NAAV National Legislative Director
U.S. Atomic Widow
Pat Broudy
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
From: PATBNAAV@aol.com
Subject: First time observer--Pat Broudy
Hi, Keith
My husband, Major Charles A.
Broudy, a Marine aviator, was a participant in both PRISCILLA and HOOD of that
series (Plumbbob). He was in the forward trench for HOOD, along with his commanding
officer, BGEN Tschirgi and the rest of the MCPAEB officers.
About an hour later the men in this group marched to ground zero and inspected
the damage wrought by that monstrous explosion. I had actually witnessed it
myself from Santa Ana, CA, arising at 4:30 along with my children and several
neighbors--as Chuck had called the night before and told us to go outside and
face the east and we would see something we would never forget. True, I have
never forgotten that sight. It was as you described in your story of
witnessing that beautiful but deadly bomb. Nineteen years after that
explosion, my wonderful husband died of lymphoma, and I've been fighting the
government since that time.
In addition to his exposure during PLUMBBOB, Chuck flew to Nagasaki in
September of 1945 and was there until November when his night fighter squadron
left for Pearl Harbor.
In 1948 he attended a radiological safety school at Mare Island, CA. Part of
their duties was to go aboard two plutonium-laden ships towed from the
Crossroads exercise--the INDEPENDENCE and the CRITTENDEN. Those ships had
been put off limits by Stafford Warren as being totally plutonium
contaminated. He spent three days and three hours aboard those vessels
handling nuclear materials.
As with most of our guys, I cannot get his medical records and any other
records having to do with his participation in those experiences. However, I
do have his flight log books and they tell a lot. I've also obtained much
material from the CIC in Las Vegas, to help in my appeals (seven) to the Board
of Veterans Appeals.
In 1976 shortly after his diagnosis of lymphoma, we saw on television, Paul
Cooper who was being interviewed in a Salt Lake City VA hospital bed. He was
close to death, but stated his impending demise by leukemia was caused by his
radiation exposure during PLUMBBOB. Chuck called him that night and
surprisingly, he was able to discuss the issue very briefly, but did tell
Chuck to go to the VA the next day and file a claim immediately. That is how
our battle with the VA began. It's a long story, but suffice to say, he was
denied and had appealed before his death, after which I filed a claim for DIC
widow's benefits and was also denied.
That began my crusade and many years of "working the hill" and testimonies, 20
in all before the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees. Eight
speeches before the President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation
Experiments and several before the national Academy of Sciences. I feel
compelled to do this and probably will until I can no longer function.
I know this sounds almost impossible, but of the 405,000 veterans exposed from
1945 to 1962 during the Cold War, to nuclear testing and Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, during the last Senate Veterans Affairs hearing of April 21 this
year, the VA representative testified that "about 500" total atomic veterans
and widows (one-third),
had been awarded VA claims.
Caio,
Pat Broudy
Email: Pat Broudy
From: PATBNAAV@aol.com
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002
Subject: Re: Another widow's story
To: rucon1@juno.com, berniecl@swbell.net, pdxavets@aracnet.com
Dear Friends:
I just had to write this little history about my beloved Chuck.
My kids (4) chipped in for my last year's Christmas (01) present which
I just received yesterday. (It took a while to gather all the medals, etc.,
and to mount them into a large 6 x 3 glass shadow box. It was professionally
done.)
It couldn't be a surprise because I had to furnish the contents. It's
about six feet by three feet. All of Chuck's medals, photos of his
squadrons, dog tags (both for his enllisted time and officer time (he was a
"Mustang.". And his first stripe (PFC) up to his final rank at retirement
(Major). A large and very long squadron photo with three gull-winged
fighters in the background (1947); his ceremonial sword and scabbard, two of
his flight logs, I.D. cards, from 1940 to 1960; shoulder patches; his prized
"wings") He flew everything the Marine Corps had, culminating with his tour
in Japan (Iwakuni) as C.O. of a fighter (jet) squadron, before retirement.
His medals are: Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal with four gold
stars repre-senting 100 missions flown both in WWII and Korea; Korean Service
Medal; American Defense Service Medal; MARCOR; Navy Occupation Service Medal;
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal; Presidential Unit Citation; United Nations
Service Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; National
Defense Service Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Shooting medals
including sharpshooter, rifle, three expert pistol medals.
One of his I.D. cards which is quite water-stained indicates "Staff
Sergeant Charles A. Broudy" and the date he was rescued from the Atlantic
after a mid-air collision. Neither of the pilots were harmed except for
bruised egos. Chuck was fished from the cold Atlantic by a Coast Guardsman,
who pulled him out of the water and deposited him, a shivering hulk, on the
deck of the ship. He had registered a "Mayday" before he parachuted out of
the plane.
During the Korean War (and it was a war) his flight leader was
responsible for getting his flight lost north of the 38th Parallel. Chuck
and his wingman split for the clouds while the rest of the pilots were
fighting off the Chinese. He had radioed his leader, but because of poor
radio contact his message was not received. His wingman disappeared and
Chuck's tail was shot off (the plane's tail). He limped back to the closest
base, picked up another plane and went back to try to find his wingman.
There was no sight of him. We later found he had been captured by the Chinese
but was imprisoned and released after the war.
My living room now looks like a museum. We are all so proud of our
hero. I was able to get new medals from the Marine Corps to replace the ones
that were a little tattered, so it is quite colorful. Today I had my windows
tinted to reflect the glare of the sun, so as not to fade the photos and
ribbons,.
Chuck retired in 1960 after 20 years in the Marine Corps. He died in
1977, twenty years after his last exposure to radiation (PLUMBBOB, Shots
Priscilla and Hood, 1957.)
Pat Broudy
Email: Pat Broudy