A Poem! Enewetak Brothers and Comrades as Friends in Paradise Atomic Blast Contamination Clean-up 1

The Enewetak 8,000

Our Forgotten "Atomic Veterans"

I arrived in the sun just under 21;

I walked off the plane just as it begun to rain;

I saw the beauty of the blue oceans and the wave of the palm trees;

I worked from sun up to sun down – digging, rigging and singing;

I made friends which some have lasted a lifetime while others faded;

I read letters, drank and smoked with my buddy, pal, comrade;

I was part of the 8,000 who served, worked in a place called “The Rock”;

I was called a Solider, an Airman, or a Sailor – at best an Animal, some a Lojwa Animal;

I was part of a team, a band of brothers, bonding to save humanity in the depths of hell;

I saw the horrors of wars long past, destruction from long gone carnage, still with lingering death;

I dug in dirt, exploded structures, removing long ago “hidden secrets” with every breath, burying from all to see;

I lived, worked and played in a long ago “classified” tropical island with hidden destruction;

I served with honor, conducting my duty with courage, never seeing any enemy in combat;

I bled, sweated, and suffered for an humanitarian effort, I came, I gave, I suffered;

I saw no evil, I saw no death of a combat zone, yet I am dying, slowly, and unnoticed;

I am dying from the inside out, forgotten by my government, forgotten by my leaders;

I have seen my buddies, my friends, my band of brothers growing smaller each year;

I do not have a purple heart, no award for bravery, no hazard pay, no official recognition;

I suffer alone, rarely mentioned in the news, unseen by America, lost in the depths of denials;

I am stronger due to my fellow brother, stronger in faith, resolve and commitment to live;

I am a veteran, I am an Atomic Veteran, I am an American – I served with honor, I die alone;

I am a “Lojwa Animal”, I am a Rat, I am a brother, I am – Yes I am, and in the end I will – Be a veteran, patriot, member of a family, member of a team, a member of the Enewetak 8,000 forever!

• Written by Jeff Fortin, Enewetak (1978-79)