Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Atomic Veterans Service Medal Act.
Between 1945 and 1962, about 225,000 members of our Armed Forces participated in hundreds of nuclear weapons tests. These GIs became known as the Atomic Veterans. They were placed in extremely dangerous areas and constantly exposed to radiation in performance of their duties. Sworn to secrecy, they could not even speak of their service.
Thankfully, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush recognized their valiant service and acted to provide specialized care and compensation for their harrowing duty.
One of my constituents, Joe Mondello from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is an atomic veteran, and very proud of his service to our country. Like me, he believes it is past time for the Defense Department to honor with a medal the unique service carried out by the atomic veterans.
More than 75 percent of atomic veterans have passed away, never having received this recognition. I call on this House to act swiftly on the passage of this bill.
[From Leavenworth Times, May 8, 2009]
Atomic Veterans Still Fighting For Recognition From U.S. Government
(By Belinda Larsen)
Approximately 225,000 American servicemen participated in atmospheric nuclear tests conducted between 1945 and 1962 in the U.S. and over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
About 225,000 American servicemen participated in atmospheric nuclear tests conducted between 1945 and 1962 in the U.S. and over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
These Americans were placed in very hazardous, extremely dangerous areas and were constantly exposed to the unknown factors of radiation in the performance of their duties. They were assigned to these duties with no formal training, knowledge of the hazards and with very little or no safety gear.
They were America's atomic guinea pigs and kept away from the public.
And still today the U.S. government remains reluctant to acknowledge the health problems created by the atomic testing, which left the servicemen with hidden wounds--not from bullets or shrapnel, but from radiation.
``Thousands of veterans have died while they begged for medical help. The government has never admitted that subjecting them to atomic radiation causes all different kinds of cancer,'' said Gary Thornton of Leon, Kan., who has been working hard to bring honor and remembrance to our nation's forgotten veterans.
Thornton, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, was assigned duty aboard the U.S.S. Engage, a minesweeper. Thornton, along with his fellow crew members, were ``volunteered'' to participate in a top-secret project.
They were also instructed to sign a document stating that whatever they ``witnessed, saw, or heard would not be revealed for 20 years under the penalty of execution and/or life imprisonment.'' This was called the Atomic Secrets Act and no entries were made in the service jackets, medical records or orders of these soldiers.
Because of the sworn secrecy, it's as if the testing never happened.
Thornton has been telling anyone who will listen that most of the Atomic Veterans have experienced severe health problems, as well as their children and grandchildren.
In order to be compensated, a veteran must be certified by a VA doctor, which means the veteran must have proof of their assignment or participation. Due to the Atomic Secrets Act, it's impossible to attain the needed certification.
The Atomic Secrets Act was finally lifted in 1996--not 20 years, but 51 years after being imposed. The veterans who were left were allowed to discuss their experiences.
``Because so much emphasis was put on the severity of breaking the 20 year imposed threat, there are older survivors that are still afraid to say anything for the fear of being punished,'' Thornton said. ``It's a national disgrace. I just can't stand to see any more of these people die without the recognition they deserve. ..... They're not even mentioned in our history books.''
The government has never researched or sought out these veterans. Thousands have died from multiple cancers or related illnesses and were not granted any medical assistance.
SMALL STEPS
In 1988, the government finally conceded to allow treatment for six types of cancer, only provided that the veteran could prove they were part of the atomic testing--nearly impossible to do because of the secrecy act.
The Department of Defense has instituted a program that works to confirm veteran participation in U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962, and the occupation forces of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
If the veteran is a confirmed participant of these events, the Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) may provide either an actual or estimated radiation dose received by the veteran. The information then can be used to assist with VA claims. Sadly, it takes a long time for claims to be reviewed and only a few thousand have been approved.
In the meantime, more than 75 percent of the Atomic Veterans have died.
SEEKING RECOGNITION
In 1982, there were over 850 Atomic Veterans in Kansas. Today there are only 100 left.
In 2003, Thornton, along with fellow veteran Larry Halloran, began working toward getting recognition and a special medal for the Atomic Veterans.
``These veterans had no idea how the radiation would affect them. ..... None of us knew. We were 18 and 19 years old, following orders and serving our country. We're dying by the thousands and still no recognition. It's a disgrace. We can't let their deaths be in vain,'' Thornton said.
The allied countries of Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia enacted the Atomic Veterans Medal Act of 2007, in which a Queen-authorized special medal to honor their Atomic Veterans who served with the United States, was authorized. Their medals came with full monetary and medical compensation.
Still, the U.S. government remains silent.
Because of the sacrifices made by the Atomic Veterans, the U.S. has the safest nuclear generating power plants, nuclear aircraft carriers and Trident submarines. Strides were also made in medical technology--including x-rays, MRIs and sonograms.
Thornton also credits the nuclear test results with helping to end the Korean War, ``MacArthur had three atomic bombs in Korea and when Korea found out, they backed off,'' he added, ``President Kennedy also had the upper hand in Cuba because of the bomb.''
KANSAS EFFORTS
In 2004, former state Rep. Everett Johnson, of Augusta, and an Atomic Veteran who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease several years ago, helped get a resolution adopted to recognize and honor Kansas Atomic Veterans, which led to then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius presenting a Certificate of Recognition to each known Atomic Veteran in Kansas.
``We couldn't have done it without Everett Johnson and Governor Sebelius. ..... Kansas is the only state to do this,'' Thornton said.
A day of celebration was held in Topeka, but more than 50 percent of the state's Atomic Veterans were too ill or too old to attend the special event.
