Vincent Lewis, 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 Vincent Lewis

Branch: Air Force AFSC: FRST Location: Lojwa Year: 1979

Quote: “There’ve been tons of military members exposed to radiation in tons of places all throughout this country’s history. We were essentially used as human Guinea pigs.

“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 went into the service on June 14, 1977. I signed up under the delayed enlistment program in order to get the old GI Bill. That was my goal. I was all about the education. To me, it was the military and they did what they wanted to do with us. I was one of the few African Americans out there for the entire six month period I was there. Timothy Snider was a good friend of mine while we were all out there and we just rather recently connected.”

“I knew absolutely nothing about the Marshall Islands (or Enewetak or Lojwa) when I received the call to go down there. My careerfield had that we would go on TDYs (temporary duty assignments) like this all the time. Another guy who’d been down there before me came back and told me that Enewetak was a good assignment so I went. That’s when I learned to never volunteer for anything. We had a pretty good laugh about that after all was said and done.”

“When I first got down to the islands, it was a pretty big shock. After you got over the initial jolt of working six twelve-hour days in a row, and going to work every day on a LARK and then getting on a 26-foot whaler and fighting the waves to get to your island, everything blended together. Remember, I was just 18-19 years old at the time and had volunteered for this assignment. Like it or not, I just accepted it. We were there on a mission and did what we were told to do. That’s just how things worked.”

“I was based over on Lojwa. There was a great difference between that island and Enewetak. You see, Enewetak at least had people on it at one time and still bore some semblance of a military base. Lojwa only had tin huts, and they weren’t even Quonset huts. What we had were basic corrugated steel boxes, barracks that were wide open with just enough room to put a cot in.”

“I was part of a FRST team and we ran the decontamination hotlines. As part of the team, I’d work out on Bokak, Runit and Enjebi on a Boston-Whaler every day with a medic, two army guys/navy guys every day and ran the line. I’d have to take nasal swipes, checked air samples, and checked the guys after they’d worked all day to see if they’d been properly decontaminated.”

“As a nondestructive inspector, we already knew the effects of ionizing radiation and about health issues. The Air Force guys who were down there knew that we were in a very dangerous situation. That was something that we’d talk about amongst each other on a regular basis. The powers that be kept telling us that there wasn’t any hard data about any of the material we were going to be working with so they just sort of touched base on the topic and moved on. I am very fortunate in that I kept all my medical history, radiation history and I just thank God do far that I haven’t had any adverse health effects.”

“When I first connected to the Atomic Cleanup Veterans page and started reading the stories people were posting, I said, “Oh my God. It’s been just about enough time. Things are starting to happen. We’re starting to see the effects.” This story needs to be told. We were placed to work in a very hostile environment and in all honesty, I don’t think the military or the Defense Nuclear Agency even knew they were doing to us. When you’re talking about DNA damage and the types of illness that people are coming up with, nobody could possibly have foreseen how bad it could get.”

“I think what pisses me off more than anything about this whole situation is that the VA still doesn’t recognize the fact that we were there or acknowledge that we are potentially going to come down with some kind of disease or situation relevant to having served on Enewetak. I’m on the registry but it torques my jaw a little that they won’t come out and admit what we were exposed to.”

“People of this nation, this planet have to know that we’re all growing as one society. People have to realize that our government sometimes doesn’t have a grasp on taking care of individuals once they make the sacrifice. Look at all the examples: Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, Alabama, even in space travel, all of these things; we still don’t know how any of these things were going to affect us over the long haul. But we never questioned when we stood to serve. We just did what we had to do.”

“Enewetak. The Marshall Islands. Nobody really knows anything about that place. It’s not Nagasaki; it’s not Agent Orange, not publicized. So you wonder why people look at you with a glazed eye when you start talking about serving there. They have no idea. None of those islands are ever going to be inhabitable again. I think I would bring attention to this country and tell them how the people who make sacrifices for this country should not be forgotten.

We knew what we were doing when we volunteered to go, but our efforts should still be acknowledged. I’d like to hear somebody say, “Job well done. Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for taking care of an issue on this planet that needed to be resolved. We understand that you suffered for it, had to deal with some harsh environments.” We need to look at ALL people who’ve made sacrifices like that, people who’ve made this country what it is today. We didn’t say “no.” We went in with eyes forward, mind on task and completed the mission. We’d like for everybody to know what we did. In the very least, we’d like to be acknowledged. We can’t undo what we have done, but we did what we were told.”

“There’ve been tons of military members exposed to radiation in tons of places all throughout this country’s history. We were essentially used as human Guinea pigs. We were used for gathering knowledge and scientific data related to the effects of exposure to radiation. We did our jobs willingly, without knowing any possible consequences. We agreed to follow orders. We trusted our leadership.”

"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