James Androl, 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 1000 times 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 James Androl

Branch: US Army MOS: 31M20 Radio Relay/Multi-channel operator, MARS, descrambler Location: Lojwa Year: 1978

Quote: “I think it’s time the people hear the truth.”

“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.

“Before I was sent to Enewetak, I wasn’t told anything about the duty at hand. I never even knew the place existed and I certainly didn’t know it was radioactive.” Jim Androl spoke with no hesitation. “You know, an interesting note, is that after I finished my terms of service at Enewetak, I only had a few days left to serve in the military. My final memory of that whole experience occurred while I was out-processing. Apparently, somebody had brought back some old munitions from a training exercise or such and inevitably, there was an explosion. Three guys died from that. It sure left an impression on me. One of the things I remembered most was about something that happened after everything was said and done”

“Protective gear; that’s easy to talk about. I had none., not even a face mask. In the beginning, my job down there was all about communications. I mean, all the equipment I used was preset so all I had to do was flip switches. That soon changed, however and I moved on to doing actual hands-on work.”

“We had laundry detail where we had to send all of our clothes back over to Hawaii every week to get laundered. My clothes never seemed to make it back in time so I ended up washing things on the island all by hand. In a roundabout way, I was given a key to access a set of washers and dryers down on the south end of the island that nobody else knew about. So of course, I’d go down there at night and do my wash. When I left, I turned in the key. That was when I learned that the machines I had been using were the same ones the scientists used for washing their RAD suits.” Mr. Androl paused as he searched his thoughts. “An interesting bit related to that whole situation is the fact that I am the only male child in my family. The military wasn’t supposed to knowingly put me in harm’s way. Quite obviously, they did.”

“I knew something wasn’t quite what it seemed the moment I arrived in Lojwa. Right away, I started noticing all the craters in the landscape…” Changing the subject, Jim continued. “Being the communications guy, I had to bounce around between islands. A lot of times, my transportation would have to drop me off in some obscure location in order to go do something that had to be done immediately. So there’d I’d be on islands that were ordinarily off limits. I was even behind the hotline for a while. There were times I had RAD counts (radiation absorbed dose) of 161 on my hands and feet. I was exposed to ionizing radiation quite purposefully.

Even my children have been affected. I know that the survivors of that duty on Enewetak have been being followed for socioeconomic reasons and research. There is no doubt in my mind that our mission there was all a big cover-up. Our government wanted to save face, avoid sanctions so we had to look like we were doing something. It would be very detrimental for the US to admit they made a mistake, made a mess they couldn’t clean up. That’s exactly what they did.” Mr. Androl took a deep breath before finishing his thoughts. “I’ve had a tremendous amount of health problems since serving there. When I asked for copies of my service records from the VA, I received them…eventually. They were all blacked out. Tell me that doesn’t say something is not right?”

“The island we called Janet was essentially our trash dump. It was the most rat-infested place you ever seen and was located just across the causeway. We were existing in a spot between two islands that had supported the largest nuclear blasts ever set off out there. Think ‘plutonium contamination.’ Lojwa had only officially been tested for cobalt. Checking all those old bunkers sitting out there, they found them to be highly radioactive. I mention this because I was eventually sent to Lojwa. There wasn’t any brass down there; they didn’t even know I was military. There wasn’t any hooch space for me so guess where my birthing was? One of those radioactive bunkers.”

“I feel guilty every single day of my life especially when I interact with my family and think about all that I have put them through, all for signing my name on that line and wanting to serve my country. I think about everything we all have had to endure and feel guilty every single day. I’m at such a loss for words. There are many veterans out there with claims in the works and I know our government isn’t going to attempt to address or pay them all. But there’s so many who are deserving of being granted their claims.” After a brief moment of silence, Jim Androl expressed the following. “I think of the quote by Abraham Lincoln, it’s on a plaque at the VA in Washington DC. ‘Anybody who fought in war and gave all for this country, that we should, as a country, take care of the widows and orphans.’ They aren’t doing that.”

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