Jo Parrish, 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 comparatively few survivors of the Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission, Marshall Islands; a mission that took place from 1977-1980. Their stories appear as told to T-M Fitzgerald(published author, veteran, veteran advocate) because theirs are tales needing to be known.

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

Introduction: “Where in the World is Enewetak?”

Enewetak is just one of many atolls and islands in the Pacific Ocean’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 and civilian support teams were 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 and contractors today. Four decades later, survivors are telling their stories because the world needs to know.

Personal story by Jo Parrish

Branch: Navy Rating: Engine-man Location: Lowja Year: 1978

Quote: “They (our government) do things, make the rest of the world do things that they have no business doing.”

“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 and contractors of the Enewetak Cleanup Mission as “veterans and workers 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.

“What did I know about Enewetak before I went? Nothing. I had no idea. I wasn’t supposed to go anywhere but I accepted orders as an engineer. They shipped me down to Enewetak, processed me in, told me the standard information and then sent me out to I work. I just tried to stay out of everybody’s way.”

“It was hot out there. As far as any kind of special safety gear or clothing went, the only thing we wore was a pair of shorts, a boonie hat and a shirt (Only reason I ever wore a shirt was if it got chilly, you know…when the temps got down below 100F). Nobody ever thought anything about it. We worked from daylight to dark, six days a week. My job was to keep the engines up. I never saw any banana suits on the actual job. I mean, I seen sci-fi movies with outfits like that but never saw anybody wearing anything like that when we were actually working. When we arrived, we soon found out were exempt from pretty much all the rules. For example, there were no regulation haircuts to worry about. When I first went in, it was right after Nam. I wound up on an old Navy vessel that was turned into a research vessel as the chief engineer. Things were pretty good after that.”

“I really found out about what has been going on with other vets when I saw the Facebook page. I joined up to monitor what was going on but before that, I had no idea what was happening to people who had served there. I went through all those years. I’m a Vietnam Vet, been to Saigon….there’s not many places I haven’t been.”

“I really hadn’t thought about my time on the Islands or how it might have affected my health. I talked a little bit about it with my wife and my kids…” Mr. Parrish paused in thought for a brief moment. “You know, I had family who had been to the original Ground Zero in Japan.” He paused again. “My kids and grandkids have had medical problems from the very beginning. I started thinking it wasn’t normal. I mean, we all came from healthy people. So I really started looking at everything: thought they’d outgrow it. They didn’t.”

“I’ve already had my life affected by the whole Agent Orange deal. We were bathed in it in Nam. As far as Enewetak goes, I got to thinking, “That’s where I was at.” I’d go onto Enewetak for a few days, run the boats up on the beach and check the engines: daylight to dark, never stopped. Sand was constantly blowing, it was everywhere. We had asbestos issues back then, too. I’m actually in amazing health compared to everything I’ve got. I did what I was told to do: every day.”

“Even though I believe in rules, I don’t like our gov’t and what they do to people. If I could share a message with the entire nation, I’d say get rid of every one of them in Washington and start from scratch. They’ve screwed the whole world up. They do things, make the rest of the world do things they have no business doing. We need a reset button…a total, 100% reset all the way down to the dog catcher. Get rid of the two-party system. There’s no reason on earth to treat people like they’ve done.”

"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.”

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