Operation Sandstone
US Atomic Veterans
Joseph G. King
From: JKing55540@aol.com
Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2000
Subject: Atomic Service
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
To all loyal Brother Pigs, Greetings, Know Ye, that (King, Joseph B - Pfc)
having through an exaggerated sense of patriotism subjected his body to the rigors attendant to atomic weapons, gamma rays, rain storms, mermaids, small boats, canned beer, jeeps, rationed water, telephones, small planes, palm trees, helicopters, sea shells, sand fleas, coconuts, mal-de-mer and the like is by this document accorded full status as a Brother Pig and all brothers are hereby commanded to give him due recognition as same under penalty of being driven from the common trough. Given under my hand this spring day of 1948. | 
Grand Council Exclusive
Order of the
Eniwetok Guninea Pigs.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
|
Hi Keith
I sent the story and a couple of things by snail mail.
I enjoyed the tape very much. I was hoping for some pictures of the island
of Eniwetok but there really wasn't much there. The airfield was small, in
fact the island was small.
They had the service clubs for R&R. They had to let the sailors off those
ships once in a while.
One bit of trivia: My uncle Joe was a Chief Bosons Mate in the navy and was
Chief of Police during world 2 on the island.
There were quite a few vehicles of various kind pushed into the water on the
windward side of the island. They were from the war.
I found a picture but it was taken after Sandstone on our way back. We were
not allowed to have cameras there. I think I will scan it and send it along
later.
That's about it for now. Regards, Joe
Below is Joe's snail mail letter, kw.
I was attached to Headquarters Company, 532 Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment. 2nd Engineer Special Brigade. We were based at Fort Worden Washington. We left Seattle WA the 15th of December 1947 on the USS Pickaway 222. We arrived at Eniwetok Ml 13 days later I only remember two incidents on the trip. We were taken to a small room one at a time and interrogated by the FBI. I was 18 years old, had been in the Army almost a year and they wanted us to swear that we were not communists and a bunch of stuff. We were threatened not to say anything to anybody. What could we know? I thought it was stupid then and even more now. The other thing was a storm on Christmas Day. They had a nice meal and it was so rough that we had to stand up and at least half of us were sick. What a mess. I was lucky as I went topside and got out of the mess hall. I have no idea why we were there. We were the shore party for the 2nd Division and worked on the beach as during an invasion. We would line up on one end of the island, which is on a few hundred yards wide, and walk to the other end; about three miles looking for infiltrators and we carried our empty rifles. That
was probably the most exciting thing that happened except the bombs.
| I am sending a picture that was taken before we got on the ship to go to
Enewetok. The ship was the USS Pickaway I think it was the APA222. I am the
one on the left. The other two sighed the Guinea Pig paper.
Regards, Joe |
| I did a lot of fishing and swimming until the chance came up for a job. I had been driving a truck and emptying out landing craft and they asked if I would like to watch the Jeeps and staff cars at night. They were being left all over the place and being stolen by Army and Navy personnel coming ashore for some R&R and going joy riding. They had a huge Quonset hut and the vehicles were checked in to me and I locked them up and slept with them. I had all day to swim and fish. | 
Certificate of Achievement
Click image for larger view.
|
The Bombs: There were three of them exploded. We knew nothing about them but with my days off I was able to go to the other islands and see the buildings, bunkers and towers that they were building. I had no idea what they were doing. A few days before an explosion we were taken out to a ship. We were told nothing but at that time we were given radiation badges. I understand that they all were burned up in some mysterious fire in Kansas City. The day of the explosion we were on deck. We were given dark glasses that covered your eyes so you could not see anything, not even the sun. We were told to turn around facing away from the blast and not turn around till after the blast. This was very scary for a 19-year-old wanting to make 20. The blast was loud and the sky was like thousands of flash bulbs gone off right in your face. Then the wind and the heat like sticking you head in 500-degree oven. After that the mushroom cloud. This happened three times and they were all the same as far as I could tell. I hope that no one has to see the bomb go off again. I feel that I was an unwilling Eniwetok Guinea Pig and I have the certificate to prove it. After each blast we were taken back to our barracks and waited till the next. We still swam and fished in the water. At the time we never thought a thing about it. They gave us new badges each time but we were never told anything about them. About six months after we arrived we were taken to Oahu Hawaii and given a 10 day leave.
Sincerely,
Joe King
jking55540@aol.com
--Keith Whittle
January 9, 2000
Operation Sandstone
