8,000 and Dwindling Enewetak Brothers Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act (HR5980/S2791
Brothers of Enewetak -
As young naïve and excited to represent our platoon, our company, and our country we all volunteered for temporary duty at Enewetak Atoll, located in the South Pacific.
Asking ourselves “Where in the Hell is Enewetak?”, let alone pronounce it!
We were the sons, daughters, fathers, brothers to our family, our community, and to our country. Coming from all the corners of America, from main street, from north, south, east and west.
Our youth seems to immune us from danger, we were committed to duty, honor and courage. We pledged and oath to our country – that if called upon we were prepared to sacrifice our lives for our country, supporting freedom around the world.
We were blessed, we were deploying at a peaceful time in the world. We were not going to face an enemy. Our goal was a humanitarian service to the peoples of Enewetak Atoll, in the Marshall Islands.
Arriving we faced a tropic environment. Temperatures ranged from 80(f) degrees to 115(f) degrees, added to a humidity up to 80%. Stepping off the plane, the heat just sucked the life out of the body.
There we were! Brothers collecting pennies a day for basically hard labor in the pits of the contaminated soil and debris for the Atomic age! Faced with minimal safety gear, unreliable radiation badges, defective protective suits, and long, long hours. We worked from airfield operations, to postal services, to communications, to the brunt of the workforce the 84th Combat Engineers, the “Lojwa Animals” facing dirt, crud, dangers, working in a hostile environment no human should have ever been placed.
The food and everything we needed was flown in from the states. Working 10-12 hours per day. Committed to a successful project, if not – Booted off the island” – remember duty first!
Our electricity and water were produced on the island. Power plants and desalination equipment, to offer some resemblance of home. Yet, the water we drank, and showered in was from the lagoon, a site of one of the largest atomic tests in history. The place that was basically the trash can of the pacific – we drank and showered. In fun, we also swam in the lagoon full of all the Enewetak secrets.
The average age on the island was 22.5 years. Earning about $575 per month! Yes, we had provided our barracks, some were provided free meals. Yet, for fun we had bars, gambling, and food – peppered in swimming, snorkeling, nightly movies. However, being 6,000 miles from home unknown to us at the time – our life was changing! Not to the good.
With hazardous work, long hours, working in shorts, tee-shirts and hats we accomplished the mission over 8,000 of us came, stayed, worked, and went home between 1977 to 1980. Mission Accomplished. So we thought!
Fast forward to 2016! Our duty, honor and courage for service in the south pacific has resulted in numerous health, body and soul issues. Of the known surviving members of the Enewetak Atoll mission which number about 400 – we have a collective medical issue exceeding 50% - facing disability, degenerating body health, cancers and much more. Many of our brothers have passed – without fanfare, without government accepting responsibility for placing us in an environment which was untested, unproven, and based on unclassified documents a place that experts of the government, civilian experts were at odds with the overall plan.
Based on government opinion we were only exposed in an occupational extent therefore it is not a disability that the government will address, Nor will the Veterans Administration provide presumptive benefits, medical and compensation to the veterans and on a case by case basis taking years to afford these brother, sons, fathers any protection and benefits of the VA.
Are we angry? Yes. We stood with our government and accepted the duty and based on that duty we were given the humanitarian services medal. However, we feel like “lab-rats” expendable pawns within the government. We feel that the government is dragging out issues to have all of us die, withering away, silently, and completely.
We will all die! We did not face combat – yet we were placed in an environment which is equally as bad. Our Enewetak brothers only want the government to say “hey we did make a mistake”, “We did not have a full scope of the mission” and “Yes, based on conflicting data, experts and reports – We errored”. All we want is medical care, expanded benefits due to medical issues, and entitled compensation for our suffering, inability to work – just what we earned.
We did not storm a beach. We never came under enemy fire. We were not faced with horrors and issues of combat. Yet, we faced a mission which was as devastated and completely health destruction. A few brothers face the ultimate sacrifice while stationed at Enewetak, and were returned as heroes, we never leave our brothers behind. God Bless, and RIP our lost brothers.
Now, on November 2, 2015, Congressman Mark Takai introduced HR 3870 the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, with 85 congressional cosponsors as of today. As well, on April 13, 2016 Senator Al Franken, and Senator Thom Tillis introduced S2791 the similar bill in the senate, with two cosponsors as of today.
This legislation will offer expanded benefits, medical attention and entitled compensation for Enewetak Atoll veterans. This will classify all our Enewetak brothers as “presumptive” in the eyes of the Veterans Administration in priority status on any claim.
We are eager and working hard to get congress to act on the in this session prior to the end of the year. Or all our efforts would be in vain, and more of us will die along, forgotten, and pass knowing our government failed us as we meet our maker. We stood, without question when called, we served honorably, we sacrificed for years, and we cannot succeed alone. We need the public’s help.
If each of you who reads this makes two calls, first to your congressional member, and the other to your senator you could make a big difference in getting us help, or letting us die, time is passing.
Find your contact: Locate Your Congress Representative and Senator
Members of the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy and US Coast Guard protected your freedom in the 1970s – 1980s. Without question, facing whatever danger that appeared.
Now we need your help!
Time is running out, stand with us, push congress to pass these bills. God Speed!
Thank you, and God Bless –
From all 8,000+ Brothers of Enewetak Atoll
