Norman Sova, 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 Norman Sova

Branch: Army MOS: 12B1P Paratrooper Location: Lowja Year: 1978-79

Quote: “Men have lost their lives and nobody seems to care. Things need to change and people need to know about us, learn about what we did and why. The problem though, is that the government doesn’t want anybody to know.”

“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 you know about the location or mission before you went to the Marshall Islands for TDY? “Nothing really. They asked for volunteer’s and that’s how I ended up going down there. I left from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I didn’t know anything about the Marshall Islands much less nuclear testing before I went.”

“We were kept in the dark until we got down there. Being young and stupid, nobody really thought anything about the lack of information back then. I first suspected things might not be all as they first appeared after I got to Lowja and they started explaining our jobs to us. If I’d known anything about the history of where we were supposed to be working, I probably wouldn’t have volunteered to go. We were at Ft. Bragg when they come out to ask for volunteers. A few guys had just got back from there and they needed volunteers for six-month TDY. In the process of getting there, we went to Hawaii, did some tests…but overall there was no information telling us what we were going to be doing. Being a combat engineer, I just thought we were going down to build stuff.”

“I ran the track drill for a while (drilled holes in the coral and blew it up for concrete) then the rock crusher then went to work down at the crater itself for a few months pumping cement and debris into the dome.”

“Safety gear? Such as it was, safety gear consisted chiefly of yellow rubber boots, some tape and a dust mask. That was the usual uniform of the day; maybe a Boony hat and a T-shirt. The pictures people have posted of guys in the yellow banana suits? The only time I ever wore one of those was my first day on the island. They wanted us to see what it was like to wear the whole set up. As you might imagine, the heat was miserable.”

“When I started seeing and learning about the things that are happening with so many other guys, my interest in my former duty station went way up. I spent years looking for stuff about Enewetak and the Marshall Islands. I managed to get in touch with some guys I served with and heard about other guys we had served there with who were dying….” Mr. Sova paused. “I knew something wasn’t right. I decided to send for copies of my medical records but all I got back was paperwork with everything blacked out. Supposedly, we were never down there.”

“We were all young, and I don’t think anybody really cared back then. As a matter of fact, some guys did two or three tours. They fed us good, took care of us and everything, but everybody was young and naive. Nobody cared one way or another about what was going on in the background. We had all sorts of things to do. After putting in 12-hour days, six days a week we could go snorkeling, scuba diving; I mean, I’m not going to lie. It was fun. After I finished TDY in Enewetak, I only had two months left in the military. Truth of the matter was, the Internet came into play and all these other social media outlets and so I started looking around and finding out things about Enewetak that really opened my eyes.”

“I was down there when typhoon Rita came through. We were evacuated over to Enewetak and were supposed to go to Guam but the powers that be decided we were going to ride it out. I was a little scared on that one. Enewetak is such a small place, there was nowhere to run. It was an experience, for sure.”

“I really started thinking about things after I heard about the things so many others were going through health wise. The government acts like we were never there and won’t even look at these guys. I’ll tell people about serving down there and about what we did and they look at me like I’m crazy. Then they come to my house and see my pictures and papers on the wall and they’re like, “Oh wow. You really were there.”

“Men have lost their lives and nobody seems to care. Things need to change and people need to know about us, learn about what we did and why. The problem though, is that the government doesn’t want anybody to know.”

"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