December 3, 2009
Come for the posts, stay for the comments
A few months ago I posted a picture of Operation Crossroads Baker and it has been slowly accumulating some rather interesting comments. For example:
My brother was on the Navy ship as a young sailor testing nukes on the islands. A few years ago he had me research as the VA told him no records showed him on the ships and the records burned in the 1970s in St. Louis. I researched the ship, found it named after a town in Wyoming and called the local library (2007). Not only was it the ship, they had a copy of the original manifest with his name on it! He had suffered from burning skin, then swollen private parts that had to be operated on, two children born with the need for braces on their legs. He has skin disorders at 73 years of age.
What I saw and purchased for him was the DVD showing the “Bikini Islands (Bikini Atoll) and the sailors in underwear swabbing the decks without even a mask on. He told me they went once a week below and a geiger counter was used to see if they were active!
His ship was painted in San Francisco, still active – painted again and then sunk 50 miles off of the coast line because they decommissioned it. I was told this when I called the libray. He went to the reunion and saw some of the original buddies.
US Government is waiting until those who were there die. Agent Orange had a congressman who fought for the soldiers in Viet Nam. Where are they for these men?
Sobering.
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