The Kwajalein MIA Project

Summary

Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, is located in the western Pacific, ~2,100 miles southwest of Hawai'i and is home to U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll. During WWII, it was the site of Operation Flintlock and major bombing operations in the Pacific Theater. The Kwajalein MIA Project (KMP) is a public archaeology project dedicated to identifying aircraft and wreckage in the atoll lagoon that are linked to missing U.S. servicemen from WWII. The project is comprised of an all-volunteer team that includes veterans, active-duty military, and civilians that specialize in boat operations, diving, archaeology, fundraising, and historical research. The KMP has located 3 of 8 American aircraft that were lost in the lagoon and are currently facilitating efforts with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to recover the associated servicemen. This project exhibits how a public archaeology project can help provide closure to MIA-families who have waited decades to hear of their loved ones’ fates but also how it can function as a source of pride and healing for team members who have more recently served our country and for those who have been affected by the invisible impacts of war that are not exclusive to those in uniform.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15306