Steve Welch, Enewetak Atoll (1977-78) 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 Steve Welch

Branch: Army Signal Corps MOS: 26L Tactical Satellite Microwave Equipment Operator and Repairman Location: Enewetak Year: 1977-78

Quote: “We didn’t mind doing what we did, but we want recognition…”

“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."

“There were two of us from Ft. Hood but ten total who’d been selected for the first signal team being sent to the Marshall Islands. Once we got down there, my team stayed on Enewetak, the other team went to Lojwa Island. Our teams were supposed to switch after three months but the NCOIC (an E6 named Gary Smith, a Special Forces type guy) decided not to switch any of us around so we stayed on Enewetak the whole time other than going to help with things up on Lojwa.”

“I knew what had taken place in the Marshall Islands before we went down there. I knew the United States had performed a lot of nuclear testing over the previous years but I didn’t know any of the specifics. We were just told to pack our bags for a six month TDY in the Marshall Islands of the Pacific.”

“Before we were sent to the islands, I’d researched where we were going and what we were going to be doing. I went down to the library and looked up different information. We had to get a complete physical at the medical center before we left and after we returned, we went right back over there and went through all the same stuff, I mean right down to counting the rods and cones in our eyes. We were going to be exposed to radiation so they were going to do a comparison study. Well, we never heard anything else about those tests. I have copies of my medical records but have never looked into any of that.”

“Protective equipment: We had none. We set up an AN/GRC 103 multi-channel radio system inside and the antenna outside the Air Force telephone exchange and had the system shooting across the lagoon. We had no protective gear while we were doing all that. We set up a SB-86 manual switchboard inside the Air Force phone exchange and ran WD-1 field wire and maybe 100 field phones all across Enewetak and Lojwa. You could talk anywhere between the islands just by picking up a phone.”

“I’ve recently had a cancerous lump removed from my hand. When the doctor found out about my being stationed on Enewetak, she asked me why I hadn’t told her about that years before. She’d never heard of the place and so I had to explain everything. She freaked out when I told her about all the radiation we were exposed to.”

“If I could hold a captive audience, I’d encourage everybody to speak up about Enewetak. All the files need to be opened, all the classifications removed and all of us should be allowed to see exactly what we were exposed to. The vets that were there when the atomic tests were done are classified as “Atomic Veterans” and receive medical recognition. They were there for only a very short time. We ‘clean-up survivors’ were living among all that radiation for six months or more. People need to step back and take a good hard look at our government. We didn’t mind doing what we did, but we want recognition, we need medical help. Everybody in the world needs to know the facts about what countries like the United States, Russia, China, etc. have done.”

“As far as going back to the Marshall Islands, I’d do it again sure. I’d like to go back for a couple of days to check things out. If it wasn’t for all the radiation issues out there, it’d be a great tourist spot. There are plenty of islands that could’ve been turned into tourist destinations and tons of money that could’ve been made. I look at maps today and see all the changes in stuff; a lot of the buildings are gone now, and when we basically only had one tree while we were there, there are trees all over the place now. I’d do it all again. It was a mission that needed to get done but we were deceived.”

"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