Mark Sargent, Enewetak Atoll (1979) 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 Mark Sargent
Branch: US Army MOS: 12B10 Combat Engineer Location: Lojwa Basecamp Year: 1979
Quote: “We did what we were asked. We’re not asking for anything more, not for anything we didn’t earn.”
“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.
“We weren’t told anything about where we were being sent. Nothing. I went in the military on the buddy program. After basic training, Ft. Bliss was full. So we were sent on Operation Santa Clause down in El Paso for about three months. It was right after that when I was sent to Enewetak. It was about three years after we got back stateside that my buddy found out he had cancer. He’s currently in remission, but not doing too well health wise.”
“We were up early, took a boat to work. We’d labor and sweat for 10-12 hours a day. I mean, it was labor-intensive work. Then you’d have to factor in the heat. We were pretty much sitting on top of the equator. We’d have Sundays off and then come Monday morning, we’d do it all over again.”
When asked about protective gear, Mr. Sargent had this to say. “We had some when we were down on Runit. That was the only time we ever wore any. We used the little paper dust masks but those would get soaked with sweat. They were pretty much useless.”
“I knew there was more to this job than what they told us when we had to use Geiger counters (that went off constantly) when we’d go policing steel and other debris along the reefs and beaches. One time, I just scratched a sore on my arm and it literally exploded. I got lymphatitis or some such in that arm. I mean, I just scratched a sore…”
Mr. Sargent gave some thought before answering the following question. ‘What prompted you to share your experience with the world?’ “Our stories are all pretty much the same. You don’t treat people like they treated/are treating us. It seems pretty clear that we were being used in another one of their experiments. They need to take care of the service members who went there and have ended up sick. That’s the least they can do.”
“I’m up in Maine, right? And Maine doesn’t have a whole lot of people up here. Well I know five people who were on those islands and so far, I am the only one who hasn’t had some sort of cancer happen to him. We did what we were asked. We’re not asking for anything more, not for anything we didn’t earn.”
"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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