In previous posts I’ve given you stories about dancing
seabirds, fascinating
flowers, endangered
seals, and charming
men from Thailand. Today though I want to share with you a darker view of
Midway. If you’re the kind of person that has bad dreams after reading
disturbing things, this might not be the blog post for you. And if there are
children in the room, this might be a good time to lock them in the coal closet
(well, at least that’s what my parents used to do when they wanted to get rid
of us for a spell).
Upon arriving at Midway
I was struck by the incredible abundance of seabirds which, coupled with the remoteness
of the island and the lack of
fear exhibited by wildlife, give the island a surreal flavor for sure. Visitors
to the Galapagos or other remote islands would likely have similar impressions
and feelings. But the strangeness didn’t stop there. Riding my bicycle across pot-holed
roads, among derelict buildings, passing by rusty heaps of scrap metal and old
guns, with not another human soul in sight, I have often found myself thinking
about what it would be like to one of a handful of survivors of some kind of apocalypse.
Some of these buildings are impressive hulks that can even be entered to
consummate the feeling of post-nuclear near-annihilation. The seaplane hangar,
which suffered great damage during a Japanese bombing raid during World War II,
is a great place to do some thinking about the fragility of human societies.
The Seaplane Hangar, an enormous steel framed building was
bombed
on December 7th, 1941 and nearly destroyed. Though never repaired, it's still used for storage. |
Many aspects of life on Midway add to the impression that we
live in some sort of post-apocalyptic world. It is a motley crew out here: a
dozen or so Americans that for whatever reason decided to station
themselves thousands of miles from anywhere. Add to this a couple dozen men
from Thailand that certainly must be escaping something, if only perhaps
pitiful wages in their home country. When away from my desk and computer, it’s not hard
to imagine that this we are the only ones in the world remaining.
Although writers and filmmakers have imagined many variations on what the world might
be like should catastrophe come to pass, most agree that motorized modes of
transportation would be scarce as the facilities used in the production of oil and gasoline would be the first targets hit. So if we forget about the birds for
minute we can easily imagine a more sinister reason why Midway’s residents travel about
the island on old rusty bicycles and golf carts.
Midway's only ambulance seems to be a relic passed on from another, more prosperous time and is an example of the island's tradition of keeping old equipment in service as long as possible. |
Folks on the island seem to be pretty much oblivious to things happening in the outside world, including even major US elections1. I remember
an occasion last summer when a group of a dozen or so of us argued back and
forth on the topic of when and where the Olympic Games were to be held that
summer. After five minutes of back and forth – in both English and Thai – no
one could offer a definitive answer we weren't even sure if they had already happened or not. It was almost like we were
discussing something hypothetical or imaginary. In the so-called civilized
world, this kind of ridiculous conversation, unlikely as it might be, would
quickly be settled with someone pulling out a smartphone to look it up, but
given the lack of connectivity here at Midway that is not something that ever
happens. It’s not that people don’t have smartphones, most do, but in proper
post-apocalyptic fashion, they seem more like souvenirs from a more
technologically-advanced world that was left behind.
Nothing speaks post-apocalypse better than Midway’s “boneyard”,
an assortment of junk piles that covers several acres by the harbor. It is here
– not Wal-Mart – that residents of the atoll go when they find themselves in
need of something. In fact, on Midway, when you say you’re going “shopping”, it
means you’re heading over to the boneyard to find something (wear sturdy shoes and be sure you're up to date on your tetanus vaccinations). Here
I’ve found old, but serviceable, aluminum poles, cricket bats, a functional
cooler, a giant bolt that I use as a stake, snowshoes, and a table and chair. You
could also find wrecked cars, boats heavy equipment (there is, I think, a giant
asphalt-grinding machine), washing machines, refrigerators, satellite
dishes and nearly anything else you might desire. Common household trash
judged to have no value is taken to a giant burn pile on the edge of the island
an on certain days when the wind is right the acrid smoke burns your nostrils
as it blows by. But anything that could even possibly
find purpose in the future is hoarded. There are small piles of possibly valuable
things cached nearly everywhere on the island. Closets are crammed with surplus
clothing, spare rooms in houses piled high with old furniture and nick knacks, and
a drawer in the kitchen of my with dozens of MREs (the famous “meals, ready to
eat” which have caused nearly as many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder as
shell shock). Should materials be needed for the set of the next Mad Max sequel, the boneyard would be a profitable
place to seek them.
There's something for everyone in the Boneyard. At first glance it looks somewhat random but closer inspection reveals considerable organization. |
The hydroponic garden, located next the abandoned, former dining
hall, provides fresh vegetables to supplement the island exile’s diet of canned
and deep-frozen foods, and could also be envisioned in a post-apocalyptic
outpost. But as soon as my stomach's rumbling sends me to the Clipper House for
lunch, the illusion falls apart. Whereas my fantasy had me living disconnected
from the outside world and post-civilization, life here on Midway is in reality
completely the opposite. Food
grown in various parts of the world is hauled in by ship and by jet. Thousands
of gallons of fuel are burned each month to keep the lights on and the air conditioners
humming. And even if most island residents ignore the news, they maintain close
communication with family and friends back home and frequently share photos and
stories through social media thanks to our satellite communications system. Maybe what we have here is more like pseudo-post
apocalyptic?
Midway has played a key role throughout US military history including as a surveillance outpost during the Cold War years. |
While it is true that many of the things that lend Midway a
post-apocalyptic feel are simply a consequence of its remoteness and decaying
infrastructure, it is hard to escape the historical importance it's held during times when it seemed not too far fetched that the most world's most powerful nations might just bomb each other into oblivion. The Battle of Midway is
famously recognized as a pivotal victory for the US against the Japanese. Less
well known is the role that Midway played during the Cold War. Shortly after the Korean War the Soviet Union began military maneuvers in the Pacific prompting the US to deploy the “Airborne Early Warning Barrier”, a system to keep track of Soviet planes. Midway was a key resource with over 30 flight crews stationed on the atoll and flights departing the island's airfield every four hours to conduct surveillance across the Pacific all the way to Adak Island in the Aleutians. Midway also served an important function
during the Vietnam war, as a fueling station for ships and aircraft and also as
a base for the Missile Impact Locating System and other weapons programs. Should
things have gone a little differently in this small corner of the globe, it is
hard to say how things would have turned out but it would probably be fair to
say that there were times when apocalypse was a very real possibility.
1 - A notable exception was the recent death of Thai King
Bhumibol Adulyadej which was was met by island residents with deep sadness.
Postscript: Popular culture has conjured many visions
for a post-apocalyptic world but none for me has been more compelling than The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. In this dark novel, the
protagonists, an unnamed father and his son (the boy), wander through a world
so ruined that nature as we know it no longer exists. A recommended, though very dark, read!