Operation Ivy
US Atomic Veterans
Bill Doherty
Bill Doherty sent email about his duty at Operation Ivy.
From: Thh212@aol.com
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001
Subject: Operation Ivy
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Hello Keith,
I'm interested in contacting any of the men from my outfit. We ran the
communications center during the operation.
You asked for some details of my experience on
Eniwetok - here's the lowdown: I arrived on the island about Oct. 6, in time
for the blast Nov. 1. After 4 months I was made Trick Chief, heading one of
the 8 hour shifts in the message center. The other TC's were Sgts but I
stayed a PFC; rank was frozen at that time.
I worked the active night shift
during the December typhoon. I went on R&R to Hawaii in May and served a month
on Bikini (actually Enienman).
Played lots of sports, winning jackets in
softball and volleyball. I caught for the fast pitch softball team that beat
the Air Force in an exciting playoff. The Colonel presented us with the
jackets on the stage of the theater for both sports. I still have the photos
of that and we all know how rare photos were on Wetok.
I visited the EM club and Swimmers' Tavern regularly. Flew home on the infamous triple nickel nine (5559) that, sure enough, was ACOP on Kwaj for two days.
On Oct. 30 we were told to secure our tent on Eniwetok and muster at the company
street to be transported by LCT to the Rendova, waiting in the lagoon.
Several guys became seasick as we bobbed around waiting to board the Rendova.
I had guard duty the night before the blast, watching a safe that supposedly
held crypto codes. Some of us had attended Mass in a small room on the ship
earlier that night.
On deck before the blast, the day dawned sunny and clear, a perfect and
ordinary tropical Pacific day. Most of us had no badges or dark glasses so
we were told to face away from the blast for 5 to 10 seconds. The countdown
- at that time a unique experience - was nerve wracking. The flash of the
blast flooded over us and we turned to see the enormous fireball evolve into
a still more enormous cloud that one of my buddies said was "more of a
doughnut than a mushroom." The cloud spread rapidly to cover about a quarter
of the visible ocean and sky; the rush of the sound wave swept passed us in a
couple of minutes.
We were clueless GI's but there was a strong sense of being in on something
mammoth in size and importance, wondering what the rest of the world was
going to think of this. A couple of days later we were back on Eniwetok
handling communications while the Geiger counter people wandered in and out
of the center, tents, and latrines. When one of them got some clicks he said
simply, "Something must be wrong with this thing." He may have been right
but I do have prostate cancer and yes, I'm aware that almost fifty tears have
passed and that many men my age have this condition. What I have written
above are the facts surrounding MIKE as I recall them. If you are
interested, I can send something about KING, which occurred 15 days later.
I'd enjoy very much hearing from anyone who knew me or was in my outfit.
Thanks again for the chance to make some contact after all these years. Your
info was more than I had anticipated.
Bill Doherty
SIG DET 7126 AU JTF7
Seaford, New York
Email: Thh212@aol.com
Keith Whittle
April 23, 2001
[ Operation Ivy ]