156

KALI LUA CLL AINUE Ub

listers ean ce eka

Originally, the first CJTG was to have been Colonel Howard B.
Thompson, USA, who had been in charge of Field Command’s planning
office in Hawaii for the previous 2-1/2 years. However, because his 3-year

assignment to Field Command was almost completed before the project
was funded and mobilized, the assignmentfell to Colone! Edgar J. Mixan,
USA. He assumed command on 17 May 1977 and activated the jTG.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Focht, USA, and CPT Day, from the Field

Command Hawaii Office, arrived in the advance party to serve as Chief,
Engineering Division (J-3), and Chief, Radiation Control Division (J-2),
respectively. Other JTG headquarters staff members in the advance party
included Major Gerald G. Garner, USA, Chief, Administration Division

(J-1) and Captain Randolph A. Flint, USA, Morale and Welfare Officer.45

The advance party included members of the Air Force Medical, Postal,
and Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) Teams. The H&N first aid
station in Barracks 462 was used as a dispensary until a larger facility was
completed. The POL Team remodeled an abandonedfacility into an office
and fuels laboratory and serviced the fuel trucks and trailers which had
been delivered on the first sealift (Figure 3-6). APO 96333 was opened by

the Air Force Postal Team on 6 June 1977.
The largest contingent of the advance party was the USAE of one

general construction platoon, supported by a skeleton staff and

Mooiizanon

157

commanded by Captain James T. Scullary, USA. Their mission was to
construct concrete slabs for the buildings at Lojwa Base Camp.46
The date, 17 May 1977, marked another arrival at Enewetak Atoll. On

Japtan Island, a baby boy was born, the greatgrandson of Iroij Johannes

Peter. He was the first dri-Enewetak to be born on the atoll since the
people were removedin 1947.

These events and the status of mobilization efforts were reported in
weekly situation reports (SITREPs) from the CJTG to Field Command.

Field Command extracted the items of general interest and issued its own
weekly SITREP to al! activities concerned with the Enewetak Cleanup

Project and Rehabilitation Program.47.48

LOJWA CAMP CONSTRUCTION: MAY-NOVEMBER 1977
During Congressional hearings, a Senate staff member had advised
DNA that a recent study by the Army indicated that the military depots
had on hand a number oftents and prefabricated base camp components
that could be used in the cleanup project to minimize costs of camp
construction. Under the original concept in CONPLAN 1-76, the
base
camp at Lojwa was to employ these tents, prefabricated buildings, field
kitchens, and latrines for approximately 400 troops. CONPLAN I-76
projected that it would take 2 months for construction of this prefab

camp.49

After the CONPLAN wasfinalized in September 1976, the Services were
contacted to determine actual availability of the base camp components,
such as the Air Force special purpose portable kitchen and mess hall. The
Air Force advised Field Command that there were not enough complete
,
serviceable units on hand for the cleanup project. During the second
Enewetak Planning Conference, it was learned that the prefabricated base
camp components were not in depot stocks, but consisted of drawings and
bills of material. Additionally, the Army planners determined that tents
would not be satisfactory for a 3-year project and that more comfortable
and durablefacilities would be required. They developed preliminary plans
for a camp which would take a minimum of 7 months to construct, at an
estimated cost of about $3.4 million. This was reduced by $500,000 when
the Army wasable to provide a power plant from their Nontactical Power

Generati

FIGURE 3-6, POL & LABORATORY AREA.

m

The design and construction of the camp was a joint effort by 84th
Engineer Battalion personnel in Hawaii and H&N, based on a Field
Command-USASCH memorandum of agreement dated 7 March 1977. At

the first design conference on 19 March 1977, it was agreed that the
battalion would construct all general purpose buildings on Lojwa, provide

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