Lost in Time (Classified) Enewetak Atoll Barred from Litigation due to atomic debris contamination
When one enters the US military there is a commitment of the individual to offer the government the ultimate sacrifice if in events leads to such action. Bound by duty, honor and courage these young men and women commit to a duty of following orders, completing the mission and acknowledging that caring for the troops is paramount. The old statement “Never leave someone behind” is a unwritten code of ethics all military members follow.
We need you to let their congress representative and senators know to support the veterans of Enewetak and share this post this and tweet this to maximum public outreach.
In Vietnam US service members were exposed to Agent Orange. This chemical was determined by the leadership of providing a method of dealing with foliage and vegetation which concealed and hid enemy troops. In doing so, the government of the US exposed many service members and ultimately veterans to health issues, disabilities, cancer and ultimate death. For over 50 years the government has sidestepped the issues, denying claims, causing litigation roadblocks. Eventually, there was legislation and regulations to cover the exposed veterans, but it came too late for some, provided endless filings, appeals and court cases to garner the health care, benefits and compensation they rightly entitled.
Over the past few weeks, I have been posting Glimmer of Lights the personal stories of the service members who were sent to Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located in the south pacific. These stories outline the commitment to duty, the since of brotherhood, and responsibility to complete the mission of reclamation, remediation and decontamination of the Islands under the mandated program by the Department of Defense, Defense Nuclear Agency, Department of Energy and the US Government. The clean-up project was operated under OPLAN 700 and operated from 1977 to 1980.
The duty was hard, labor intense under the tropic temperature ranging up to 115 degrees with a humidity over 80 percent. The basis of the duty was to be guided by safety and hazard protections since the area was contaminated with ion-radiation, plutonium contaminated soil, as well as cesium-137.
This contamination was the result of 43 nuclear tests on various islands of Enewetak, as well as the surrounding lagoon. Of these tests 22 nuclear tests were within a three-and-half month period between May 5, 1958 to August 18, 1958. Based on these tests massive contamination of radiologic materials were deposited on the island, in the air.
During the early 1960s to 1970s there were planning meeting on the clean-up project these meetings resulted in conflicting materials, data and mission protocols. Originally civilian participation in the clean-up project was determined, however due to the cost of civilian workers, threat of future civil litigation, as well as mandated safety and hazard protection required by the civilian contractor the cost to the US Government was excessive.
Determination was made to make this a military mission, and use personnel who were under enlistment and commission contract which would not be an excessive cost to the government. Based on this members of the US Air Force, US Army, US Navy and others would conduct the clean-up project under a military joint-task force.
This decision was made and approved by the Department of defense and conducted the mission under a veil of secrecy under OPLAN 700. As a result 8,000+ members of the military under 179 day temporary duty tours were tasked with the completion of the clean-up project. This mission resulted in up to 1,100 service members being housed on Lojwa Island, closest island to Runit (the area of excessive contamination which would result in a concrete dome encasing the contamination, ion-radiation, plutonium contamination, and cesium-137.
The mission was to scrape the ground, encase the concrete building, equipment, and bomb site debris within the encasement called Cactus Dome. In a report by the AEC (precursor to the DOE) issued a report in October, 1973, the AEC (precursor of DOE) entitled “Enewetak Radiological Survey”. This is a 760+ page report based on radiation surveys by AEC teams on Enewetak Atoll in 1972 and early 1973.
The report stated they 'discovered' plutonium contamination on Runit in May of 1972, necessitating the “immediate evacuation and quarantine of Runit, leaving behind all vehicles, equipment and materials”. AEC had never dealt with plutonium radiation and “had no knowledge on how to deal with it”, but they were scared to death of it. This is confirmed by their own communications.) Between May of 1972 and when we got there on Runit in '77-'78, I can find where nothing was done by AEC to remediate any of the plutonium on Runit.
Further the report stated - ”In May 1972 a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) survey team visited Enewetak Atoll to conduct a preliminary radiological reconnaissance. They could not visit all islands in the Atoll in the time available, but of those they visited, they found what they considered to be significant radiological hazards still existing on BELLE, JANET, SALLY, URSULA, AND YVONNE.” This is a direct quote. And we all know that URSULA was LOJWA! Lowja was the base camp for the US Army directly involved in the clean-up. They were not based at Enewetak base camp due to transportation costs, fuel and leaders were concerned about bringing radiation back to the southern islands. Lojwa was the only place in the north that was big enough, centralized enough and did not have a blast directly on it. It had Tilda next door with a causeway already built, perfect for the explosives storage in one of the old bunkers. This was the perfect spot. It didn't matter if it was hot.
