Robert A. Kiester
From: "rkiester" rkiester@charter.net
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Sandstone
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2004
Dear Keith,
I received your videos as a gift from my daughter for Christmas and was delighted to watch them. I learned a lot more background information that was unknown to me until now. She stated that you wanted a letter describing what I could remember about the operation.
It's been a long time and my memory has been stymied as we were told not to tell anyone what we were doing or where we were, and were also told there would be nothing in our jacket to show we were on this operation. This I didn't understand. I was stationed on a PCE weather ship with the rank of QM3, operating out of Pearl Harbor. We would go out on a designated station in the pacific for 30 to 35 days at a time. Upon our return the first part of Feb. 1948 I was called to the skipper's quarters where I was told and given orders to "report aboard the USS Mt. McKinley within 24 hours." Nobody knew where it was or what it was. I was sent to the navel base on Pearl that afternoon, given liberty and told to report back in the morning. The next afternoon we boarded the double decker flying boat "The Mars" and were flown to a navel base near Frisco. There I was given liberty and the next morning was flown to San Diego. The next day I was driven to Long Beach and finely went aboard the Mt McKinley.
The USS Mt. McKinley, as you can see from your pictures, was a big ship. It was the flag ship of the operation. The top deck or flag plot was for the flag personnel, the deck below was the ship's company, and navigational bridge. Only those with red badges were allowed on the top deck.
On board we were given an information paper to fill out, which turned out to be five pages front and back, a background check for the CIC, FBI, & etc. I later found out that there was an FBI man in my home town of St Marys, WV the whole time I was on the operation.
I was then told I was to be on Admiral Dennabrinks personal staff. He was in charge of all ships in the operation. As he wasn't due aboard for two weeks, I was given liberty every afternoon and evening which I enjoyed very much. Most of the time spent at "Hines" ice rink.
We were given badges of different color; mine was red which allowed me on the flag bridge. My duty was to make flip charts for the three tests that were conducted. These charts showed Eniwetok Atoll with the location of all ships for the different phases of the operation. Like D-10, D-5 ----D+5 , D+10 Etc.
The flag bridge on the Mt McKinley was chuck-a-block with "BRASS", both army, navy and etc. If my memory serves me, there were 45 or 50 Admirals, Generals, Navy Captains, Colonels , Commanders, Majors, and a few of the lesser ranks, plus scientists, & Engineers from Los Alamos Lab, Atomic Energy Com. And a few other places.
During the tests, which were performed before daylight, we were allowed top side and were issued a pair of dark red goggles, which, if you looked at the sun during the day it looked like someone down a dark road with a flash light.
The first test we were seventeen miles away and you could feel a wisp of heat the instant you saw the flash. Even behind the goggles you batted your eyes. A few seconds later you heard a "CRACK" and a little latter you could see the shock wave coming toward you like heat waves off of a hot car. As it reached you it felt like someone put two "plumbers' friends" on your ears and formed a vacuum. What a feeling! All the while the fireball was boiling inside out, changing colors, getting bigger and higher.
Something I'll never forget!
The second shot we were twelve miles away and the third shot we were five miles away, a little too close. After the tests we were given thirty days leave, upon my return to the west coast I was discharged after two years ten months and twenty nine days of a minority cruise. What an experience!
We did get to keep our badges, which I still have and the "Joint Task Force Seven" certificate {which you show on your web site] with my name on it , the seal of the USS MT McKinley, & signed by Lt. Gen. Hull, Captain Russell, and Dr. Froman. These are the only physical evidence of these memories I have.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Kiester
Email:rkiester@charter.net
Keith Whittle
January 20, 2004
[ Operation Sandstone ]