We refueled on Wake Island in '69 on my first trip to Nam. It would be shame to see it just abandoned. iime will tell what they decide, though.
About fifteen years ago the Air Force tried to shut down its operation at Wake; at the time, the USAF reasoned that most of the users were non-Air Force aircraft (mostly Navy), so they tried to pass the burden of staffing and funding Wake to the Navy. The Navy's allies in Congress directed that the Air Force continue the Wake operation.
I'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that the USAF will seize this opportunity to make another push for shutting down Wake, and will exaggerate the amount of damage suffered in the typhoon (the USAF's own press release says that "70 percent of the buildings suffered moderate to severe damage" -- how much is moderate, how much is severe?).
I hope enough pressure is put on the USAF to repair and continue the Wake operation. I was fortunate to visit there just over a year ago when our C-20 landed for refuelling on our long return trip from Hawaii to Okinawa. Wake is a fascinating, beautiful place, and VERY isolated. And our military needs it as a refuelling stop. Let's hope the Air Force is made to understand that!