Further the report stated - “The Radiological Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll” by the Defense Nuclear Agency (DOE Doc. # 0410284), on page 65 it copies the 1973 report almost verbatim except it says “The preliminary radiological survey found potentially significant radiation hazards on the islands of Bokombako (Belle), Enjebi (Janet), Aomon (Sally), and Runit (Yvonne).” WHAT'S MISSING? LOJWA IS MISSING the home base of the majority of the military. “Although cleanup shall consist only of removing physical hazards, URSULA has received significant contamination as a result of testing.
The LACROSSE EVENT on YVONNE contaminated the SALLY-URSULA complex to the extent that roads were scraped to reduce exposure of personnel in transit to work sites. The H+4 hour exposure rate on URSULA was 8 R/hr. No record of where the scraped material was disposed of is available. The MOHAWK EVENT on RUBY produced contamination which delayed recovery operations on the SALLY-URSULA complex for several days.“
The veterans of Enewetak have been reviewing the 25,000+ documents relating to the clean-up project which was declassified by President Bill Clinton.
Some of the highlights are:
They were so scared of plutonium contamination on Enjebi and Runit, they did not want to billet us on Enewetak Island.
Nothing (except a radiological survey) was done on Runit from 1972 when they found the Plutonium, evacuated and quarantined the island, until we walked on the island late '77, early '78.
Lojwa was said in the 1972 Report to “have considerable contamination”, but that wording disappears in the 1982 report of the clean-up.
The April 1975 EPA Report questioned “the ability to protect the clean-up personnel from plutonium”, because no one had ever had to clean it up before planning for the Enewetak Atoll cleanup started in 1972. The government needed a place service members so they would not put the southern islands in jeopardy of contamination from radiation.
The government decided to put members on Lojwa even though:
On Oct. 31, 1952, they exploded the very first hydrogen bomb, the very first thermonuclear device ever exploded, with a yield of 10.4 MT (that's 10.4 MILLION TONS of TNT).
They exploded this less than 4000 yds. from Lojwa. The blast on Hiroshima was 20KT (20,000 tons, NV0239830) and we've all seen the pictures of that destruction.
There was a Holmes & Narver camp on Lojwa that was contaminated from this blast and required decontamination.
The original contamination was sufficient enough (4 mr/hr) that the H&N personnel would use up their allowable exposure just by living in the camp.
They cleaned Lojwa to “between 3 and 4 mr/hr” which allowed “This means that H&N personnel would be receiving one half of a week’s permissible exposure by living in the area “
They got the “clean” fill from Sally, which reduced the exposure to”3-4 mr/hr “.
Sally was the site of three tests. Two in '56. Yuma, 5/27/56 and Kickapoo, 6/13/56.
Sally had a large crypt of plutonium contaminated material on it. If Sally had plutonium, was Lojwa “magically spared” being only 1500 yds.
Lojwa was contaminated by two more bombs in 1956. Lacrosse on Yvonne, May 4, 1956, and Mohawk on Ruby, July 2, 1956.
What about the 2 from Sally in '56? Here is Lojwa sitting between Runit, Enjebi and Sally (a total of 31 tests) and Lojwa again, magically escapes. But it didn't according to them.) No cleanup was attempted after these blasts.
The cleanup personnel in the 50's had much better protection and monitoring than we did 20 years later. Why was that? Because they were civilian contractors? Or because they knew we were doomed as soon as we set foot on Lojwa?
22 of the 43 nuclear tests were conducted in a 3 ½ month period, May 5, 1958 to Aug. 18, 1958. If they did that much damage in 21 blasts in 11 years, imagine what they did in the last 22 in the last 3 ½ months. No cleanups were done after 1953 other than to put the plutonium debris in crypts.
Three reports talk of “substantial radiation hazards” still exist on Lojwa in '72 and '73.
They evacuated and quarantined Runit in May, 1972, leaving all “equipment, material and vehicles behind so as not to contaminate the southern islands”.
There is a report saying “thousands, or tens of thousands” of rads of radiation is on Runit.
Nothing was done to mitigate this threat before we arrived on island in 1977. They even talk in the planning as early as '73, about quarantining Runit because the costs would be too high.
As late as 1979 scientists were still arguing with each other as to the radiation levels we should be receiving per their cleanup program.
Congress instructed DOD to “use Army engineers or Navy Seabees. Using civilians was deemed to costly, and posed future litigation issues, where military are barred from litigation and are considered occupational exposure. Seabees were trained in nuclear decontamination.
Why is it that our own government covers the civilian contractors that cleaned up Bikini Atoll, but has turned their backs on the US military of Enewetak Atoll?
As for safety gear and training - “radiation protection and monitoring” we received. It was virtually nonexistent. We operated in shorts, tee-shirts – dust and all! honestly believe we have been lied to, taken advantage of, used as pawns and then discarded like expendable lab rats. We were assured our government would never lie to us and send some of us to our certain death.
