Operation Redwing
US Atomic Veterans
Phil Jacksi
Phil Jacksi sent email about his duty at Operation Redwing.
From: Phil & Barb Jacksi livetoride@gci.net
Subject: Atomic Vets
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Date: May 31, 2007
Dear Keith Whittle and Nuclear Vets.
I joined the Navy in Chicago aboard a Submarine in Lake Michigan along with two of my Buddys, the beginning of quite an adventure. Went to Great Lakes NTC, Company 512, in the winter of 1955 and was voted the Company's Honorman. After Boilerman school in Philidelphia I picked the USS McGinty, DE 365 out of Pearl Harbor as my ship. After two months of flying around the Western Pacific trying to locate her I finally boarded the MaGoo in Guam. She was in for some R&R in between shots during the Top Secret Operation Redwing.
After three years of sea duty I look back now at the age of 69 and am proud to be part of History being made then and the Secrets I kept for decades. One day a nurse from Bethsda Naval Hospital called for information connected to my exposure of the radiation from operation Redwing. She reminded me, by the pointed questions asked, of my experience at Sea Witnessing and measuring the fallout after each shot. At first I was reluctant to talk to her but after many years of silence her phone call promped an awareness of the importance of Operation Redwing and opened up the chance to talk about the experience.
On March 1st 2007 A biopsy from my prostate was taken and came up positive with a single 2.5 MM invasive prostatic andenocarcinoma.of the right apex area.
This started another phase in my life that does not forecast the same positive adventures and expectations as the experiences of my youth. I have been going to the VA for about 20 years in Colorado and now in Alaska and found out that in order to receive proper medical care you need to be persistant. I just graduated from a 7 week, 35 session treatment, ironically performed by a particle acclerator, that bombards the tumor with radiation beams destroying the DNA that gives life to the cancer cells.Hopefully this procedure prolongs my life as I feel healthy and am far from being ready to go yet.; ie; enjoying life in Alaska too much; catching too many fish etc, etc.
This morning I started filling out VA form# 21-526.... form # 21-4138.....form# 21-4142....form# RRAIS (JF)....form# 24-0296 to substantuate my claim for service connected compensation due to radiation exposure and in the process of doing research found your web sight and am fascinated by it. Three of my old ship mates letters are posted as well as letters from crew members of our sister ships USS Silverstein and USS Walton. Their letters describe adequetely the duties we performed and the many ways we were exposed to radiation from the shots. The one thing I might add is ; In my minds eye I can still picture witnessing the shots and the three foot long torpedo shaped device being thrown overboard and towed in the sea to measure radiation from the fallout. We started our test about thirty miles out steaming in ever decreasing radii of circles ending up at ground zero gathering data.
At this point there are still many important questions in my mind to be answered and hope for the best.
I look forward to communicating with my fellow vets.
Keep up the good work Keith,
Phil Jacksi
Email: livetoride@gci.net
Keith Whittle
June 4, 2007
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