In 2007, the Kansas Legislature adopted resolution HCR 5018, introduced by Kansas Rep. Ed Trimmer, of Winfield, and co-sponsored by Rep. David Crum, of Augusta, encouraging the President of the United States Congress to honor our nation's Atomic Veterans with a special Atomic Veterans Service Medal.
There has been no official action or designation number for the bill in Washington, but Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt's office and other sponsors are routing the bill for introduction to the House of Representatives.
FUNDRAISING PROJECT
During a legislative session last year, Trimmer and Crum co-sponsored legislation to name a portion of Highway 400 in honor of the Atomic Veterans. The legislation passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was signed by Sebelius in April 2008.
Trimmer led the fundraising efforts for the purchase of the Kansas Department of Transportation highway signs. More than $1,400 was raised through private donations.
In a ceremony on May 22, the highway signs will be revealed. Legislators, state and county officials, veterans and their families will gather at 10 a.m. at the Bluestem High School auditorium in Leon to honor our Country's forgotten veterans.
The new highway signs are a step in the right direction, but Thornton continues his appeal for national recognition.
``Please help us by writing, e-mailing or calling our congressmen and spreading the word to friends in other states to do the same,'' he said. ``We need your help to bring these treasured veterans out from the dark where our government has seen fit to put them, into the sunlight with honor and dignity and receive a medal. An $8 medal would be a small price tag for what these Atomic Veterans--America's Forgotten Veterans--have endured for 60 years.''
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[From Huffington Post, Mar. 15, 2014]
Justice for the Atomic Veterans
(by Vincent Intondi)
In 1955 the U.S. detonated a nuclear weapon. Men nearby huddled in fear, praying for their lives. Some died instantly. Others lost their sight or had the skin ripped off their bodies. However, these were not enemies of the U.S. They were Americans. From 1945 to 1963, the United States conducted hundreds of nuclear weapons tests in which they used thousands of GIs as human guinea pigs. The GIs, who became known as the ``atomic veterans,'' were exposed to nuclear fallout, and many suffered fatal diseases. For years the plight of the atomic veterans and the federal government's reluctance to formally acknowledge these acts went largely unnoticed by the mainstream media. However, beginning in the 1970s, atomic veterans, led largely by African Americans Acie Byrd and James Gates, joined together to demand justice.
Acie Byrd is perhaps best known as the skipper of John F. Kennedy's famed PT-109. However, following a hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific, Byrd lost most light sensation in his eyes from the radiation exposure. Yet, over the years, Byrd managed to keep track of hundreds of victims of the nuclear tests. As founder of the Atomic Veterans Association and leader of the Alliance of Atomic Veterans, Byrd has often been at the forefront of ensuring that the federal government adequately compensates atomic veterans.
James Gates was born in Chicago's South Side in 1935. Upon returning from Korea in 1954, Gates was reassigned to Camp Desert Rock, Nev. In an interview with Nancy Hogan for her article ``Shielded From Liability,'' Gates explained that when he arrived in Las Vegas, ``they took his identification, told him he would be constructing roads and air fields, and to keep quiet about what he would see.'' Then the nuclear bomb tests began. Gates, only a half-mile away, was also told he was in no danger. In reality, he was being used as a human guinea pig. Gates saw his fellow soldiers die, carcasses of dead jackrabbits scattered on the ground, and one morning he awoke from unconsciousness only to find the flesh torn form his left arm and leg. ``There is no reckoning it. No reckoning why the government would hurt its own people. I mean, I've got no teeth, no energy, no breath...I've got very little left, not even hope...Some of the men were put in what they called the `monkey cage.' The monkey cage was close to the bomb site and the bomb killed all those men. I mean we were a half-mile from each shot...Each time we'd see a bomb go off they'd have a priest there... Racism has a lot to do with all this, racism and the feeling that the government doesn't care,'' Gates recalled.
As the nuclear tests continued, chemist and Nobel laureate Linus Pauling became convinced that the government was carrying out human experimentation. Pauling contacted the independent journalist Paul Jacobs and urged him to investigate the Nevada Test Site (NTS). In the winter of 1955, Jacobs picked up a hitchhiker on the way to Las Vegas. It was James Gates. The two quickly became friends, and Gates provided Jacobs with documents, contracts, and private meetings with others at the test site. After several years of research, Jacobs exposed the atrocity in a series of stories and the documentary Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang, which helped bring worldwide attention to the NTS. And while Gates took solace in the fact that the U.S. passed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963, he was denied military retirement and service-connected disability as a result of his whistleblowing.
Like many atomic veterans, Gates began to suffer numerous illnesses, struggled to sustain a career, and became homeless. Beginning in the 1970s, Gates' teeth began to fall out. He suffered from heart failure, a collapsed lung, and a burst appendix. Even with his health declining, Gates joined thousands of other atomic veterans and demanded the government provide adequate medical insurance. He participated in civil disobedience at the Nevada Test Site and joined radiation victims in rallies and conferences throughout the country. After years of activism, Gates was finally granted a date for a hearing on his case before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. He died on March 20, 2004--two and a half months before his scheduled appearance.
In response to the atomic veterans, on January 15, 1994, President Clinton set up the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), which held 16 meetings from 1994 through 1995, at which Byrd and other atomic veterans testified. Clinton went even further when, in the fall of 1995, he officially apologized for the treatment of atomic veterans. However, the apology went unnoticed in the mainstream media, since it came on the same day that the O.J. Simpson verdict was announced. Perhaps 20 years later we can give them the respect and honor that is so long overdue, and instead of spending billions to modernize our nuclear arsenal, we can eliminate them once and for all.