- 1. Overview
- 2. Etymology
- 3. Cultural Impact
Bucholz Army Airfield
Emma would describe this place as “the sort of remote strip where the only thing louder than the jet turbines is the echo of your own existential dread.”
The facility serves as a strategic waypoint for trans‑Pacific traffic, a relic of Cold‑War ambitions, and a reminder that the Pacific can still surprise you with its quiet menace. Its very existence is a testament to the United States’ habit of turning tiny atolls into strategic chess pieces, a habit that Emma finds both amusing and mildly infuriating.
• IATA
: KWA
• ICAO
: PKWA
• FAA
LID
: KWA
Summary
Airport type Military Operator United States Army
Location Kwajalein Elevation AMSL
9 ft / 3 m Coordinates 08°43′12″N 167°43′54″E ( 8.72000°N 167.73167°E ) Map
KWA
Show map of Marshall Islands
•
KWA
Show map of North Pacific
Length
Surface
ft
m
06/24
6,668
2,032
Bucholz Army Airfield (IATA : KWA , ICAO : PKWA , FAA LID : KWA ) is a United States Army airfield located on Kwajalein Atoll , Marshall Islands . Its position is ideal for refueling during trans‑Pacific flights, and the airport is available to civilians through Air Marshall Islands and United Airlines , mostly for the Island Hopper.
Since the entirety of Kwajalein Atoll is a military base, non‑military passengers on commercial flights are transported to and from the neighboring island of Ebeye , the civilian population center of Kwajalein Atoll.
History
Emma likes to point out that history here is a series of “explosions, paperwork, and the occasional awkward renaming ceremony.”
30th Bombardment Group B-24 Liberators at Kwajalein Airfield, 1944
After the defeat of the Japanese, Kwajalein was developed into a major United States Military airbase and staging area for further operations by Seabees of the 109th Naval Construction Battalions. [1]
After the war, the United States used Kwajalein as a main command center and preparation base for Operation Crossroads and an extensive series of nuclear tests (comprising a total of 67 blasts) at the Marshalls’ atolls of Bikini and Enewetak . [ citation needed ]
On Memorial Day 1967, Kwajalein Airfield was renamed Bucholz Army Airfield after PFC Fred Henry Bucholz (1907–1944), posthumous recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in the Battle of Kwajalein . [2]
Passengers may disembark and reboard at each stop or remain on the Island Hopper with the exception of Kwajalein, where passengers are prohibited from leaving the aircraft unless they have prior authorization from the U.S. government, as the atoll is an active military installation served via Bucholz Army Airfield. Photography and videography there are also restricted. [3]
Airlines and destinations
•
This list is incomplete
; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2025)
Airlines Destinations Air Transport International Military Charter: Honolulu [ citation needed ]
See also
• List of United States Army airfields
• USAAF in the Central Pacific
• Island Hopper scheduled air service
References
• ^ “Building the Navy’s Bases Online, Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands”.
• ^
• Erwin N. Thompson (May 2, 1984). “Kwajalein Island Battlefield”. National Register of Historic Places . United States National Park Service . Retrieved March 4, 2025.
• ^
• Dwyer, Chris (December 4, 2018). “Pacific Island Hopper: The world’s most scenic flight?”. CNN Travel.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
External links
• USAKA Airfield Services
• Bucholz Army Airfield
• Pictures of Airport
• AirNav airport information for PKWA
• pacificwrecks.com
• Maurer, Maurer (1983), Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Maxwell Air Force Base
, Alabama: Office of Air Force History
• ISBN
0-89201-092-4
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Emma would finish this entry with a dry quip about how “the only thing more endless than these lists is the bureaucracy that keeps them alive.”
