United States Atmospheric & Underwater Atomic Weapon Activities National Association of Atomic Veterans, Inc. 1945 “TRINITY“ “Assisting America’s Atomic Veterans Since 1979” ALAMOGORDO, N. M. Website: www.naav.com E-mail: [email protected] 1945 “LITTLE BOY“ HIROSHIMA, JAPAN R. J. RITTER - Editor November, 2010 1945 “FAT MAN“ NAGASAKI, JAPAN 1946 “CROSSROADS“ BIKINI ISLAND 1948 “SANDSTONE“ ENEWETAK ATOLL 1951 “RANGER“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1951 “GREENHOUSE“ ENEWETAK ATOLL 1951 “BUSTER – JANGLE“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1952 “TUMBLER - SNAPPER“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1952 “IVY“ ENEWETAK ATOLL 1953 “UPSHOT - KNOTHOLE“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1954 “CASTLE“ BIKINI ISLAND 1955 “TEAPOT“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1955 “WIGWAM“ OFFSHORE SAN DIEGO 1955 “PROJECT 56“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1956 “REDWING“ ENEWETAK & BIKINI 1957 “PLUMBOB“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1958 “HARDTACK-I“ ENEWETAK & BIKINI 1958 “NEWSREEL“ JOHNSON ISLAND 1958 “ARGUS“ SOUTH ATLANTIC 1958 “HARDTACK-II“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1961 “NOUGAT“ NEVADA TEST SITE 1962 “DOMINIC-I“ CHRISTMAS ISLAND JOHNSON ISLAND 1965 “FLINTLOCK“ AMCHITKA, ALASKA 1969 “MANDREL“ AMCHITKA, ALASKA 1971 “GROMMET“ AMCHITKA, ALASKA “WHEN THE U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ORDERED US TO DO THESE 1974 “POST TEST EVENTS“ AMCHITKA, ALASKA ATOMIC-WARFARE EXERCISES - WITH REAL LIVE NUKES - THEY DIDN’T ------------ TELL US THAT WE WOULD BE WOUNDED BY AN INVISIBLE ENEMY, AND “ IF YOU WERE THERE, THAT WE WOULDN’T EVEN GET ONE DAMN MEDAL, OR PURPLE HEART, YOU ARE AN OR NOTHING ELSE, FOR GETTING SICK & DEAD“ ATOMIC VETERAN “ Sgt. Raymond “Buster” Evans U.S.M.C. ( Deceased ) COMMANDERS COMMENTS were ordered to participate in atmospheric or underwater nuclear weapons tests…..In all cases, attempts to get Congress to legis- Many thanks to our members and friends for late the issuance of any such proper recognition to Atomic- their continuing support of our efforts to seek Veterans has always died in Committee, and therefore; could not out interesting subject matter for the periodic be brought to an official full floor vote ……… What a shame ! ! ! ! Newsletter. The main thrust is to revisit all of Over the last 30 years, NAAV has promoted the issuance of a those ( secret ) nuclear radiation exposure proper “official” recognition medal, without success. We continue events that America’s Atomic-Veterans were to stand ready to work with Congress towards these ends……… assigned to participated in, many years ago, and to keep current generations informed of Since 1945, thousands of Atomic-Veterans have been victimized by radiogenic health issues, causing great pain and shortening the aftermath associated with the detonation of nuclear wea- their normal life expectancy. They sacrificed themselves and, in pons……. The after-effects of such weapons, in short term death many cases jeopardized the health of their children, while de- & mass destruction, and long term human misery & suffering, fending the National Security of the United States of America.… would be incalculable in many ways…….This is why all Nations Without fail, surviving Atomic-Veterans would all “strap-it-on” one of the free-world must not allow radical groups ( religious or more time, in the interest of freedom and liberty, as they are all otherwise ) to develop or possess nuclear weapons …………. true Patriots of the first order. They seek nothing more than The Veterans Advisory Board on ( radiation ) Dose Recon- proper recognition for their service and health issue sac- struction ( VBDR ) is still engaged in working closely with the rifices……. We are still waiting for Congress to properly honor Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) and the Defense Threat the memory of thousands of deceased Atomic-Veterans, and the Reduction Agency ( DTRA ) relative to Atomic-Veteran outreach service & sacrifice of approx. 196,000 surviving Atomic-Veterans efforts, and the filing of claims for radiogenic health issues ……. …… before they all die ……The clock is still ticking, and For additional information, updates & transcripts of activities, we Congress has not yet fulfilled that promise …… invite you to visit their website ………… www.vbdr.org ............... In the words of Sgt. “Buster” Evans ….. “Maybe they will see fit ATOMIC VETERANS & THE PURPLE HEART ! ! ! to issue one ( 1 ) Atomic-Medal to the last-man-standing..