple hurricanes. The South Beach pillars really took a beating, and the Ed Center and southern sea wall breach have both deteriorated even further, but other than that it looks pretty similar to when I was there. I was curious to see how much the vegetation had grown, but even that looks like it’s only increased a little. I enjoyed seeing all the new additions around camp in your Ant Cave video, too.
It’s interesting to hear the names you guys gave to different parts of the island. We used many of the same names for places but a few of them were different. I’ve always found it fascinating how there isn’t much of an enduring culture across CASTs because each crew sort of reinvents the wheel as they explore and learn about the island in a vacuum. It’s one of those fun little quirks about the CAST experience that makes it so unlike anything else.
Thanks for making these videos and helping document Johnston during the CAST era.
Thank you!! I watched your videos before heading out there, and they got me ready for what to expect. Of course, it's much more hectic once you get there and can hear all of the birds for yourself, and the constant action happening around the island. I also got knocked off my bike because of boobies a few times haha.
I'd find different drawings and stuff around the ant cave and papers in some of the books with names for places and it was always interesting to try and figure out what they were referring to. If we didn't know we'd just make something up, or if a funny event happened there that could contribute to the name.
Absolutely! Same to you, I'm heading back out there for CAST XX and ready to get out of the mainland for awhile.
That's awesome that you're heading back! But did CAST 20 get delayed? I thought they would have been on island by now.
@@CASTaways-in-Paradise Yeah they got delayed because of COVID, so we aren't scheduled to leave until the end of the year. Preparing myself for extreme veg management and getting attacked by wasps.
I was a paralegal, in the JAG Corps, for the Army, stationed there 1997, for 12 months. It was the best assignment I had in 22 1/2 years. During that time JACADS was running at its peak. We had hobie cat boats to rent, great fishing, snorkeling, the best food in the military, 9 hole short course, pool, outdoor movies, a full library, and a full woodworking shop. Soldiers could have part time jobs working at one of these facilities for $12 an hour…great money back then. I remember watching Air Force One at the outdoor theater. There were at least 5 bars, and the social/party scene was in full swing. You were allowed to walk around with alcohol because only a few personnel had access to vehicles. Fri or Sat was lobster and prime rib…we would get as much as you could eat, no cost, eat outside at the boat ramp beach, grab some beers at one of the bars and then throw the scraps at that beach or walk down to shark cove to throw the scraps and watch the sharks eat. There was quite a lot of fraternizing, however it never became a problem like in normal Army assignments. There was one over reaching rule that if you were a part of a fight, threatening, assault, or even a harsh disagreement, you and all parties involved would be removed from the island/assignment within 24 hours, no second chance. So everybody got along and that contributed to the overall great atmosphere. The weather was better than Hawaii’s. It was literally a pacific island paradise. Many fond memories.
I was an Ammunition Supply Specialist stationed on the island from '99 to 2000.
At 50:15, you mentioned the ed center. They would give CLEP tests there to people who wanted to do some kind of continuing education. Families weren't allowed on the island, so no kids, wives, etc.
Also, around the year 2000, there was only 300 military personnel stationed there, with about 1000 civilian contractors. 2 Army platoons, about 60 people each, Military Police Company (MPC) and the Chemical Ammunition Company (CAC). The Air Force had a unit there and was actually in charge of the island. At any given time there was around 1000 people on the island, with the remainder usually on vacation.
The big slab just northwest of the JOC was the club house, where the island commander lived. He was a colonel, nice guy.
The thing you called a big parking lot was the tarmac where planes would park and people would get on and off. No cars allowed.
I remember on Halloween watching Rocky Horror at the theater. It was great, but not a lot of Army guys went. I was one of the few.
Once a year we would do a type of fun run down the runway in formation.
We had Denver cable TV piped to the island, which was odd.
I lived in the 3 story barracks next to the tennis courts. The big parking lot on the other side of the tennis courts was across the street from the Coral Reef Cafe, the main chow hall. The weekend I got on the island, somebody from the 25th infantry division that was deployed to the island temporarily to help with something got drunk and fell off the 3rd floor landing of the stair well. He was found the next morning barely breathing and med-evac'ed out.
I played D&D with some of the civilians. There was a sound studio somewhere, maybe in the JOC, but I can't remember.
