Steve Harrison, 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 Steve Harrison

Branch: US Army MOS: 12B10 Location: Lojwa Year: 1978-79

Quote: “We were naive, young and in our youth. We were warriors without a war, but we still gave our all.”

“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.

“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” F.D. Roosevelt

“It was interesting how I found myself down in the Marshall Islands. About a month prior to my going, a guy had just gotten back from there and told me all about his experience. So a few other guys and I volunteered to go. I was drawn to volunteer because I had a buddy who was down there. I fell into the casual atmosphere quite well. The higher ups knew how extreme the environment was. Discipline was very lax. I ended up working on Janet (an island in the Marshalls). Let me tell you this, too. That white coral was highly reflective. We kind of went unkempt for the most part. And most of us left without any tan lines.”

“They showed us an old movie about the Marshalls. It wasn’t all that informative but I remember it did say, ‘The radiation here is no worse than getting dental x-rays.’ They told us not to worry, the islands were safe.” Mr. Harrison paused. “A lot of these guys can’t get copies of their old military records to help prove they were even out there. I’m one of the lucky ones. I have records where my exit physical actually shows my time spent on the Islands. A lot of these guys are having problems locating and accessing their records to begin with. It was like they never existed, never served time at Enewetak.”

“There was one time we did a c-4 det on the NW side of Enjibe. We had to stay out there 24-hours for that one. The next day, we went in (with paper masks) to finish the work. I was operating a bucket-loader and filling up a 20-ton with this stockpile of soil that was sitting on the beach. We kicked up quite a bit of dust. I reached behind me in the loader for the canister mask we had sitting back there and was about to put it on when it dawned on me. It was sitting back there constantly. Nobody ever cleaned it, you know. That mask was so contaminated that I would have inhaled just as many if not more contaminants wearing that thing than if I just took my chances with the air around me.”

“We were out doing cleanup one day in this really strange area. We ran across this little research type hut out there that had this little pond next to it. In this pond were these styrofoam things floating all across it. Being the young knuckleheads that we were, we started jumping across those things. I mean, we didn’t have a clue what was in that pond or what it had been used for. We ended up breaking through the styrofoam. We didn’t care. We didn’t know. The Feds knew our mentality; we were just carefree boneheads back in the day. They knew that when they sent all of us down there.”

“There are a number of us who served there who remain symptom-free. But there are so many of our brothers who currently have multiple issues. The general public has no idea we even exist, much less know anything about what went on down there. ‘Oh, our government wouldn’t do this to their own.’ More like, ‘Wouldn’t they? Haven’t they?’ The burden of proof is so difficult for veterans. The government finds it easier to just turn their back instead of acknowledging and addressing the issue.”

“The Enewetak Atomic Cleanup mission was just a show. The united States was trying to appease the Marshallese by going in, ‘cleaning’ things up and putting the people back on their land.”

“I’ve met again with some of my brothers from my service down in Enewetak. I think a lot of my wanting to tell the world about our mission down there has to do with the comradery we shared. Hearing their stories today has made me very vocal, and I continue being as vocal as I can because so many are….well let me just say this. Things became very real for me when another one of my brothers developed cancer. Our government made us sick and they’ve turned their back on us. We made the ultimate sacrifice and what did we gain from that? We’re all basically time bombs. I look at my brothers and read their stories…I don’t know if I’m going to develop some crazy illness at any point related to my service but the possibility? The thoughts are always on my mind. More and more memories are coming back and thinking about everything now and seeing how it has affected so many? It’s a scary thought to constantly carry.”

"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