Jeffrey Dean, Enewetak Atoll (1978) Glimmer of Lights

Introducing a series of narrative articles about the Atomic Cleanup Veterans of Enewetak Atoll.

The following are first-hand accounts told by the relatively few survivors of the Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission, Marshall Islands; a mission that took place between 1977-1980. Their stories appear here as told to T-M Fitzgerald (published author, veteran, veteran advocate) because theirs are tales needing to be told.

Read - H.R. 5980: Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity

Introduction: “Where in the World is Enewetak?”

Enewetak is just one of many atolls and islands in the south Pacific’s Marshall Island chain. Located about 2,365 nautical miles SW of Hawaii (just north of the equator), the Marshall Islands were once a major testing ground for nuclear weapons post WWII. This island chain is also home to the project called Cactus Dome, a 350’ wide blast crater located at the northern end of Runit Island that has become known as the ‘Nuclear Trashcan of the Pacific.’

Between 1948-58, forty-three nuclear weapons were detonated over Enewetak and its sister islands. Among these tests were ‘Ivy Mike’ and ‘Castle Bravo’ (a device 1000X as powerful as the bomb ‘Little Boy’ which was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan post Pearl Harbor.)

In 1977, a coalition of United States military forces was sanctioned to ‘clean’ the islands of residual radioactive fallout. Men, many who were mere teenagers back in the day, were tasked with cleaning the contaminated fallout from the nuclear testing that occurred throughout the previous three decades. Keep in mind, that as recent as 2012, the United Nations reported that the cumulative effects from all that nuclear testing had effectively caused near-irreversible environmental contamination. There was a problem beginning in 1977 and currently, effects from that exposure have begun to manifest, taking toll on many surviving Enewetak vets today. Four decades later, survivors are telling their stories because the world needs to know.

Personal story by Jeffrey Dean

Branch: US Army MOS: 61B20 Watercraft Operator Location: Lojwa Year: 1978

Quote: “The enemy was invisible so we didn’t realize what was going on…”

“I am but one of a few of the survivors of the 1977-1980 Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission that took place in the Marshall Islands.

A major focus of this group has been to help one another with information and moral support during some of the challenging times we’ve encountered following our time in service at Enewetak.

A secondary focus/goal is to urge Congress to change current law and recognize Cold War Era soldiers of the Enewetak Cleanup Mission as “veterans who participated in radiation-risk activities during active service.”

By obtaining their second goal, individuals experiencing health complications resulting from radiation exposure at Enewetak Atoll will be eligible to apply for funds that have previously been set-aside for other Atomic Veterans who have already been recognized and acknowledged for their service.

“My tour on Enewetak; basically what I did down there was take contaminated debris off the islands, collect it on a barge and take that over to Runit. (Runit is home to ‘Cactus Dome’, nuclear trashcan of the Pacific.) There was extreme exposure to contaminated material every single day.”

“The only thing I knew about the mission before we went was the knowledge I had of the South Pacific. We were given a basic idea but were not told that we were going to be handling such a large scale of radioactively contaminated debris. We were young and didn’t think too much about anything when we went. It wasn’t like there was any ‘Danger! Danger!’ warning.”

“We were right on the equator more or less and the temperatures ran 120-125F every day. Wearing clothes was stifling enough. Protective gear? That was nil; absolutely zero. Our basic gear consisted of boots, cut-off fatigues and a boony cap. I was part of a LARC crew (think transportation). Our work day was a 12-hour day with Sundays off.”

“We were out on those remote islands in the South Pacific.” Mr. Dean paused in thought. “You know, there was a battle fought here with the Japanese in WWII. So occasionally, when we were out there trimming the surface/removing topsoil, we’d find/see skeletons. There were also Japanese NIT planes as well as all kinds of plane parts and munitions buried out there. They had also buried a runway, of all things. It was kind of weird. Made you stop and think.”

“Once in a while, we’d have to pull duty and go patrol the island across the causeway. We’d take all the garbage over there. After dark, there were rats the size of small woodchucks all over the place, even on the islands we were on. One night, I had rats crawl across my arm.”

“When did I know or start thinking something wasn’t quite what it seemed? I guess that wasn’t until after I got there, of course. Somebody had told me about the plutonium causeway but w never thought about the airborne dust. It wasn’t like we used any dust masks. We were breathing in that stuff day after day, day in and day out. We’d watch little dust storms blowing all over the place from across the causeway. There was no avoiding it. We were all guinea pigs out there, no question about it. They wanted to see how the exposure would affect us, to see what would happen.”

“I’ve been talking about my experiences down there all along. But the fact I was only 43 when I was hit with cancer made me a little more determined to share. When I was told I had cancer, I immediately thought about Enewetak. We were a tight bunch, the LARC guys.” Dean paused. “Let me tell you a little story. One of my brothers, Todd Lentini decided to move up north. There are a number of us who basically hung out and kept in touch over the years. One of these guys and myself, we had been experiencing ill-health effects we attributed to the islands for quite some time. Todd thought he was free and clear. That wasn’t the case. Essentially, he was hospitalized, given his diagnosis and released. Within two weeks, he was gone. That’s when I decided to go to the Bangor News.”

“I walked into the news offices and told the lady I met that I had a story. So we sat down and I ended up talking to her for over an hour. She shared with me that her boss thought this was a huge story and that was when I kind of realized that the government was ignoring us. Today, having connected with so many on the website, we all realize there is so much more to our time spent down in those islands.”

“I have a laundry list of health issues. I’m only 58 years old but my list of ailments would make you think otherwise. Our safety should have been a paramount concern. They’ll tell you they provided us all safety gear, but you know, like those yellow banana suits you see pictures of? Those were just for show. They only had you wear those when you were a newbie. After the little class you had on them and the wearing and parading around a bit, that was it. I never saw a soul wearing them out on the sites ever. It was just some class required by the government. It was all show. Besides, it was so hot there that you couldn’t wear them anyway.”

“It’s been a very long time since we were all down on Lojwa and Enewetak. But today, a lot of the men who served there are experiencing some very big health issues. Many are housebound and cannot work. Some have been given timelines…you know, ‘How long do I have’ kind of information. There’s too many of us for the Feds to try to keep quiet. I don’t know what the exact numbers are, but there’s just too many of us who have developed issues. They won’t put us into any Atomic Veteran designation despite the fact that we all paid our dues. We never hesitated to serve.”

“I’ve had my own share of health issues as well. It’s the legacy we’ve all been blessed with. Problems taking 35-40 years to manifest, well, we’ve hit the 40-year mark. It didn’t matter how long you were down there; one month, one tour or two. We were right in the middle of an atomic mess with no protection, and we’re still here.”

The primary focus for this group is to urge Congress to change legislation and recognize soldiers of this seemingly forgotten cleanup mission as “veterans who participated in radiation-risk activities during active service.”

Follow our cause: Atomic Veterans of Enewetak Atoll