Coconut Cutters

Cococut cutters hard at work. Supposedly 30 people a year are killed by falling coconuts. So its best not to stand under any coconut trees. Safety First!

Its official we're KWAJers.

Beth and I stopped by a Kwaj Patio PCS Sale today, otherwise known as a garage or moving sale in the states, and we worked out a great deal for a Surf Board and a Kayak. I am very excited about learning how to surf with my own board. We also picked up a pull cart to haul anything from mail to groceries on our bikes.

So I think it is official we are now KWAJers. How do I know this well as Edgar Schein would say, "The culture of a group can now be defined as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems." I think this definition for culture of group does a nice job of describing why somethings are the way they are here on Kwaj.
Another good news story is that our household goods arrived yesterday so we are working on getting our potted plants together. One can generally tell how long you have been on the island by the size and number of plants in one's yard. Since top soil can't be found on island it becomes a hot commodity.

They are only allowed to sell two bags per visit to the store if they even have it. Fortunately we just got a new shipment so I'll let you know how the plants are doing as we get them situated.

Interesting Article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7885750.stm

Winner, Winner, Tuna Fish Dinner

Dogtooth Tuna! My first fish caught on Kwaj!

The DogtoothLearning how to clean the fish. This guy's daughter owns a fish market in the states.

Keepin the knife on the backbone and slice away Fresh Sashimi! Quite Tasty

The Fishing Team
Shark ScrapsLand Shark!

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avacado, Soy, Ginger, and lime
Fantastic!

Delta Mariner

Here is a news release on one of the cooler projects we have been working on. I am simply attaching the offical press release to avoid any legal gray areas. Luckily Beth and I were in the attorney's backyard oceanside bar this weekend enjoying his new Amber Boch homebrew and he assures me that the as long as we focus on the offical news releases when discussing work then the blog is good to go! Maybe one day you'll here the rest of the story just not over the internet.

From army.mil

-The Missile Defense Agency contracted the Delta Mariner to bring their support equipment to their launch site at Meck Island. The Delta Mariner, a 312-foot long and 8,000-horsepower supply ship, specializes in transporting space-bound hardware. Designed to navigate shallow inland waterways as well as the open ocean, this versatile transport vessel hauled launch support equipment almost 11,000 miles from Decatur, Ala., down the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers into the Gulf of Mexico. The ship transited the Panama Canal en route to the Hawaiian Islands then on to Kwajalein Atoll. This journey began on Dec. 22 and ended when the Delta Mariner docked at Meck Island on Jan. 30.

The logistics functional lead for targets and countermeasures, Ken McDonald, reported, "This shipment is the first of its kind for the Missile Defense Agency. We have never shipped materiel by ship at any time in the agency's history." It is also reported to be the largest ship that has ever sailed into the lagoon. The delivery of the launch support equipment to Meck Island marks the first phase of preparation at Reagan Test Site to support the Missile Defense Agency's two-stage intermediate/long-range launch vehicle, or LV-2. The LV-2 is part of the agency's Flexible Target Family and will be used to test the Ballistic Missile Defense System later this year. The Missile Defense Agency plans to conduct two tests this year with launches of LV-2s from Meck Island. The joint Government-Lockheed Martin test support teams will maintain a consistent presence on Kwajalein for the remainder of the year. The LV-2 Project Manager, Scott Shifrin, stated, "We are very pleased with the support provided by RTS and USAKA. We look forward to launching targets from Meck Island for many years to come." The Flexible Target Family, developed by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, is composed of targets that exhibit various degrees of threat emulation with a broad range of performance characteristics and features in order to present tailorable target behaviors that test multiple Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) capabilities. The LV-2 uses Trident C4 Stage 1 and Stage 2 motors for the required trajectories, accommodating the agency's desired capability for heavier payloads, longer downrange distances, higher velocities and variable launch capabilities. The LV-2 first flight is planned for 3rd quarter fiscal year 2009 in a planned BMDS flight test.