Being a loadmaster on a c-125 from 65 to 71 I had many short term stopovers on Wake. Always enjoyed it for some reason. The worst thing the military did there was when they replaced the Drifters Reef.
This was a very quaint, enjoyable place to wet your whistle, sit in the shade during the day or just kick back and watch the waves lap up on the beach at night. After it was damaged by a typhoon the military in all its wisdom, tore it down and replaced it with a concrete block and glass joint. Went there once, never went back. Sad
For an account of the people on Wake in 1942, see the excellent book by Bill Sloan, Given Up for Dead (New York: Bantam-Dell, 2004), ISBN 0-553-38194-6. Sloan accounted for almost all of the men on Wake when the Japanese landed. He followed their stories through the war and afterward.
I have landed at Wake several times while I was a Navy long range patrol plane pilot. Fortunately, the weather has always been beautiful. The island is gorgeous as a place to rest between twelve hour flights. However, it is not a place to stay.