Ian Jackson, Enewetak Atoll (1978-79) 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 Ian Jackson

Branch: Army MOS: 62E Location: Enewetak Year: 1978-79

Quote: “The United States let down the people who served there.”

“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’d known about Enewetak before going down because some of the other guys in my platoon had already been down there. The way I ended up going was because I actually volunteered to go in someone else’s place. We had this sergeant who was about to have a new baby so I went through the chain of command and got sent in his place.”

“While I was down there, my primary job was being a heavy equipment operator. We had no protective gear whatsoever. I mean, we didn’t even see a banana suit.”

“I remember one time where we were coming back from work for the day and they came out and checked us for exposure and we were told to get off the LCM (landing craft mechanized) immediately. They all had their Geiger counters out and whatnot, wandering around taking all these readings. That moment kind of shook the bells of everybody on the crew. We knew something was up but didn’t know what. While the platoon I was in on Enewetak worked in some pretty extreme environments, the guys up on Lowja had it a lot worse. I honor their sacrifice and commitment to get the job done. It was combat duty without bullets that you could see or hear. I feel for every brother and all those we’ve lost.”

“What made me decide to talk about this at this point in time? I think people need to know. As beautiful as it was, that place hurt a lot of us both mentally and physically. It’s a real shame that our government did to us what they did. I don’t have any faith in the dome that we placed over that crater (Cactus) either and what we did to the people who lived on those islands wasn’t very nice either. We had no right doing what we did with all that nuclear testing.”

“If I had opportunity to speak to the entire world about the job we did on Enewetak I would first say to the world that the US government was in error to ever do what they did with all the testing in the first place and the United States let down their own people who served there: the guys who had to clean up the mess. All of us have been forgotten and brushed to the side. The world needs to know about Enewetak, the Marshall Islands, and what we did. If that dome goes, it won’t be just the Marshallese who’ll be looking at problems.”

“I’d like to say that as an engineer, it was the best place in the world to be stationed. It was also the worst, but I was proud to have served with the men I served with. We all were there under some tremendous conditions. The actual mission may have ultimately failed, but the work got done. We did our part.”

"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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