Kailua Beach USO

There were small USO buildings all over the island. The USO in Honolulu were more social, dance clubs geared for enlisted men. The USO outside "town" tended to be respite getaways for officers.

This is a photo of the Kailua Beach USO (found in the Kailua Public Library scrapbooks). The building is gone. You can find the site of it by walking down the public access alley near White Sands Road. Walk toward the Marine Base. With your back to the beach, [OK, so the Hawaiians say never turn your back to the ocean) locate a yellow cottage. The site of the USO is about 100 yards toward the base.

If you continue walking down the beach to the end (perhaps half-mile or so) you will see an enclave of new homes just before a spit. One of those homes is where President-elect Obama stayed during December 2008.

The photo below is also from the Kailua Public Library scrapbook. It supposedly is of the Kailua Beach USO, but there are a few people, (I am among them) who suspect it is of Kokokahi USO. Kailua Beach is about five miles from Kokokahi.


Many old-time parishoners remember soldiers and sailors from the USO coming to Mass at St. Anthony's Catholic Church. St. Anthony's was and still is on Kalaheo Road, across from Kalama Beach area of Kailua Beach.

Interestingly, the only person convicted of treason in Hawaii was Otto Kuehn, (He was a German national who was spying for the Japanese.) He had a home both in Kailua and in Lanikai. Kuehn was known to throw parties and socialize with the naval officers from Kaneohe Naval Air Station and the USO on the beach.