Operation Buster/Jangle
US Atomic Veterans
Richard Batchelor
From: "David B. Fish" sea_denizen@peoplestel.net
To: Keith Whittle pdxavets@aracnet.com
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003
Subject:
Keith,
Marty Jacek and Richard Batchelor - both of whom were veterans of
the "Buster-Jangle" test series passed away earlier this year.
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Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2001
From: Richard Batchelor
To: Keith pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Atomic Veteran (Buster/Jangle)
Keith,
In 1951 I was selected from G Company, 188th ABN, I was a Platoon Sergeant and I
carried my whole Platoon to Nevada. We were assigned to C Company, 188th ABN. We
departed Fort Campbell the last week of September. Sometime around the
26th-28th. We were pinned in like animals for 3 days prior to loading onto C-47
for Desert Rock. My Platoon Leader was so good that I don't even recall his
name. Nor do I remember the Company Commander name. The 1SG wasn't a hell of a
lot better. My most memorable times at Desert Rock was I got in a argument with
the CO, I had to ask him during dinner, if he had just eaten. He said no what's
your problem. I showed him one of my soldiers mess tray, there was a half dollar
size of burnt ham on his tray. I didn't get much of a response from him. The
soldiers just weren't being treated responsibly for chow.
The day that we went out to participate in one of the actual blast, Shot Dog I
believe was the name. That morning we were to load on the trucks to ride to the
area where our weapons were and be present for the blast, I was mysteriously
called in to the Company CP. and held there. Nobody was ever able to tell me why
I was called down there and I ended up not seeing my men the rest of the day. I
ended up going out on a different truck to the test site. On this truck is where
I met my friend Fish, that I told you about in my previous e-mail, I did not know
him at the time but some 40 plus years later Fish told me that he was on that
truck with me. What a glorious beginning to this trip. We ended up taking part
in one way or the other in I believe 6 more atomic tests while we were there.
On November 2nd we ended up going back to Fort Campbell. I was with that unit
approximately 5 more months, and then it was on to Korea. The 1st week in Korea
I started having severe nosebleeds and coughing spells. GI gin didn't take care
of that cough. The nosebleeds eventually went away and the cough never fully went
away until I was operated on in 1968.
I've ate at that old Jubitz Truck Stop a time or two, going back or forth to that
old VA in Portland. They tried to save my right eye back in 1973 a couple of
times but things didn't work out. Ended up having it removed in 1975 here in
Boise. I started having eye trouble as far back as 1954. A cataract formed in
1966, about 4 months after I retired. Things just continued to worsen and in 1972
my retina detached. That is how I ended up at the Portland VA (a few times). In
1968 my right lower lung lobe was removed due to continuing problems that I had
been having since about 1952. In 1995 I came down with Rectal Cancer and had
surgery for it that same year. I suffered a pretty bad
heart attack last December and still have some occasional problems from that.
I think I will probably end it there. I spent almost 22 years on Active Duty
retiring in 1966 as a 1SG. I loved being a soldier and all that came with it.
Just always thought that the GI should have been taken care of better. That was a
tough generation.
PS. I am looking for my old medic that was assigned to me. His name was
Richard Jackson. He was from Colorado, hopefully he is doing ok.
Richard Batchelor
Boise, Idaho.
--Keith Whittle
January 16, 2001
Operation Buster/Jangle