First and foremost, Thank you to all those who were lost on the field of battle.
This Memorial day special report is dedicated to all the lost soldiers, and the vets who were sworn to secrecy about what they have endured. Those who will never be able to tell what they have seen or what they have been through.
In today's world we are surely living in a troubling time. With no way to know what is true or who to trust. We are left to our own thoughts and must trust in what we know is right or wrong. Something I stumbled across months ago has really struck myself and the team. The stories, the pain, and the secrecy of the Atomic Veterans.
Atomic veterans as stated by the website for the NAAV (National Association of Atomic Veterans) signify an Atomic Veteran as members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in atmospheric and underwater nuclear weapons tests from 16 July, 1945 to 30 October 1962. They also include veterans who were assigned to post test duties, such as “ground zero” nuclear warfare maneuvers & exercises, removing radiation cloud samples from aircraft wing pods, working in close proximity to radiated test animals, de -contamination of aircraft and field test equipment, retrieval and transport of test instruments & devices, and a host of other duty assignments that provided an opportunity for a radiation exposure & contamination event.
These soldiers were more or less put into situations that exposed them to ionizing radiation, leading to cancer, and death for tens of thousands of Vets.
To be 100% clear. These vets were not told of these dangers in most of these cases and were put in direct danger by their own government and then were sworn to secrecy for the remainder of their lives. Thankfully in 1996, that all changed. The Oath of secrecy was Rescinded and the Atomic Vets were allowed to speak about what they saw and did. This also allowed them to secure monetary and health benefits from the government
The part that caught my attention was not the ones you would expect to hear from. Such as people who worked closely with nuclear equipment in the early days or in Japan after the bombings. It was all of the intentional times that other soldier were put into direct danger. Those sent in to test and clean after testing, as well as other nominal roles that did not have to happen.
How this came to our attention on the blog was pretty crazy. A small clip of a video posted on a meme sharing app. It was some og these Atomic Vets telling the most insane stories. These vets were part of the nuclear tests at sea. The pictures in this article are of commonly shown footage. However, what we were never told is that there were soldiers and staff on the vessels in the photos.
Some of these brave men's stories were Haunting. They mentioned having no idea what they were doing but being told to go out onto the deck, sit down, and cover their eyes. The men reported insane things after that moment.
Some stated that when the flash happened you could see through your eyelids and hands. The x-rays were so intense that they could see the blood vessels and bones in their hands. After the flash and the men uncovered their eyes, they could only stare up in awe.
"The cloud wasn't over there, it was right over us." stated one soldier. they were directly under the mushroom cloud. Something most people will hopefully never know what that looks like. Just within this group of 20,000 soldiers, over 18,000 had passed away to date, mainly thanks to cancer and radiation related sickness. The website for the NAAV states that there could be around 195,000 Atomic Veterans out affected. Sadly even though the oath of secrecy order was rescinded in 1996, most of these vets have no clue they could receive what little benefit they are offered.
You'd think after enduring what these people have, medical help would be the least we could provide for them. However, that is not the way of the world sometimes. So, in closing, takes this information and spread it, so we do not forget. However, also take it in remembrance for those that endured, and those who continue to endure through pain and secrecy.