Hardtack 1958
US Atomic Veterans
Ray Ross
Ray Ross sent email about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
From: "Ray Ross" cactusray@citlink.net
To: "Keith" pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Hardtack
Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001
Hi Keith,
Thanks, I did enjoy
the videos; never thought I would see those sights again. For sure I have
been praying I would never see them within the USA
I joined the Navy right out of high school in June of 1956. I went to boot camp at Great Lakes,
which was extended 6 weeks due to a hospital stay for pneumonia. I went to Radio School in
Norfolk, VA, as a brother had done before me. He was on a tanker home-ported in Norfolk so we
spent some time together there.
My first duty station was the USS Uvalde (AKA 88), where I had
the dubious privilege of putting her out of commission. Everybody chipped & painted!
Then I
went to the CTG 7.3 Boat Pool at the Coronado Amphibious Base to await transfer to the
Eniwetok Proving Ground. I went aboard the USS Boxer (CVS-21) on 2/7/58 for the cruise. We
stopped a couple days in Hawaii and then on to Eniwetok. I was at the CTG 7.3 Communication
Center until August. The uniform was khaki shorts & shirt with a baseball cap.
Holmes & Narver, Inc. was the civilian contractor there and laundry service was provided. There were a lot of Atomic Energy Commission civilians there also. The food was great and whenever you wanted more you just held up your plate and a native worker came & got it.
We lived in 8 man tents with a concrete deck. After being on (AKA-88) I thought it interesting that I was assigned to Tent 88. The Head/Shower facilities were adjacent to the tents. The weather was hot but not bad, with an early rain shower nearly every morning. We each got a "Ration Card" for beer & booze that was punched around the edges when used. It seems to me we could get a case of beer & a jug once a week. I used mine a lot and kept one for a souvenier. Whenever there was a shot they ran a jeep with a siren through the tent area. I slept right through an early morning shot one time. In addition to the in-tent beverage availability, there were three enlisted "Beach Clubs". We had a "drive-in" movie theater with folding chairs. I have a mimeo-graphed, hand-drawn map of the island that shows where everything was located.
When there was a shot we would gather with
our high density goggles on the lagoon beach. There would be a count-down, flash, boom, and
sometimes concussion & waves. I remember watching one cloud in particular float over the
island after a shot.
We had a swimming area in the lagoon that was fenced due to the sharks, Stonefish & Lionfish. These are very venomous fish. The natives used to bring them around in a
bucket to show us. Just before we left we learned that the fence didn’t reach the bottom in some places, Yikes!
I remember of one guy who was a scuba-diver that got sent back home for too
much radiation. We had to turn in our radiation badges when we left the island. I never did hear
about any readings on them. We left the island in August of 1958.
I left the Navy in July, 1959. I retired from a 19 year job with a disability in 7/99. I can’t say that any of my health problems are service connected. I have a condition similar to MS
that has unknown cause and no cure. I was treated out-patient at the University of Minnesota
Neurological Clinic for a couple years. No more new meds left to try. I have trouble walking, but
can still ride my Harley! I’m a member of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. We moved
from Minnesota to Lake Havasu City, AZ last year and we love it.
I have enrolled with the local VA clinic and am receiving my other meds through them. They were not aware of the Ionizing Radiation Exposure Register so I gave them a copy of Dick Conant’s information on the web.
Ray Ross
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Email: cactusray@citlink.net
Keith Whittle
November 1, 2001
[ Operation Hardtack1 ]