Ken Sowden Enewetak Atoll (1979) -Glimmers of Light

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 Ken Sowden

Branch: Air Force MOS: 902 (Medic) Location: Enewetak Year: 1979

Quote: “I think the government owes it to the Enewetak Veterans for what we sacrificed.”

“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.

“My contribution in the Marshall Islands wasn’t anything compared to a lot of the guys who had to go out to the hotspots day after day. I did my duty as a medic and made the best out of a bad situation. I’m glad I had the experience.”

“I’d heard of the Islands a few different ways actually before I ever went. We’d had an IDT (independent duty technician) who was always volunteering to go to Bikini Atoll. There was a small attachment of people over there and so he’d go out, do his thing then come back and tell us stories about what all he had done. Another way that I’d heard about the Marshalls was when I’d had to replace a guy when I was stationed at Bellows Beach Air Station in Hawaii. I was out there about two or three months. Hickam was part of Pacific Air Command, part of those who were asked to man the Enewetak project. I had a lot of heavy personal issues going on at the time and tried to side-step the temporary duty but my name came up and they couldn’t get anybody else to go. That’s how I ended up going to Enewetak. Long story short, I did my duty and made the best of a bad situation.”

“When I first got there, I’d been allotted as one of two medics who were assigned to work with the doc at the Lowja base camp station. I was there about a month before I had to accompany a very sick Army Captain being medevacked off Enewetak over to Hawaii. I was over there for about two weeks so when I came back, I learned that I’d been reassigned to the main medical clinic on Enewetak.”

“My primary job was to treat any personnel, including civilians, on Lowja and Enewetak. We diagnosed, prescribed, and treated all kinds of injuries. Of course, the doctor had to sign off on everything we did but generally, he was only there when he was needed. As medics, we were the actual caregivers. We did sick-call twice a day; once in the morning and again when everybody came back at night. I had extra duty while I was there that included my being in charge of the x-ray department. The equipment we had was Korean War vintage. (I actually hand-dipped films into the chemicals to develop x-rays.)”

“As far as protective gear, we had zilch. The exposure that we got was when the guys came back in from the islands. They had all that dust on their clothes. I also used to enjoy jogging and did a lot of swimming in the pool we had. This pool wasn’t chlorinated, which had its water straight from the sea.”

“It wasn’t really until I found the Atomic website and Facebook sites that I realized how extensive various health issues were for everybody. I saw my fellow vets suffering from so many conditions. I consider myself very, very, fortunate. I actually didn’t know or suspect anything was wrong or out of sorts related to my service in Enewetak or Lowja until years later after I completed some research on line; Google, Enewetak Radiation exposure. I retired from the military in 1994 and was granted 10% service-related disability but wasn’t given any compensation. I’ve had a lot of basal cell (cancer) issues and just recently, I had a new lesion show up on my forearm. Even my dermatologist didn’t think it was anything at first. They did a deep biopsy and it turned out to be squamous cell (cancer).”

“I wanted to share about my own experiences to help get the word out, to bring a light to the plight that so many of my brothers have and are continuing to go through. I was older (31-32) when I served down there, I mean, I was already a family man. We were all asked to do something for our country and for the most part, we did it without reservation. It’s only been recently but I did get registered with the Ionizing Radiation Registry (IRR). The doctor I spoke with had no clue as to where Enewetak was located or even what an atoll was so I schooled her and gave her the web addresses to our group.”

“I think the government owes it to the Enewetak Veterans for what we sacrificed. A lot of health issues that so many are experiencing today are result of the exposure they experienced decades ago. The government should offer and support treatment not just for the Enewetak Vets but all veterans and acknowledge the sacrifices that have been endured. We’re not looking to gain fame or fortune, we just want our due recognition and respect. This country needs to know what sacrifices were made.”

"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