Operation Crossroads
Operation Sandstone
US Atomic Veterans
Stuart Bigler
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000
From: StuartBigler@cs.com
To: Keith pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: My experiences - atomic testing- Crossroads and Sandstone
Crossroads:
I participated in both tests as a weather observer (Aerographers Mate).
I was assigned to a weather ship (USS PCE 884 or 881) in June or July
1946. We were assigned a specific latitude and longitude about halfway
between Guam and Kwajalein (I'm told that position was about 400 miles west
of Bikini). We held that station about 27 or 28 days. During that period at
least one test was conducted. We never observed anything unusual in terms of
clouds or precipitation.
Sandstone:
I served on the USS Bairoko CVE-115 from September or October 1947
until my discharge in October 1948.
In addition to my duties as an observer I volunteered to serve in
charge of the athletic gear locker, located on the hanger deck and was a
member of the ship basketball team. The reason for mentioning this will
become apparent later.
For each of the three tests, I was assigned to the flight deck,
issued special glasses so I could watch each detonation. I was to report on
the effects of the blast on clouds. Since great quantities of heat are
released by the blast, sizable effects on clouds were possible. The shock
wave emanating from the blast was clearly visible in the tropical atmosphere.
On at least one of the tests I felt the shock wave as it passed over the
ship. Following each blast I remained on the flight deck approximately one
hour watching and describing changes in the clouds. I was not issued a
dosimeter so I have no way of knowing what my radiation exposure might have
been. I was dressed in standard Navy dungarees and chambray shirt, open at
the collar. No special clothing. No special instructions to shower or change
clothes following each blast so I continued to wear the same clothes
throughout the day.
Following the second test some bent and twisted steel beams perhaps
the remains of a tower were placed on the hangar deck covering part of the
basketball court. We were scheduled to play a game against one of the other
ships and I was directed to paint some of the boundary lines of the court
that been painted over earlier as part of routine maintenance. I painted the
lines and moved some of the debris off the court so we would have the full
court to play on. Part way through moving the debris someone walked by and
told me to stop and to go take a shower, which I promptly did. There were
crew living quarters on the deck immediately below. Somewhat later the debris
disappeared.
In early spring 1982 an orthopedic surgeon diagnosed a tumor located
on the top of my sternum and recommended immediate surgery. The surgery
was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The tumor was the
size of a lemon, although only a small lump was visible on my chest. Note
that the top of the sternum is exposed to sunlight because of the open
collar of the shirt.
I was in contact with the VA 10 or 12 years ago and was told my kind
of cancer was not considered to be caused by any type of radiation, so I
let the matter drop.
Stuart Bigler
StuartBigler@cs.com
--Keith Whittle
January 3, 2000
Operation Sandstone