Debi Ruberto, Enewetak Atoll (1976) 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 Debi Ruberto

Branch: Army MOS: 61B20 Watercraft Operator Location: Ft. Story, VA Year: 76-80

Quote: “I don’t under-stand how our country can turn its back on these men who gave everything they had for their country…”

“I was the company clerk who worked and lived by many of these Enewetak Veterans during a time soldiers were rotating on and off the Marshall Islands. Women were not allowed down on Enewetak, but I knew many of these soldiers before and after they returned from duty on those islands.

A major focus for this group has been to help these men with information and moral support during some of the challenging times they have encountered following their time in service at Enewetak.

A secondary focus/goal is to urge Congress to change current law and recognize these 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.

When asked how she knew the veterans who had served on the Atomic Cleanup Mission in the Marshall Islands, Debi Ruberto responded easily. “I worked and lived with them at the 309th in Ft. Story. My MOS was 61B20 like the guys. I had my own LARC LX that I was a Crew Chief on besides being the Orderly Room Clerk. We spent free time together and a lot of them were like brothers to me. I didn’t serve on Enewetak with them because women weren’t allowed down there.”

“I didn’t know anything peculiar about the Marshall Islands until some of the guys came back from TDY but I learned a lot about what was taking place as different groups came and went. They were working on former nuclear bomb sites without any kind of protection. The media always showed photos of them decked out in their protective gear, looking like astronauts but in reality, with the temperatures there would reach well over 120F at times, they barely wore anything at all.”

“This all makes me think of the Agent Orange battle fought by our Vietnam vets. You know how long it took for those men to get what they deserved? I don’t understand how our country could turn their backs on these vets when they were guys who gave their all. How many more have to get sick or die before the powers that be will admit what they have done? I can only guess that some of these Cleanup Vet’s children and their children’s children have also suffered because of this. These guys aren’t asking for anything more than what they were promised and deserve. I’m proud to have served with them.”

"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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