6 Replies to “Merry Midway Island Christmas”

  1. I appreciate this informative website. I was researching a photo of my father with a young gooney bird, and this site was most helpful to me! I wasn’t able to post the photo, but I do intend to include it in the photo gallery I am creating for the republication of Dad’s memoir ( 20 Years in the Secret Service: My Life with Five Presidents by Rufus W. Youngblood.) Dad was traveling with President Nixon in June of 1969 when Nixon met Van Thieu at Midway. Anyway, thanks for your site!!!

    1. I’m so glad to hear. Thank you for stopping by. If you would like to write a story about your dad or his experience I’d be glad to post it here on the website. 🙂

    2. There are a lot of us that served there during the Cold War if memory serves me there were two squadrons of Lockheed tri stars (Willy Victor’s) a com station on Easter island and a full station for destroyers the necular weapons compound and the units to support them. I believe the total with dependents was about 3,000.

  2. Was stationed on Midway for 9 months in 1981 to 82. Beautiful place not much to do. Drank a lot of beer. You site brings back a lot of memories.
    Thanks
    Dan Coleman

  3. This will probably go unread but here I am anyway. I was there when Nixon and the S. Vietnamese president met on Midway back in 69. I was a Radioman 3rd Class on the USS Arlington AGMR-2 and remember marching in dress whites to the airfield where they met. The Arlington was there to provide some communications for the event. I remember the gooney birds and searching for stuff remaining from WWII. I was a WWII history buff and still am to this day. I dug with my hands a few holes near the sandy beach and found a bullet. It was probably from a Japanese plane. I later went to sick bay to have my fingers looked at, they were cut up and bleeding. I still have the bullet somewhere and it’s been years since I last looked at it. If I remember correctly it was a 500 dollar fine for messing with the birds. I know of a sailor on the Arlington who was busted for doing that. If you have ever seen a gooney bird run and take off then you will understand why they are called gooney birds. We had a beer party on the beach with some of the men who were stationed on Midway. Don’t remember much about Sand Island other than the Arlington tied up along side a long pier and it was about a half mile march to where the two presidents met. Nixon was about a hundred ft from where we were standing. A few months ago I saw a YouTube video and I was in it. Can’t remember where the Arlington went after our few days at Midway.

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