Photo courtesy of Carrie Diem Keith Kiefer

We are but a few of the Survivors of the 1977-1980 Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission in the Marshall Islands. 

Our Original Mission was to relocate and entomb radioactive fallout and debris from the surface of the islands of Enewetak Atoll so the dri-Enewetak Islanders could return to their beautiful homeland of 40 Islands in the Marshall Islands.

We accomplished our Humanitarian Mission in 1980. Some of us have health challenges related to cleaning up radiation produced by 43 atomic bombs tested in the Pacific Proving Grounds during the Cold War’s Atomic Test Program. Some of us have died.

Most of our Veterans are very open about their first-hand-experiences from the cleanup mission and the health consequinces they’ve encountered because of their exposure to ionizing radiation.

Unfortunately, too many people turn a deaf ear and ignore our need to change the law that classifies us as having “ocupational exposure” to radiation instead of “at-risk” exposure.

We recently formed a Speakers Bureau of Atomic Cleanup Veterans available to speak at various organizational events all across the United States.

Many of our members have already been interviewed by news reporters and book authors. Some of our guys have already spoken with various organizations whose members are not only interested in the history and consequinces of our mission, but are actively supporting our current mission of getting HR632 Mark Takai’s Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act signed into law.

If your Organization has a meeting or a special event and is interested in an Atomic Cleanup Veteran to speak about our Atomic Cleanup Mission and how your organization can help us change the law prohibiting Atomic Cleanup Veterans from obtaining the same healthcare available to Atomic Veterans, please fill in your request on the form below.

You can help us change our “occupational” exposure classification to “at-risk” exposure by letting your Federal Representatives know you want them to support H.R. 1377 – Mark Takai’s Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act.

Continue to learn more about us from various resources shared by supporters and cleanup participants in future AtomicCleanupVets.com articles. Our articles contain photographs, videos, documents and stories shared by the actual participants who cleaned radioactive contaminated soils and materials from the surface of the islands at Enewetak Atoll.

Article written by Girard Frank Bolton, III. 1977-1979 (14 month) participant with C Company and HHC S-3 (Operations) 84th Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy) (Fwd) Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands.

Our Current Mission is to help health challenged Atomic Cleanup Veterans become included in the Veterans Administration’s definition of an Atomic Veteran so we can qualify to apply for funds set aside for veterans “who participated in radiation-risk activities during active service.”