Operation Plumbbob
1957
U.S. Atomic Veterans
Larry Remole
Larry Remole found us during an internet search for Plumbbob. He sent us the following email.
I just got my M-Records. I was a Marine from Camp Pendleton
Calif. I was at Operation Plumbbob.
I was at Desert Rock for about 5 or 6 weeks, T. A. D. (Temporary Assignment of Duty) from Camp Pendleton. There were 2,500 Marines at the time I was there. I only saw one detonation at close range.
We were told to get down in the trench and put our arm over our eyes
until the "all clear!" which I did. We were wearing gas masks, and had
the radiation tags pinned on our coat. Some of the men said they could
see the bones in their arms when the flash hit. The ground shook like
someone jumping off the bank of the river into a dinky boat, it jolted
fiercely, then rolled for a few seconds afterward. The sound was like it
rolled across the ground in waves, then when it was gone the "all clear"
sounded, and we got out of the trench. All the shrubs were burning as far
as I could see past the trenches. We looked almost straight up to
the top of the double cloud. It was like we were directly under it.
THEN the sound came back from the opposite direction, almost as loud as
the first time. which scared the white blood cells out of me. I thought
they had set another one off behind us.
When we got out of the ditch to look at the site, I saw a big Jack
Rabbit, with all his hair burned off trying to hop around, and his ears
were hanging down like a dog's. I was at the one named PRISCILLA, it
was a site that is still fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday.
We were only 5 miles from the blast, afterwards about an hour later, we got in a 6X6 (truck), and drove in toward ground zero about 2 miles to look at equipment and different items. Not much to see, a lot of parts scattered across the desert floor, except a tank that was still mostly together.
They gathered up all the radiation tags when we came back from the tour of junk.
I think that all the men who were USED in this control should be mentioned by our govrnmentt.
If I can in any way help you on your Info gathering, let me know!
Larry Remole
Email: larem@Dynasty.Net
Keith Whittle
October 1, 1997
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