July 7, 2006 - Members of the 7th Dive Detachment from the 29th Engineering Battalion "Topographic" demolished the
decrepit Pacific Bachelor Quarters (PBQ) today using 168 sticks
of dynamite. The demolition was a much-anticipated event on
Kwajalein and was preceded by a two-day evacuation of the downtown
area, covering 76 facilities including Café Pacific,
the post office, and the hospital. A large group of onlookers
gathered around the perimeter of the approximate 681-foot evacuation
zone throughout the afternoon and cheered when the detonation
occurred around 4:05 PM. As planned, only the first floor was
destroyed with the second and third floors simply falling one
story in height. The structure was partially lowered
so that it could be safely demolished with the heavy mechanical
equipment on-island.
Updated on July 9, 2006 to include additional
post-detonation photographs.
