Eniwetok Clean-up
U.S. Atomic Veterans
Ed Robbins
Ed Robbins sent email about his duty at Eniwetok.
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001
From: edbornwildandfree@yahoo.com
Subject: Atomic Veteran (Eniwetok Clean-up)
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Keith,
I was stationed in Hawaii at Scholfield Barracks with
the 84th Engineer Battalion. My MOS was a
Metalworker.
They sent me to Enewetak on July 27th,
1978. I was assigned to the welding shop in I believe
Alpha Company right on Enewetak Island itself. I left
there on December 27th. The bastards wouldn't let me
leave early enough to return to Hawaii for Christmas.
I visited other islands on the atoll to include
Lojawa & Runit too. I worked on Runit for
about a week repairing cab mount brackets for the
cement mixing trucks that dumped the mix of radiated
soil & concrete right into those two huge craters.
They never even washed those trucks off before
bringing them to me.
While there on Runit, I went to
the edge of the craters with a buddy of mine. All they
made us wear were was a pair of rubber boots & a particle
mask. When we returned to the radiation exposure
check-out station we rinsed our boots in water, hung
them over a line to dry & tossed the mask in the
trash. Take in mind we weren't wearing any type of
gloves.
They ran a geiger counter over both sides
of our hands. If they didn't get a high reading they
let you go. I know of stories of high readings & they
let people go anyway.
Sixty minutes came over to do a
special on the clean up project. I never saw it on tv.
I do know upon my return to Hawaii, the command forbid
us to talk to any news reporters about anything
concerning this project. What an experience!
P.S. I read that the concrete dome
cracked shortly after they made it. The temperature
was well over 100 degrees around Christmas day. I
figured it would dry too quickly & crack.
Thanks for keeping in touch.
Sincerely,
ED Robbins
edbornwildandfree@yahoo.com
Keith Whittle
January, 2001
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