Mike Irwin, 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 Mike Irwin

Branch: Army MOS: 12B, Location: Lojwa Year: 1979

Quote: “Nobody ever questioned me about my health or anything. There was none of that.”

“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.

When questioned about what he knew about the Marshall Islands or the cleanup mission itself, Mr. Irwin responded as follows. “I knew some people who had been down there and who talked about it when they came back but other than that, really nothing offhand. I knew about the islands but as far as the actual work process going on out there, I didn’t know anything.”

“I was trained as a 12B but when I went to Enewetak, I was basically a general laborer and helped build the crater over on Runnit. We went down there on a humanitarian mission to clean those islands for the people who lived there. I got Lime Disease while I was there but not the kind you might first think of. Mine was from working with all the cement. As far as protective gear of any sort, I had the rubber boots but all that cement dust infected the skin around my ankles. For the duration of my tour, they put me on light duty. Instead of working over on the dome (Cactus), I rode the LARCS and went picking up metal in various areas.” Mike paused in thought before adding, “I never received my humanitarian award, either.”

“Protective gear really wasn’t a consideration. I heard tell of the banana suits but I never seen one of those. When we first arrived on the islands, we got a paper mask and rubber boots. That was it. Eventually, just walked around with no respirator, mask, nothing…”

“I started thinking and wondering about what was going on down there when they never checked my RAD badge. We were given these devices but nobody ever collected them or replaced them. I was basically told, ‘Here’s a badge.’ Nobody ever questioned me about my health or anything. There was none of that. When our 6 months were up, we had to give a urine test before we left but I never received results of that.”

Mike Irwin was asked what had prompted him to share his experiences in the Marshall Islands with the rest of the world. “I’ve talked with other individuals I’ve been friends with since Ft. Lewis. Finding out about stuff, reading the things people post…I know some people have had some pretty bad health problems. Myself, I have diabetes, hypertension and degenerative disc disease. These things have been creeping up on me for the past four or five years. When I started going to the VA for folliculitis, the docs weren’t familiar with Enewetak or our mission.”

“If I could share a message with my brothers, it would be this: Stay strong.”

"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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