Michael Foster, 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 Michael Foster

Branch: Army MOS: 62B Equip Repairman Location: Lowja Year: 1978-79

Quote: “We were sent to those islands not knowing what we were getting into. We were told to go, we went and we did what we had to do with-out knowing what the long-term consequences were going to be.”

“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 I know about what I was getting myself into? Pretty much absolutely nothing. I didn’t even know there was such a place called the Marshall Islands until I got my orders to go. We were told where we were going to a place that had been a nuclear test site and that we were going to be cleaning up the leftover debris. We only found out this information after we had already been told we were going so it wasn’t like we could get out of it.”

“As far as actually doing the job I was trained to do, yes I definitely did my 62B work. I repaired equipment as well as operated dozers and scrapers. I also worked on wheeled vehicles as well. You know what they say; ‘A mechanic is a mechanic.’ I pretty did exactly what my job was, for a change. I mean, there were always times when we’d go out on other islands, I’d play with the 12B’s as they set up their demolition work and I’d do crazy things with them because I knew what they were doing. I was kind of a Jack-of-all-trades. As for our uniform of the day, it was generally boots, our Boonies (hats) and the optional T-shirt (unless we were going to chow or were in formation).”

“The one and only time I ever saw a banana suit was when I first hit the islands. I went through a half-day training session on how to wear the yellow suit with the respirator, gloves and boots and how to tape them up. I think that was when I figured out that something wasn’t quite right. I thought about the temperatures down there, how hot it got and how we were supposed to wear all that stuff in that heat. It was Newbie Day and we walked around the island a little bit in those get-ups then that was the end of it. I knew things were really bad when we’d boat out to an island for the days’ work and before we came home, we’d have to go swim in the lagoon and get the Geiger counter run over us. If the readings were too high, back into the lagoon we went. That was when reality really struck.”

“Family, relatives and close friends knew I had been on the Rock. Enewetak was kind of unique to them, of course and they asked me all about it, what it was like and things like that. But then things started happening. I got the cancer and a short time after that I found out I had developed type II diabetes. I got to talking to other people who’d developed various health issues and they sort of convinced me that I should file a VA claim for exposure to ionizing radiation, which of course the VA threw right out the window. I started doing more research into all these things. A tech I talked with one time encouraged me to look for others who were down there on Enewetak and that’s when I stumbled across the website that Frank Bolton runs. I added my name to the roster and then Gary Pulis got a hold of me and I’ve gotten more comfortable with talking about things. It’s easier to talk to brothers who were in the same situation with you than with people who have no clue.”

“I don’t think the current medical profession, at least in the civilian world, have any clue that radiation issues are out there. Docs at the VA are only slightly more familiar with the probability. I think a lot more doctors should be more willing to look into the possibilities and not have so much tunnel vision.

micCleanupVeterans

“We were sent to those islands not knowing what we were getting into. We were told to go, we went and we did what we had to do without knowing what the long term consequences were going to be. We’re finding out that the government wasn’t exactly truthful with us. We should have the same access to information and rights today without having to beg and grovel to get these things. Despite everything that has turned the way it has, I have to say this. To be truthful, in all the years I served and with all the places I pulled duty, going to the Rock was the best tour I ever went on. If I could, I’d do it again.”

"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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