Commending the People of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the Contributions and Sacrifices They Made to the United States Nuclear Testing Prog
COMMENDING THE PEOPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND SACRIFICES THEY MADE TO THE UNITED STATES NUCLEAR TESTING PROGRAM IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS -- (House of Representatives - April 04, 2006)
Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA for sponsoring H. Res. 692, which commends the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they made to the United States nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands 60 years ago.
When I served as the Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, I had the opportunity to visit the Marshall Islands on several occasions and to get to know the people, their land, and their history.
During the period of June 20, 1946 to August 18, 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. The vast majority of the tests were atmospheric. The most powerful of these tests was the ``Bravo'' shot, a 15 megaton device detonated on March 1, 1954, at Bikini atoll. The test was equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs.
While the Bravo test is the probably the best known, it should also be acknowledged that 17 other tests in the Marshall islands were in the megaton range with a combined yield estimated to be 174 megatons. Approximately 137 megatons of the that total was detonated in the atmosphere. This represents nearly 80 percent of the atmospheric nuclear tests detonated by the U.S.
Mr. Speaker, we must also acknowledge that the people of the Marshall Islands paid a steep price for the nuclear testing program. Many Marshalese who lived through the period of nuclear testing have been relocated to other areas and have been waiting for decades to return to their homes. Residents of the Rongelop Atoll, the island closest to ground zero, still remain in exile. Other Marshalese, including their offspring, have suffered from medical conditions associated with increased levels of radioactivity.
Despite the hardships endured by the people of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has an exemplary record of working with the United States and supporting U.S. security concerns, including efforts to stamp out terrorism around the world.
H. Res. 692 acknowledges the debt that all Americans owe for the sacrifice as well as loyalty of the people of the Marshall Islands.
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