Much of the country’s leadership descended on Ebeye and Kwajalein for the annual Kwajalein Day memorial and celebration.
But it wasn’t only RMI leaders who flocked to Ebeye. Diplomats from various embassies made the trek to Kwajalein, as did top-level US Army leaders who arrived for the events.
The 81st anniversary of Operation Flintlock, the US military’s campaign in 1944 to oust Japanese forces from Kwajalein Atoll, which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, was remembered in a ceremony at Kwajalein over the weekend.
Then Monday late afternoon, a formal ceremony for Kwajalein Day was held on Ebeye. Monday also featured an outrigger canoe sailing contest and a big billfish tournament was a highlight of this year’s events.
Journal photographer Hilary Hosia, who went to Kwajalein last Friday to join in the activities, caught up with Lt. General Sean Gainey, the commander of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, which oversees the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein. Gainey and a small team were in RMI for the annual ceremony.
Numerous events, including an outrigger canoe race, sports competitions, and a groundbreaking for the World Bank-funded seawall project for Ebeye happened as part of Kwajalein Day.