When I was there you could only get food from about 4 places but there were 9 places you could get drunk at.
The Tiki bar was a common hang out, and it was up by the club house. It had pool tables, some arcade games, and a big room people would dance in. The building layout reminded me of an elementary school though.
The area surrounding JACADS was called the Red Hat area.
There was a bar on the east point of the island called the hideaway that was rumored to be a gay bar, but I also heard that was started by civilians that wanted a break from the Army guys.
The isolation of the island ate at you after a while. I once drank a bunch of whisky and jumped off the big pier and just floated in the water with the sharks. I saw lots of people go pretty crazy on the island.
The little point to the right of corner beach was a place to eat, they had bands come through with the USO sometimes and every friday was burn your own steak night. Some of us would dangle meat off of the point, and we had sharks and sea snakes and fish all biting at it until the island commander gently ordered us to knock it off.
Wow such great info man!! Thank you so much, that really gives me so much insight to what life was like back when it was an active installment. I was wondering how many people got seriously injured out there. We have to be as careful as possible so we don't have to call in the coast guard to get us out.
@@exploreordie6335 Yeah, the clinic had a couple of doctors and could patch people up OK, women could get exams and birth control, etc. But for anything serious you had to go to Hawaii. The troops called one of the doctors "the Ethiopian doctor," which was mean. He was a white guy, but was abnormally thin and looked mal-nourished even though he wasn't, and overly sun-baked. I told him what the troops said about him and asked him why he looked like he did, and he told me how his knee got injured and how he had several surgeries on it and it always caused him pain, then he lost 10 lbs and the pain diminished, so he lost more weight and the pain got better. He basically used his medical knowledge to lose as much weight as he could as a pain-management strategy, and he took walks around the parameter of the island every day, so he got a bronze colored tan.
If you have specific questions, I can try to reach into the memory banks and see if the bitrot has claimed the memories yet, or if I have to do another stream-of-consciousness writing thing to coax them out. :)
@@JoeRawson I definitely looked similar when I got off the island haha, comparable to when I first landed there. For sure, I'll let you know if I think of any more questions. Thanks again man!
@@JoeRawson honestly sounds like a great duty station. Why did they shut it down tho, seems like a great presence to have in that sector! Seems like a great forward deployed base at least.
@@exploreordie6335 how long were you there?
Was great looking back at JI. Was there from beginning of 2001 till end of 2003. Was there working at JACADS. Met some great friends and loved the experience. Weird seeing everything gone and the place taken over by nature.
I worked there in 1987 on jcad project I was an electrician. I watched a few movies right there. I took a bunch of pictures of Johnston Island when I was working there.
Was there in 88-89 supporting JACAD from Aberdeen, MD. Was part of the team setting up the monitoring plan for the incinerator. Great times put worked about 100 hrs week.
I would've loved to be on one of the CAST teams.. I was on Palmyra doing coconut control and had a great time. Thanks for the great video!
I was stationed there January 1982 to January 1983. I was a Military Police Officer and as a side job a Life Guard at the pool. Thanks for the tour. Man, all the buildings are gone and I picture that as a ghost town now. It used to be bustling. Please email me so I can send you pictures of what it looked like when I was there.
I was an MP there in 1996. I grew up in Hawaii so I was used to the island life. The food was great (except the Burger Mister guy at JCADS) and the diving was awesome. We used to watch all kinds of popular movies at the outdoor movie theater.
Was stationed there from 99-01. Thank you for this
Thank you!
I also went on a tour of the atomic clock and that was an eye opener! Very accurate.
Nice tour. What an adventure. The site where you went for internet is the JOHN seismic station, used for earthquake monitoring by the US Geological Survey and PTWC. earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/stations/IU/JOHN/
I installed some of that equipment back in 2003, the two long solar arrays, satellite dish, fiberglass shack. I'm happy to see that the solar and satellite equipment are in good shape still. Sorry about the slow internet. We appreciate the help of the extermination team over the years, performing maintenance for us from time to time.
I had no clue! I knew the USGS had a hand in a lot of things on Johnston but didn't know about the seismic station. Haha no worries, I now appreciate that the internet was slow since it allowed me to focus on other things like exploring and snorkeling. Thank you!