(1977)ENEWETAK
ATOLL
Forgotten, Denied V.A. Benefits
CLEAN-UP
VETERANS(1980)
Life Threatening Illnesses, Cancers
​NE​WS & EVENTS​
Resolution of the Marshall Islands in Support of the Enewetak Military Veterans.
Posted October 8, 2020
MARSHALL ISLANDS, Republic of the Marshall Islands 41st Constitution Regular Session passes Resolution in Support of the Veterans and Civilians who served on Enewetak. On August 28m 2020 the Nitijela Resolution No. 15ND1 was passed, signed and issued by the Nitijela of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Since 2015, the veterans of Enewetak Atoll have been seeking from the U.S. Congress healthcare parity which has been of interest of some members of congress in the 114th, 115th and 116th congress without success.
Toxic Paradise (PDF)
Posted March 2016
The United States conducted 67 tests of nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, the site of the U.S. Pacific Proving Grounds, from 1946 to 1958. Radioactive strontium-90 exceeding U.S. environmental standards was detected in well water in 1977. U.S. troops who participated in the resulting cleanup have experienced a number of health abnormalities.
Legion Commander addresses Washington Conference attendees
Posted February 6, 2016
American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett addresses members as they prepare to go to Capitol Hill and meet with legislators during the annual Washington Legislative Conference.
Post Falls man wants to be 'Atomic Veteran'
Posted March 2, 2016
POST FALLS, Idaho – Jeff Fortin of Post Falls wants to become an "Atomic Veteran.” But Fortin isn’t classified as an Atomic Veteran. He’s part of a different group of veterans claiming they're getting sick, too. They're service members who came in years after nuclear testing to clean up the radioactive debris.
Toxic Paradise - Enewetak Atoll cleanup project veterans
Posted February 19, 2016
Crystal white sand, clear blue water and coconut palm trees. Add tropical weather, and you have an atmosphere more suited for a cruise-liner destination than a carcinogen. Yet for thousands of veterans who participated in atomic cleanup operations in the late 1970s, Enewetak Atoll was no Fantasy Island. “Invisible bullets entered our bodies, and we carry them with us daily,” says Paul Laird, a three-time cancer survivor from Otisfield, Maine. The 58-year-old Army veteran operated a bulldozer on Enewetak for the 84th Engineer Battalion in 1977. “We were told to do a job. You either did the job or you faced Leavenworth (federal prison).” Video by Lucas Carter/The American Legion.
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A poison in our island
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Stars and Stripes
'Atomic veteran' seeks help 40 years after cleaning up nuclear test site
November 3, 2016
BDN Main - Midcoast
Belfast veteran seeks help 40 years cleaning up nuclear
April 2, 2015
WCSH6 - Portland
Atomic clean-up veterans asking for help 40 years later
Novermber 3, 2016
The Journal Gazette
Stay in paradise costs Army vet
May 24, 2016
The Huffington Post
‘The Other Side of Memorial Day,’ or Dying in Paradise
May 25, 2015
KHON2 News
Forgotten Heroes: Service members left out after cleaning America’s atomic waste
September 16, 2015
Lagniappe Weekly
COVER STORY: Local veteran organizes service members affected by nuclear cleanup
November 11, 2015
The Times Tribune
CHRIS KELLY: An Atomic Age wound is left to atrophy
January 6, 2016
Honolulu Civil Beat
Nuclear Victims: Will We Help Vets Who Cleaned Up After Atomic Blasts?
July 1978
Airman's Magazine
Recovering a Paradise Lost
June 2, 1980
The Times Magazine
Cleaning Up After The Bomb - Peacetime Perils on Pacific Atoll
June 1979
Enlisted Times
Cancer Duty or Humanitarian Mission?
November 11, 2016
Reveal - Investigative Reporting
Atomic veterans continue push for recognition and compensation
October 15, 1980
Engineers help restore ancient island home Enewetak Atoll
84th Combat Engineers work on the Island of Runit located at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands
U.S. continues to ignore reparations claims Marshall Islanders
On the eve of APEC, the US continues to ignore the reparations claims of Marshall Islanders by Beverly Ann Deepe Keever