In the islands we enjoy warm, sunny days, palm trees swaying in the trade winds, blue water and white beaches . . . co-existing with state-of-the-art radars, telemetry and optical tracking systems, communications systems, and instrumentation.

Although isolated, Kwajalein appears similar to many American communities; how-ever, there are some notable differences between our communities and stateside ones. Con-tractors manage the stores, restaurants, police and fire departments, hospital, schools, utilities, recreation, airport and harbor. Traffic is far lighter than in most small towns. There are no privately-owned automobiles. Bicycles or walking are the standard means of transportation. Families, couples and unaccompanied personnel reside on Kwajalein.

Roi-Namur is a smaller, more remote island in the Kwajalein Atoll. Unaccompanied personnel and couples (no children) reside on Roi-Namur.

As a resident of Kwajalein and Roi-Namur, you will have a unique opportunity to become acquainted with the Marshallese people and their culture. Three miles north of Kwajalein Island is the island of Ebeye, home for more than 14,000

Marshallese nationals. As you associate with Marshallese workers and familiarize yourself with Ebeye, you will learn that the people are typically friendly and cheerful. You’ll be able to appreciate their handicrafts, and culture, and you may even decide to learn their language.

Personal reactions to the "Kwaj" experience differ. Some feel out of touch with the "real world," confined by the small islands, or deprived by limited shopping opportunities. Most, however, view the very different experience as a pleasant and welcome interlude in their lives.

Standards of conduct and behavior tolerable in areas where anonymity is the rule will not be acceptable in the small-town environment of Kwajalein and Roi-Namur. The close living demands higher standards of personal behavior than those of society at large. These close conditions require that you be able to live in harmony with others because you will be living, working and playing with essentially the same group of people.

The Kwajalein community generally affords children a great deal of freedom. However, freedom implies responsibility. Parents are held responsible for the behavior of their children. Families with children who exhibit destructive behavior are evicted from Kwajalein. There is a 10:00 p.m. weekday curfew and midnight week-end curfew for residents 18 and younger.

Since we are one day ahead of the States, the work week on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur runs Tuesday through Saturday to correspond with the work week in the States. Sunday is the first day of the weekend, and Monday, is a day for shopping, relaxing, recreation, yard work and patio sales.

The weather in the Atoll varies little day-to-day; however, we do have a rainy and wind season. The rainy season extends from mid-May to mid-December. About 75 percent of the 100" annual rainfall is recorded during this period. September, October and November are the wettest months. Light easterly winds, almost constant cloudiness, and frequent moderate to heavy showers prevail during the wet season.

The dry, windy season extends from mid-December to mid-May and is characterized by frequent sunny days and some light showers of short duration. In this season the trade winds are persistent, blowing almost continuously from the northeast at 15 to 20 knots. Severe storms and damaging winds are uncommon in the vicinity of Kwajalein Atoll; how-ever, weak depressions may form nearby during any season. Some of these intensify and eventually develop into typhoons, moving away westward. These depressions can cause heavy rainfall at Kwajalein Atoll. Relative humidity is uniformly high year-round. It is slightly higher in the wet season than in the dry season. The combination of high humidity and proximity of salt water causes corrosion problems.

FACT: Kwajalein is the name for both the atoll ( a group of coral islands enclosing a lagoon) and the island located at the bottom of the atoll. Nearly everyone agrees that the place name "Kwajalein" is a European derivation of the Marshallese words ri-ruk-jan-leen; the people who gather or harvest the fruits or blossoms. The mythical flower tree itself has sometimes been called Kwajalein. The tree was a never-ending source for gathering blossoms used in making flower wreaths, and perfume. There was always an abundance of flowers, no matter how many and how often they were gathered. In Marshallese tradition Kwajalein is thus a place of abundance and generosity. Kwajalein Island, the largest in the atoll, is 3/4 of a square mile wide and 3.5 miles long (approximately 1.2 square miles in area).