Bill Brumley, 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 Bill Brumley

Branch: Air Force MOS: Fuels specialist Location: Enewetak Year: 1977-78

Quote: “I think the government we voluntarily served owes it to us to at least recognize us for what we did.”

“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."

“As far as serving in the Marshall Islands, I really didn’t know much of anything about the place aside from the fact it was a TDY (temporary duty assignment) to do some kind of cleanup project. I know I went through a lot of required testing before I left but as far as knowledge about Enewetak or Lojwa, I didn’t know anything until after I got there.”

“I was a fuel specialist in the Air Force and we used regular refueling equipment while we were down in the Islands. We’d deliver fuel all across the island chain to the various atolls and site locations. Wherever we had people, we’d eventually have to deliver diesel or bulk fuel. I ended up boots on the ground on nearly every island out there.”

“To be honest, it never really occurred to me to be worried about any-thing. When you’re twenty-two years old, you’re bullet proof, but I remember it was like stepping back in time when we went out to some of the islands. You know, a very big battle was fought there with the Japanese. There was so much stuff just left there when the battle was over but it was nothing that we ever really thought about.”

“I decided to share my personal experiences from Enewetak with the rest of the world because people need to know what happened there. Having a heart attack at the ripe old age of 44, being a breast cancer survivor and having absolutely no pre-disposition or family history of either of those things? I thought my time in the Islands could very well have something to do with my current state of health. After talking with some of my doctors, they agreed that the things I was exposed to on that TDY could explain why I’ve experienced these particular health issues.”

“I think the government we voluntarily served owes it to us to at least recognize us for the work we did. I’m a lucky one; quite fortunate, really. There are a lot of guys who served down there who are suffering and struggling, guys who don’t have the resources that I’ve been fortunate to’ve received. I retired from the military, so I ended up with medical benefits. A lot of guys simply served their four years and moved on. It took a long time for some of their health problems to show up. Now that they have, nobody wants to admit they ever sent us down there in the first place.”

“You know that the place was haunted, right? It’s because of what happened out there. When the US invaded the islands in World War Two, they went to Kwajalein first and then came back to Enewetak. There were mass graves of Japanese soldiers; one pit for enlisted and one for officers. That’s just what they did back then. Well, where our aircraft parking ramp was located and where we parked the fuel trucks was an area that had paved over the mass burial site of the enlisted Japanese. You could see shadows moving clear as day between the vehicles parked out there.”

“It was hard work, sure but I can’t say it was all bad. For example, they fed us so well while we were down there that I ended up on the Fat-boy program. And you know, because there was a major war fought there, unexploded ordinance was being found every day. All in all, it was an incredible place. If I had to do it over again, I would. When you’re 22, you don’t think about mortality. You’re looking for the experience and the adventure and you don’t think about potential consequences. It was somewhere like we’d never been and likely (most of us) would never have chance to experience 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.”

Follow our cause: Atomic Veterans of Enewetak Atoll