We believed everything... they told us and never questioned our orders and assumed we were being adequately protected.
Congress needs to step up, in the same fashion we did, and say “ What can we do to right this wrong?”
They put us on Lojwa to not only save time (3-4 hrs/day on travel), but also they did not want us coming back to 'clean' islands and contaminating them, vehicles, buildings and aircraft (their own words). Not only that, they took our TDY pay to reduce subsistence costs, we paid for our own meals. This is the government we served. This is the government we trusted. This is the same government that has killed hundreds of us to save money. This is the same government that is now turning it's back on us.
But the truth is they did put us in harm's way. And they did it to save time and money.
It is time for this Congress to step up and say “Maybe we made a mistake. "Maybe we believed that the DOE (formerly the AEC and DNA), EPA, DOD and other agencies could actually protect these men and not put them in an extremely hazardous and risk adverse situation.” But the truth is they did put us in harm's way. And they did it to save time and money.
They put us on Lojwa to not only save time (3-4 hrs./day on travel), but also they did not want us coming back to 'clean' islands and contaminating them, vehicles, buildings.
Documents reviewed show:
They were so scared of plutonium contamination on Enjebi and Runit, they did not want to billet us on Enewetak Island.
Nothing (except a radiological survey) was done on Runit from 1972 when they found the Plutonium, evacuated and quarantined the island, until we walked on the island late '77, early '78.
Lojwa was said in the 1972 Report to “have considerable contamination”, but that wording disappears in the 1982 report of the clean-up.
The April 1975 EPA Report questioned “the ability to protect the clean-up personnel from plutonium”, because no one had ever had to clean it up before
It appears that our own government has lied to us for 39 yrs, lied to each other (agency to agency), lied to Congress and ignored their own expert’s advice on how to protect us from radiation exposure and inhalation.
The danger was real, the contamination hazardous, and the government placed personnel, with limited protective gear, training and follow-up.
And years later with lots of veteran healthcare issues seem to be blind, and unmoved to correct a wrong. We hope with the congressional legislation they will begin to heal the veterans of Enewetak and accept liability for placing us in harm’s way. It is the right thing to do! They protect and pay for civilian issues, yet for its military they are blinded.
Read - H.R. 5980: Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act.
Congress is currently considering House Bill HR3870and Senate Bill S2791 to establish for the Enewetak Atoll veterans “Atomic Veteran Healthcare Parity Act” which will afford access to expanded programs for health and compensation. It will not help veterans who have died, or the families of such veterans.
However it does begin to level the playing field and change occupational exposure to hazards to a presumptive exposure for duty at Enewetak Atoll. Further attention must be made to compensate the families of the ones who have died, the ones that have been shouldering the burden of their own medical expenses and others to the level they have compensated the Enewetak People.
I hope they appreciate our sacrifice, and duty to correct a wrong and secure the healthcare, benefits and compensation we are entitled to, nothing more, nothing less.
On May 6, 2016 we (Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Veterans) started to collect information about the health of our surviving Enewetak Atoll veterans. We have 342 responses to our survey.
In response to who was your employer during the Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission the answers are as follows:
According to The Radiological Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll published by the Defense Nuclear Agency in 1981, 8,033 people were involved in the 1977 – 1980 Mission.
The response vs total participants breakdown is as follows:
282 of the 2670 Army participants responded (10.6%).
74 of the 2207 Navy participants responded (3.4%).
46 of the 740 Air Force participants responded (6.2%).
5 of the 1011 DOE & Contractor participants responded (0.5%).
0 of the 597 DOI/TTPI participants responded (0%).
8 of the 246 DNA/JTG participants responded (3.3%).
0 of the 49 Journalist participants responded (0%).
3 of the 513 Others participants responded (0.6%).
418 of the 8033 Total Participants Responded (5.2%).
In response to which island did you live on while at Enewetak Atoll, the answers are as follows:
251 lived on Enewetak Island (62%).
147 lived on Lojwa Island (38%).
A total of 408 replied to this question.
In response to the Health Challenges believed to be due to exposure to Ionized Radiation during the Mission, 348 responded.
201 claim health challenges are due to Radiation Exposure (58%).
147 claim no health challenges due to Radiation Exposure (42%).
In response to Veterans Administration Assistance Status, 352 responded.
101 reported they are receiving VA Health Assistance.
30 reported they have pending VA Health Assistance Claims.
149 reported they have no need for VA Health Assistance.
79 reported “Other” as their VA Health Assistance Status.
We appreciate each and every Atomic Cleanup Veteran who helped our readers get a clearer view of the background and current status/consequences reported by participants of our Humanitarian Mission.
Source:
Harry Daniel, Atomic Veteran, Gerard Frank Bolton III, Atomic Veteran.
Further Research:
"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