….. just so they can finally say……look what we did for you……..but “Those Veterans who were exposed to Ionizing nuclear radi- that may well be just before Hell freezes over” ! ! ! ! ! ! ation while participating in the Atmospheric Atomic test events, from 1945 to 1962, were just as wounded as those Veterans who were injured by the bullets from the rifles of all of the enemy’s of our Country” ---- President George W. Bush ---- J. N. “Buzz” Broussard ( LA ) Ronald Hensley ( WV ) Tommy Ellis ( Ky ) Wilbur Clark, Jr. ( IA ) The statement ( on the cover of this newsletter ) are the words of Earl Swette ( FL ) Wallace Rankin ( CA ) Sgt. Raymond “Buster” Evans ( USMC ), who participated in the Anthony Labriola ( IL ) Erwin Finley ( WV ) Upshot-Knothole & Teapot tests….Like all military participants, Eugene Davis ( TN ) James Airhardt ( IL ) he followed his orders and, without question, stood tall in the face William McGee ( CA ) Bruce Voges ( MO ) of the unknown….Many years later, Sgt. Evans, began to devel- Wesley Curtiss ( NM ) Bobby Williams ( IL ) oped severe radiogenic health issues, including cancers, that William Nelson ( NY ) John Thomas ( MT ) were directly related to his radiation exposure events at the Thomas Kiley ( MA ) William Ward ( KY ) Nevada Test Site…….After many years of pain and grief, Sgt. Alfred LaFalce ( LA ) Garland Williams ( CT ) Evans’ health issues caused his pre-mature death …….. Robert Schiplet ( MT ) Joseph Stasiak ( IN ) His statement is typical of the total frustrations voiced by the Leonard Aronoff ( OH ) Raymond Ross ( KY ) majority of America’s Atomic-Veterans, who were also wounded Edward Johnson ( NY ) Eugene Streng ( TX ) by radiation particles, while proudly serving their country. They all John Wilson ( FL ) Gordon Thielke ( WI ) feel strongly that a Purple Heart, or even an Atomic-Veteran Harmon Rulliffson ( MN ) Leroy Krafcheck ( FL ) Medal, should have been awarded for being deliberately exposed Edward Janek ( TX ) Luther Koon ( MN ) to, and wounded by, nuclear radiation particles ……. Ralph Boley ( IA ) Dale Elmore ( TX ) Edward Richardson ( ME ) Robert Daley ( MO ) The Department of Defense is on record as stating that the Marcus Giro ( CA ) Delbert Crawford ( AZ ) Purple Heart is only awarded to veterans wounded by a real live Benjamin Attwater ( OR ) Charles Timmons ( MD ) enemy of the United States, and should not for awarded to Vet- George Rittenhouse ( IL ) Thomas Morrison ( NY ) erans who may have been ( intentionally ) wounded by the United William Morrison ( FL ) Michael Thompson ( OK ) States of America …….. while on active duty ……….. Albert Finnigan ( MT ) Jonathon Mitchell ( IA ) It must be noted, that bullet & ordinance fragment wounds will, in We ask our members to observe a special moment of silence so as most cases, heal and have no further effect on the ( long term ) to properly recognize & give thanks for their honorable service, health of those so wounded….However; ionizing radiation and total commitment to their God, their families wounds will have a profound effect on the future health of those and their Country. so wounded, often many years after the radiation exposure “Rest in peace, our Atomic-Veteran friends.“ event….Additionally, Scientific studies indicate that, in many cases, Ionizing radiation exposure has adversely affected the WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT - IN MANY WAYS reproductive ( DNA ) thus genetically altering the health of chil- As noted in previous issues, you must keep your dues updated dren born to many Atomic-Veterans………. and current, so we can continue to send you our periodic Over the years, several members of Congress have promised newsletters. Your ( annual ) dues expiration date is indicated on their ( Atomic-Veteran ) constituents that they would promote the the top line of your newsletter mailing label ……. All contributions issuance of an “Atomic-Veteran-Medal” for all veterans who 2 and “good” Samaritan donations are also most welcome…… THE CLEANING UP OF ENEWETAK In addition, a number of design parameters were varied to evaluate their effects on total performance. The original “Fat- Man” ( pit ) design used a Christy solid Plutonium core, what was surrounded by a close fitting natural Uranium tamper……. The Sandstone devices all replaced the contiguous tamper-core approach with a "levitated-pit” core design, in which the “pit” was suspended within a larger hollow space, within the tamper, so that a gap existed between them. The collision between the tamper and core would create more efficient compression of the core than the explosive-driven shock principle used in the war- time design….. The Sandstone devices did, however; retain the 43 NUCLEAR & THERMONUCLEAR WEAPONS solid core design…….. These devices also abandoned the use of WERE TESTED AT ENEWETAK a pure Plutonium core since Oralloy ( highly enriched Uranium ) in U-235 production exceeded Plutonium production by a factor of over 3-to-1…… The first test, “X-Ray”, used a composite Oralloy-Plutonium core, while both “Yoke” and “Zebra” used an all Oralloy core. The People and Events on Enewetak Atoll weight of the pits ( tamper plus core ) for all three devices were about the same……… Other tested features included varying the After the ( 1946 ) Crossroads “Able” & “Baker” tests ( at Bikini ) tamper thickness, that had been fixed at 7 cm. in earlier devices, the local ( Marshallese ) inhabitants of Enewetak were re-located varying the amount of fissile material in the core, and the effect of to a new home on Ujelang ( in 1947 ) in preparation for the using a minimum strength Polonium-Beryllium “Urchin” Neutron scheduling of the first series of nuclear weapon tests at Enewetak initiator….. Atoll ……This was Operation “Sandstone”, a series of three ( 3 ) experimental development tests ( X-ray, Yoke & Zebra ) that Previously, Urchins containing the full load of 50 curies of Po-210 were conducted in April,1948……… had been used in bomb tests…….