Kilauea Military Camp

Kīlauea Military Camp, commonly abbreviated KMC, is a United States Department of Defense Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility on Hawaiʻi Island, also known as the Big Island. It occupies a distinctive setting inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park at approximately 4,000 feet above sea level and within walking distance of Kīlauea Volcano. The site combines a military recreational installation, a historic camp, and a resort-style destination serving eligible members of the U.S. military community. KMC was established in 1916 after Hilo businessmen raised funds to create a permanent camp on land owned by Bishop Estate. Its initial purpose was to provide a place for military personnel to rest and recuperate while also supporting training for local National Guard members. The camp opened officially on November 17, 1916. Its creation occurred in the same year that Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was established, producing a long-running relationship between the military recreation facility and the national park environment. The land-management structure changed in 1921 when the National Park Service acquired the lease as the Territory of Hawaiʻi transferred the area to the United States as part of Hawaiʻi National Park. The Army also assumed control of KMC in 1921. By the end of 1922, approximately 5,000 enlisted personnel had visited the camp. Over time, the installation developed beyond a temporary military camp, adding permanent guest cottages, a post exchange, bakery, barber shop, light plant, water plant, and other supporting infrastructure. During the 1940s, KMC was used in connection with the wartime detention of people of Japanese ancestry and as a prisoner-of-war camp. This period forms an important and difficult part of the site's history. The camp has also hosted notable visitors, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, who visited while serving as Army Chief of Staff in 1946 and later became president of the United States. In 1949, KMC was opened to personnel from all branches of the U.S. military. In its contemporary role, KMC operates primarily as a vacation and recreation destination rather than as a conventional operational military post. Its principal users include active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees, and their eligible family members. Accommodation includes one-, two-, and three-bedroom cottages and apartments adapted from the site's earlier military infrastructure. Depending on the unit, guest amenities include kitchens, fireplaces, cable television, and jetted tubs. The facility's services extend beyond lodging. KMC provides dining, tours, entertainment, and recreational activities connected with the volcanic landscape and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Its location gives the installation a distinctive positioning within the Armed Forces Recreation Center system: it offers an accessible retreat for eligible military and DoD patrons while preserving the atmosphere of a historic high-elevation camp. On June 1, 2011, KMC became one of three Armed Forces Recreation Center properties managed by the Hale Koa Hotel. It continues to function as a military-community recreation and hospitality facility.

Kīlauea Military Camp began as a cooperative military recreation and training project in 1916. Hilo businessmen assembled the funding needed to establish a permanent camp on land held by Bishop Estate. The intended functions were to provide military troops with a place for rest and relaxation and to support training by local National Guard units. KMC formally opened on November 17, 1916. Its establishment coincided with the creation of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in August 1916. The two institutions developed an unusual and enduring relationship because the camp was located within the protected volcanic landscape. In 1921, when the Territory of Hawaiʻi transferred the relevant land to the United States as part of Hawaiʻi National Park, the National Park Service acquired KMC's lease. The Army assumed control of the camp during the same year. KMC expanded rapidly during its early decades. By the close of 1922, about 5,000 enlisted men had visited. The camp gradually gained the facilities associated with a permanent post and retreat, including guest cottages, a post exchange, a bakery, a barber shop, a light plant, and a water plant. These additions helped transform KMC from a basic military encampment into a more established service and hospitality facility. The Second World War brought a darker chapter. During the 1940s, KMC served as a Japanese internment camp and as a prisoner-of-war camp. The site's wartime uses place it within the wider history of military detention and civil-liberties restrictions in Hawaiʻi and the United States. KMC also received prominent visitors. Dwight D. Eisenhower visited in 1946 while serving as Army Chief of Staff; he later became president of the United States. In 1949, the camp was opened to all branches of the U.S. military, broadening its service population beyond the Army. Over subsequent decades, the installation's principal identity became that of a Morale, Welfare and Recreation destination. Former military-post buildings, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom cottages and apartments, were adapted for guest accommodation. The resort added or maintained dining, tours, entertainment, and recreational services for active-duty personnel, Reserve and National Guard members, Department of Defense employees, and eligible family members. On June 1, 2011, KMC became one of three Armed Forces Recreation Center properties managed by the Hale Koa Hotel. This management arrangement placed the facility within a wider military recreation framework while retaining its distinctive location and historic character. Today, KMC remains an active DoD recreation facility inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, offering military-community lodging and leisure services near Kīlauea Volcano.

• 2011

  Joined the Armed Forces Recreation Center network

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  On June 1, KMC became one of three Armed Forces Recreation Center properties managed by the Hale Koa Hotel.

• 1949

  Access extended to all military branches

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  KMC opened its services to personnel from all branches of the U.S. military.

• 1946

  Dwight D. Eisenhower visits

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  Dwight D. Eisenhower visited KMC while serving as Army Chief of Staff.

• 1940

  Wartime detention uses

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1940s, KMC was used as a Japanese internment camp and as a prisoner-of-war camp.

• 1922

  Early visitor milestone

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  By the end of 1922, approximately 5,000 enlisted men had visited the camp.

• 1921

  National Park Service acquires the lease

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  Following the transfer of the area from the Territory of Hawaiʻi to the United States, the National Park Service acquired KMC's lease and the Army assumed control of the camp.

• 1916

  Permanent camp established and opened

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  Local Hilo businessmen funded the creation of a permanent military rest, recreation, and training facility. KMC officially opened on November 17, 1916.

• 1916

  Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park established

  [1]Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org

  The establishment of the national park in the same year created the protected natural setting in which KMC continues to operate.

A historic, high-elevation Armed Forces Recreation Center that provides resort lodging and leisure services for eligible U.S. military and Department of Defense communities in the volcanic landscape of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

• Hospitality

  KMC lodging

  The facility offers resort-style accommodation in one-, two-, and three-bedroom cottages and apartments converted from earlier military-post buildings. Described amenities include kitchens, fireplaces, cable television, and jetted tubs. The lodging is intended for eligible active-duty, Reserve, National Guard, Department of Defense civilian, and family patrons.

• Hospitality

  Dining and guest services

  KMC provides dining and related guest services as part of its Morale, Welfare and Recreation role. These services support visitors using the camp as a military-community retreat in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

• Leisure and recreation

  Tours, entertainment, and recreation

  KMC provides tours, entertainment, and recreational opportunities connected with its setting near Kīlauea Volcano and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The offering distinguishes the facility from a conventional military installation by emphasizing rest, leisure, and access to the surrounding volcanic environment.

• 2011

  Management integration with Hale Koa HotelStrategy

  Background

  KMC operated as a military recreation and hospitality facility serving the U.S. military and Department of Defense community.

  Action taken

  On June 1, 2011, KMC became one of three Armed Forces Recreation Center properties managed by the Hale Koa Hotel.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement placed KMC within the Armed Forces Recreation Center network while preserving its role as a Hawaiʻi-based lodging and recreation destination.

  Source

1. 1Kilauea Military Campen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kilauea Military Camp official websitekmc-volcano.com