You never know who’s sitting next to you in the pews!
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
written by Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman
Last month, at Pastor Erik’s Faith on Tap, I was sitting next to a congregation member, and we were talking about our fathers. I happened to mention that my father took a plane to work every day when I was young because we were living on the Marshallese island of Kwajalein, and my dad worked on Roi Namur, 90 miles away. The congregation member said, “Oh, my dad was at the Battle of Kwajalein!” And before I could ask if his dad was a Seabee, he said, “My dad was a Seabee. He was wounded during the battle and was sent to Hawaii to recuperate. When he got well, he chose to be sent back to Kwajalein.”
Now, these names may sound exotic to you, but these were household names for me growing up. The Kwajalein Atoll lies about halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. It’s a set of about 97 small coral islands, positioned around a central lagoon. Kwajalein is the largest island, just about 3 miles long, shaped like a banana. Roi Namur lies 90 miles to the north, and on it, since WWII, has been a missile tracking radar, which is to this day maintained by the US military. When my family lived there, it was the height of the Vietnam War. Planes often stopped on their way between Honolulu and Saigon. Back in the 1940s, Kwajalein was the site of a bloody battle between the US and Japan. After the battle, the Seabees sought to make the island habitable and usable as a strategic base. I was little aware of either WWII or Vietnam as a small child; all I remember were the “splashdown days” where we couldn’t play outside, because missile shrapnel from exploded test missiles might come raining down.
Anyway, back to the conversation at Faith on Tap. I asked my conversation partner, “Did your dad leave you any photos from his time on Kwajalein?”
“I don’t know, I’ll have to check.”
A few days later, I received a large envelope, not with photos, but with old newsletters from the war.
The first one I looked at was called “The Roi Namur Daily News (Restricted; Do Not Mail)”, dated June 23, 1944. This was only four and a half months after the Battle of Kwajalein! On Roi Namur, the Japanese admiral, Yamamoto, had had headquarters. I remember exploring his old, bombed-out bunker as a child.
The first article of the Newsletter began this way,
CARRIER PLANES HIT JAP FLEET
U.S. Surface Craft Seeking Engagement With Nipponese West Of Marianas
PEARL HARBOR, June 21.....American carrier planes attacked a strong Japanese fleet, including aircraft carriers and battleships, midway between Luzon and Saipan, before dusk Monday, in the first day of, action which Admiral Chester Nimitz hopes may develop into a decisive naval battle, it was announced today.
The rest of the paper gave updates from around the world about the progress of the war.
The only items germane to Roi Namur were the following:
LOST: Loss of a plastic wallet containing an urgently needed 90 dollars, as well as pictures and an ID card was reported last night by S2c E.L. Eckes. If found, return to DAILY NEWS Ad Bldg. # 2.
LOST: Brown wallet in Acorn shower. S1/c Dooland Walker, Boat Pool.
FOR SALE: Sailboat, 14 foot overall, completely rigged with jib and mainsail. Ex- cellent condition. S/Sgt, E.J. Sykora, Fox Battery, Heavy AA Group, 15th AA Bn.
This daily newsletter was a bit of a time capsule. Through it, I could step back in time, over 80 years before, and more than 20 years from the time I was living there. It was fun to talk with someone whose dad was there during a historic time.
You never know what an impromptu conversation at church will bring up or what connections you can make!