Steven Grimes, Enewetak Atoll (1977) 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 Steven Roy Grimes

Branch: US Army, 1st Lt. MOS: 21B00 Operations Officer Location: Lojwa Year: 1977-1978

Quote:“I am proud to have served my country but if I had known then what would have happened to my health, I would not have gone.”

“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."

“I was down in the Marshall Islands in the spring 1977 for three weeks of planning prior to the actual cleanup mission and had been told that a cleanup was involved. I was stationed in the Marshalls from November 1977 to February of 1978, and then from February to April of 1978 since there was a change of command on 16 February in ’78. My base camp was Lojwa the whole time. We were never told how many bombs had been exploded but I was told that the radiation from those bombs exploded in the 1950's had dissipated after 20 years.”

“"We were never told about any ‘hot spots’ (radioactive)." They didn't use Geiger counters on Lojwa because it was supposedly safe. When we were on the other islands, the Geiger counters were supposed to be used but no one ever told me anything was hot and we were never told to put on protective gear. We were told every location would be checked/tested with Geiger counters before we did any work and that we would have protection based on the readings before starting work in an area. The Geiger readings were to guide us as to what type protection we’d need.”

“My job was Operations officer. I rarely had any protective equipment while doing my work. I don't remember ever putting anything on except for a practice run. We were supposed to be told if the Geiger counter indicated the need, we’d have to wear protective gear. None of us knew if anything was wrong with Lojwa, the island we stayed on while we were there. We were told it was safe.”

“Five years ago, I developed prostate cancer: stage IV, rating an eight out of ten as far as aggressiveness: I’ve had this weird tennis ball sized tumor on my leg that they sent to D.C. AFIP for pathological analysis. They didn't even know what it was. I have had many basal and squamous skin cancers and one malignant melanoma. Now, my teeth are cracking and falling out; six so far. I just had biopsies this past week on suspected malignant melanomas on my upper palate. I have had two basal and one squamous, and one malignant melanoma and the one big tumor that could not be identified. I also am in chronic renal failure with no known cause in addition to having an arrhythmia, enlarged chambers of my heart, and the teeth problems I have already mentioned. I have eight siblings and none of them are experiencing any of these health issues.”

“If the government had acknowledged that we were stationed in a hot spot, we could have gotten health care right away. Eighty percent of those vets probably got out and didn't have any health coverage. I'm trying help out those vets that never got care. I was in for thirty-two years, so I had military health coverage. (I also kept all of my service-related paperwork).”

“My wife actually looked up Enewetak information on the Internet and we started to suspect I had nuclear radiation after she found out how many bombs had been exploded there. I have shared my information in hopes that it might help my fellow veterans in the quest for recognition and healthcare benefits to help manage conditions that have developed in the decades following our service in the Marshall Islands. I am proud to have served my country but if I had known then what would have happened to my health, I would never have gone.”

"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