Operation Sandstone
1948
US Atomic Veterans
Gene Joines
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999
From: k5llz@sbcglobal.net
To: Keith pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: My Story of The 514th
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Keith:
The enclosed is a little about the 514th's part in the Project SANDSTONE. We were all training there in B-29 procedures, and all flight personnel shipped out with our B-29s and the rest of the Sqdn by Troop Train, for California. Then by troop ship, on the USS Gen. A W Greely, 23 days on the pacific and arrived on GUAM. After arriving, and several months of weather training and chasing TYPHOONS, I think ten of our B-29s were assigned to the Project Sandstone and were stationed on the Atoll, KWAJALEN. | 
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The 514th Bombardment squadron was reborn, as it had served in WW - ll in Europe and the
South Pacific and discontinued in late 1945, and a new group was formed from that at Morrison Field Fla. and renamed the 514th Weather Recon Squadron.
Our four man tents were located several hundred feet beside the runway and our
air cooled water bags in the center of our camp. Sleeping was not easy as the hot air and air
planes (B-17 Drones and B-29 s) flying day and night training for the X, Y and Z bomb blasts.
Our job was to fly several flights around the clock sampling the air on and around the sights of blast, and recording photos and air samples so the drones and other agencies would know the exact conditions of the areas around X, Y and Z.
When the atomic blasts occured we were also flying in the blast areas, sampling and taking photos. After the blast, our flight crews were exposed to the radiation and the ground maintenance crews were also exposed as we had to wash the airplane after the flight before we could service them.
After the first flight we then had to wash each ship after every flight as the airplanes flew each flight in a high radiation area before blast Y and Z were detonated and we repeated this until all blasts were complete and all areas were declared safe from radiation.
My Job in this operation was to maintain the maintenance of B-29, ship # 0694 in this operation as did all other buddies who were part of this operation, flight crews and ground crews along with the Navy 7th Force. After all was over we were declared radiation safe ???? and sent back to where we came from.
A year later I was discharged and came home to college and then got married.
After 5 years of marriage we found out that we could not have any children, and the doctors said the sperm count was to low to fertlize, due to (possible) radiation and in about 5 years we should conceive. Well in the mean time we adopted a beautiful girl, and 4 years later we had our first and only biological daughter. No other children since, however we thank GOD for them. We would have loved to had others especially a son as I am the last male in our familles.
I would love to hear from anyone that was in our outfit. Feel free to contact me at the
enclosed address . Attached are several photos of Ole #0694 and myself and others.
Keith, feel free to edit this in any way you wish. Thank you for the tapes and other information you have sent. And to all you other fellow service personnel we are not getting any younger so keep in contact as we all have a lot in common, good luck to all.
Gene Joines
k5llz@sbcglobal.net
--Keith Whittle
March 25, 1999
Operation Sandstone