Eniwetok Clean-up
U.S. Atomic Veterans
Edward J. Blas
Edward J. Blas sent email about his duty.
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007
From: yvonne blas jkgbyer@yahoo.com
Subject: enewetok atoll clean up project
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
My name is Edward J. Blas, Como. Sgt. U.S. Army and a Disabled American Veteran (DAV), serving in the United States Army from 1973 to 1981. And that I am also a Disabled Atomic Veteran who participated on two separate tour of duty with the clean up project in the Marshall Islands with no recognition of my services, compensation and privileges with the National and Local Veterans.
I ask our government leaders to support, assist and help the many veterans National and Local to voice and address our needs, either or all medical needs, compensation, doctors, medical facilities and any privileges due to us. We, veterans who are not recognized or assisted 100% are in our dying need of all the services and benefits that are also entitled to us like any other nuclear war veteran.
I was only 21 years old, in good and excellent health. Back then, I weighed probably 150 lbs. After I resigned from the U.S. Army, in 1981 to 1994 I weighed about 220 lbs. In mid 1994 I started to get sick, slowly and progressively decreasing my life span. I am only 53 years old, not able to function and live a normal life as one who would live an old age. Look at me now, I am only 140 lbs.
In 1977, I was stationed at the 125th. Signal Company in Hilomano, Hawaii close to Schofield, I was later then, assigned to Schofield and was attached to the 84th Engineer Battalion in Hawaii for a clean up project on the Enewetok Atolls in the Marshall Islands.
When, I was stationed on the Marshall Islands to clean up post-war debris. I was there to set up communications system, I dig, trench, shovel soil to build a foundation to set up all my communication equipments, climb poles to set communication lines from one island to the other, with others there we build a large dome on the island of Runit and fill it in with tons of radiated debris (soil). In the process of complying with this directive, many in my battalion got sick on a weekly basis, presumably from radiation expo-sure. To the highly radioactive soil; however, this immediate physical reaction, to radiation poisoning is nothing compared to the long-range Devastating effects that many of my fellow army colleagues have suffered from, especially me being sick every day now, one illness after another. I have learned that many have fallen ill prematurely, suffering with Lung cancer, tumors, and other terminal type diseases, 20, and 30, even 40 Years preceding to the time such diseases usually come upon one in old age.
I am grateful that I am not yet diagnosed for cancer, but assuming that the Guam’s Cancer Specialist Dr. O’Conner feels that there is a possibility I have a dime size tumor on both my kidneys. He stated that it has to be monitored carefully on a three month bases.
Personally, I have been suffering from numerous radiation related Diseases, (i.e., unable to have children, or generate a family, problem swallowing, infection and removal of tonsils, always being sick, exhausted, very poor visions, both eyes had lens implants, back pains of my lower back, tendonitis of my shoulder, poor posture of upper body bone structure, sugar level was high, blood count is low, always down and bedridden for a week or two with a flu like symptom, heart problems, pains and swelling of my knees and elbow, had a double bypass. After surgery, I had weakness in breathing with no appetite to eat, severe headaches, unable to walk alone, nauseated and vomiting, had a mild heart attack I never knew about until I had a mild stroke a week after surgery. Now I am unable to do any type of house chores, nor yard maintenance work, unable to comprehend at times, constant and consistent dry coughing, poor blood circulations of legs, reflux of the digestive system, discoloring of my skins on both arms, black spots all over both forefront of thighs and both my kidneys are not functioning properly and now my bones on my knees and elbow are extruding outwards for no reason at all.
I was in excellent health in Enewetok for my 2 tours of duty. First six months was to setup communications system. I would dig, shovel and trench the ground to run commo cable lines, climb up utility poles to run telephone lines so the 84th Engineer can communicate with each other from one island to the other. I would set up commo equipment in an area enclosed with a cooling system to keep the equipment cool at all times. I set up commo, to communicate with other islands to include Hawaii and Mainland United States
Second six months, was to operate the communication system because NCO replacing me had no experience on the telephone system that was setup, and that no one assigned was able to operate the system. I was still in a good and excellent health during my second tour of duty.
When I came back after both tours, I was not told to get a physical or was ever told to have a check up. I was never told or briefed on what we were expected to encounter. It was on a “Need to know Bases” I was ordered on a mission to the Marshall Islands for a “clean up project” since the beginning of my first tour.
Being an islander from Guam, I was ordered to take the assignment and I assumed that we are going there for typhoon debris clean up. That we had to wear a yellow gear for the first two days thinking that we would pick up dead and decomposed bodies caught during the typhoon
All the time we military personnel that I have known were never warned or told when we were there about radiation exposure. After two days wearing the yellow gear, we were told to remove it. We were put in harms way, we were never educated on radiation exposure.
As any typical pacific islander, I went swimming, snorkeling, diving and fishing. There were no signs posted that we were not allow to swim, dive or snorkel or catch any seafood, not even to eat any type of sea or land food .We caught and ate giant lobsters, fish, Hema clams and even humongous coconut crabs.
To the U.S. government’s credit, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs has taken good care of my medical needs the best that they can. Yet my disabilities pre-vent Me!!! from living a “normal, productive life” as I should have been able to do for the next twenty to thirty years. Had I not been exposed to the effects of radiation fallout on the Marshall Islands some 30 years ago, I am confined to limited physical activity for the rest of my decreased life, constantly being under medical treatment to sustain “What life I have left to live”.
After my military life, I had two or three jobs, to include my ranch life, raising chickens, and planting fruits and vegetables, to doing yard work at home and to be a handyman when needed. I also build with my fiancé (at that time) a 3 bedroom, two-car garage house. We moved on and rebuild after we got married. We built a solid concrete home. Now, I am not able to repair, install, do any plumbing or electrical needs, carry things, do yard work, I can’t even plant any type of vegetation. Because it’s either I’m too weak or light-headed, can’t see, nauseated or I’m in severe pain. I can’t even exercise like I use too or even to stay out in the sun to watch and enjoy my grandchildren’s baseball games.
Edward J. Blas
Como. Sgt. U.S. Army
P.O.Box 26558 GMF,
Barrigada, Guam 96921
477-2527/483-2528
jkgbyer@yahoo.com
Keith Whittle
March 24, 2007
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