When Lt. Col. Philo J. Rasmusen took command of the U.S. Army airfield at Barking Sands, Kaua‘i in March 1943, it had been in operation since 1940, when the Army acquired land there and paved a 6,000-foot runway. At the
When Lt. Col. Philo J. Rasmusen took command of the U.S. Army airfield at Barking Sands, Kaua‘i in March 1943, it had been in operation since 1940, when the Army acquired land there and paved a 6,000-foot runway.
At the time of Rasmusen’s arrival, and for the remainder of WWII, a large number of heavily laden bombers and transport aircraft took off from the airfield — named Mana Airport — to reinforce distant Pacific battle zones. (In 1956 the Navy began operating at Barking Sands. The Pacific Missile Range Facility, established in 1958, supports naval operations.)
Prior to being ordered to Kaua‘i, then-Major Rasmusen had served in combat in the Solomon Islands as commander of a squadron of B-17 bombers.
From August 1942 to February 1943, during the Battle of Guadalcanal, while operating out of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) and refueling at Guadalcanal’s Henderson Field, Rasmusen’s squadron participated in 26 bombing missions against Japan’s ships, aircraft and shore installations.
The squadron suffered numerous losses in men and aircraft and Rasmusen’s own bomber was often shot with holes from antiaircraft fire.
After attacking an enemy aircraft carrier on Sept. 13, Rasmusen’s bomber became lost in foul weather, forcing him to crash land at sea, which resulted in injuries to Rasmusen and his crew. Undaunted, the airmen boarded life-rafts, paddled to shore on an unknown island and were rescued within 24 hours.
Then, on Oct. 16, Rasmusen’s bomber sank an enemy troop transport attempting to land troops on Guadalcanal, an action for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Following his tour of duty at Barking Sands, Rasmusen returned to service in the western Pacific, survived the war and went home to Salt Lake City. He passed away in California in 1963.
