Gary C. Pulis

Nickname:  —

Employer during Enewetak Atoll Atomic Cleanup Mission:  Army

Rank:  E-4 Spec-4

Job Title: 62E10 Heavy Equipment Operator

Unit: B Company, 84th Engineer Battalion

Enewetak Atoll TDY Tour:  4/17/1979 – 10/16/1979

Island Lived on at Enewetak Atoll:  Lojwa

Islands Worked on at Enewetak Atoll:  Sally, Pearl and Janet

Description of Work Performed:  I ran dozers and front-end loaders my whole time there along with a road grader every once in a while. As with most others, we were never told of the dangers of our mission nor were we given any sort of protective gear. Not even a simple paper mask. I breathed in all sorts of dust and who knows what else. I must say being on Enewetak was the best and worse duty I ever had. The best due to the teamwork, operating time and relaxed atmosphere we worked in. The worse due to what we were exposed to and our government’s continued refusal to assist us with our health issues and coming forth with the truth about our exposure.

Health Challenges which may be related to Radiation Exposure:  Yes.

Comments about Health Challenges: Since returning, I have remained fairly healthy until I was 35 years old. That is when I had my first “cardiac event” (showing all the signs of a heart attack but no damage detected). At 44 years old, I had a 2nd with the same results. Over the last 10 years, I have been diagnosed with an Unstable Angina, Heart Murmur, Type II Diabetes and just 2 years ago, I had a massive Asthma Attack (having never had asthma before). I have also had (and continue to have) skin issues (that doctors can not explain) and general aches and pains in most of my joints. Since finding others that were on the Atoll, all the pieces are coming together. All these ailments could be related to my exposure to radiation.

Veterans Administration Health Assistance: Denied.

Experiences with the Veterans Administration:  It would be nice to get a little assistance from the politicians of Indiana as opposed to being totally ignored.

Current Residence: Auburn, Indiana

Contributions towards accomplishing Our Current Mission:

• AtomicCleanupVets.com – Author
• Atomic Cleanup Veterans – Facebook Page Fan
• Enewetak Atoll Clean-up Project Vets. – Facebook Group Founder Administrator
• Military & Dependent Environmental Hazard Group – Facebook Group Member
• National Association of Atomic Veterans – Facebook Group Member

Enewetak Atoll Photos:

Our main focus is to help each other with information and moral support during challenging times.

Our secondary focus is to urge Congress to change the current laws and recognize soldiers of the atomic cleanup mission as “veterans who participated in radiation-risk activities during active service.”

Do you know Gary C. Pulis? Do you know an Atomic Cleanup Veteran? Are you an Atomic Cleanup Veteran? Are you willing to help us accomplish our mission? Share your comments below!