Eniwetok Clean-up
U.S. Atomic Veterans
George Duncan
George Duncan sent email about his duty.
From: "George M Duncan" DuncanG@gao.gov
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Veterans Benefits
Date: Jan 11, 2007
I am a veteran that served in the 84th Engineer Battalion at Schofield
Barracks and was deployed to Eniwetok from March to August of 1978. I
was a crane operator 62F but also took the LARCs to the smaller Islands
to pick up debris by hand with the 12Bs. We found weapons, ordinance,
and even what look to have been human bones.
We stayed at the tin hooch at the Air Field
and our unit did most of the clean-up of Medrin so we took the boat to
Medrin every morning and came back at night. I can remember those damn
flies every time we ate chow out there on Medrin. It was my job to load
the dump trucks with my clamshell after the dozers an graders would
scrape the top soil, concrete, rebarb, and any metal left there from the
50s it was all to be dumped in the crater on Runit.
I spent my first month watching the free movie outside at night and waiting for steak and
prime rib night at the mess hall. Then I got smart and started working
out at the little gym, played tennis, and swam in the salt water pool
down by the Navy's end of the Island. I also remember the biggest damn
roaches I ever saw, sharks feeding at the garbage pier, Dolphin's
escorting the LARCS, those mean eels, and don't forget the heat. But all
in all it was a good experience and I served with a great group of men.
I have always had breathing problems since leaving there but I have been told it was allergies,
sinusitis and even exercise induced asthma. I never thought of my
exposure to plutonium. The VA has contacted
me to come in for an examination.
George Duncan
C company 84th Engineers
1978-1980
DuncanG@gao.gov
Keith Whittle
January 11, 2007
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