A.R. Walters, Enewetak Atoll (1968-70) 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 A.R. Walters

Branch: Civilian Contractor (Also Army veteran serving from 1963-1966) Location:Marshall Islands Year: 1968-1970

Quote: “The government is very cruel to its people.”

“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 account may be a little different than what you’ve been getting from most of the guys. I was one of only about half a dozen civilian contractors in the Marshall Islands in 1968. Even though we were under Air Force command, the Coast Guard was the only military presence actually out there at the time. This was back when the government was still doing testing and the Russians were still doing fly-overs. I’d been on every one of the Islands and swam in every blue hole out there before most of the others came to Enewetak in 1977. I was eighteen at the time (and I’m 71 today) and brought back a lot of stuff. I have a clock off an old ship, some old plane propellers, glass balls...”

“We built a golf course out by the laundry; it consisted of one green but we had tees all over the island. Even though we went back and forth to Hawaii quite often, the Air Force did pretty much anything to keep us happy out there, including letting us put in that golf course.”

“There were a lot of things going on. The government was running experiments on animals with their Agent Orange, and about once a week we’d get a batch of missiles sent out and at the same time, the Russians were sending submarines into the lagoon to try and find stuff. Our government was still firing missiles over there and that’s why the Russians were so interested and watching the islands. We’d already signed some treaty or another stating that we weren’t going to be doing any more testing, but we were still doing it. Every Wednesday, the Russians flew over for recon and then they’d go back to Russia, analyze their pictures and see if we had moved anything. That sort of stuff went on all the time. Some Russians even tried coming to shore one time, I don’t think they knew we were there. I had no idea things were as serious as they were. Of course, nobody will be able to verify any of what was going on because all the guys who were there are pretty much gone.”

“My job consisted of me having to go out to the various islands to fuel up different generators. That’s how I ended up hitting all the islands like I did. When my company (Kentron Hawaii /LTD Aerospace Unlimited) left, that’s when Holmes and Narver took over. And I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the barracks building that was out there. It was just one guy who built that…one guy who did it all, one block at a time. He made every block of that three-story building. The guy was an old man when I was there, so I doubt that he’s still alive. I’ve had a lot of friends who were with me down there who’ve died of cancer. I bet there’s not a dozen of us left.

“I didn’t know anything about the job I was going to be doing before going to Enewetak. I applied for the position based on my previous work experience in the oil fields back home,” Mr. Walters paused before adding, “-Well, now I know. I’ve got a file on all of this stuff, I mean, it’s thick. I was going through there for something one time and came across this phone number. I ended up talking to this person in Alamosa, New Mexico and somehow got this other number that I called for more information about Enewetak. I never got any information from the guy who answered though. It was more like, “Don’t ever call this number again or you will die.” He asked who gave me the number and basically hung up when I wouldn’t reveal my source. The government is covering this whole situation up and there are so many different people involved. For every day the government waits and stalls, more veterans die. I guess in the end, we’re all going to just be somebody’s story.”

“We didn’t know anything about plutonium and there we were eating, drinking, and living in the middle of all of that mess. Myself, I had no protective equipment to speak of, other than some rubber gloves maybe that I used for my job (I was in charge of POL: petroleum, oil, and lube). I drank gallons of water with that radioactive fallout in it. I didn’t know anything about it until years after I left and started hearing stories, all kinds of things about radiation poisoning.”

“I’m 71 years old and wanted to let everybody know that there are still people who need help. I attribute my health issues to my exposures out there. Speaking for myself, I’ve had to deal with several cancers and have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I’ve had several cancers; Parkinson’s and now also sleep apnea. Our government is not as invisible as it likes to believe it is. We need to bring up Enewetak, introduce it, talk about it. Nobody knows anything about the place that was a Western Pacific nuclear testing range. Call to ask anybody about any of it and nobody knows what the hell you’re talking about. Anybody who was involved or anybody still around who knows anything, well, they just keep changing the names of all the agencies who were involved and hope we all forget and die off.”

"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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