Midway, Part VI

WWII gun on Eastern Island

One of the amazing things about Midway is the history of the atoll. The Navy had presence there for quite some time and there is still a lot of WWII era stuff on the islands.

My favorite story is about the resourcefulness of the men stationed there during WWII when they knew the Japanese would be attacking Midway. Japan wanted the atoll for strategic purposes. The men didn't have a lot to defend themselves with, being in the middle of nowhere, so they made do with what they had. One thing they had were old WWI tanks. They took the tops off the tanks, partially buried them, and used them as protective turrets to shoot at invading forces.



Underneath this hunk of metal was a hole they dug so the men could fit under there. This is what it looked like when I stuck my camera in there.



There are also ruins of old buildings and piers and the like left on Eastern:







There's also a memorial to Marines on Eastern:



All very cool.

Well, I know that was a brief post, but work is pretty busy today. Apparently they're trying to squeeze me dry before I leave. I can't believe I only have a week left. It's pouring rain today so I'm really hoping it doesn't rain tomorrow. I want to spend the day at the North Shore before I have to go pick up my PMF replacement at the airport. The rest of my week is going to be filled with packing and errands. This is really bittersweet for me.