Operation Greenhouse
US Atomic Veterans
Al Truocchio
From: "bullcynrd" bullcynrd@earthlink.net
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: operation Greenhouse
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001
Hi:
My name is Al Truocchio and I was at Operation Greenhouse aboard the USS Sproston DDE 577 along with the USS Walker DDE 517. In 1951 we escorted the USS Curtiss AV-4 to the Marshall Islands along with all of the Scientists and the bombs to be used for the tests, three in all.
The night before arriving at Eniwetok, a patrol plane spotted a group of submarines moored at the bow and dropped a flare and notified the Destroyers escorting the USS Curtiss. We were called to general quarters and armed the dept chargers and made a run towards that location. The Walker stayed with the USS Curtiss as we left the formation. We made one or two passes but didn't drop any charges, then returned to the Curtiss and Walker.
Our duties were to stay 15 miles away from the detonation until the explosion, then go into 4 miles from the Island and circle the Island looking for any ships or submarines in the area. When we would arrive back at Eniwetok, we had to decontaminate the ship by washing it from the top of the radar antennas down to the main deck and into the ocean.
In March of 1978 I received a letter from the Defense Nuclear Agency, Armed Forces Radiobiology research Institute in Bethesda Maryland for information on individual exposure data so that detailed research could be conducted by scientific organizations. This continued for a few years till they figured that I was no longer here I guess.
The Congress passed a Public Law 97-72 which authorizes (some) free medical care at Veterans Administration facilities for Veterans involved in atmospheric nuclear testing. In 1988 Congress passed Public Law 100-321, Radiation-Exposed Veterans Compensation Act which includes 13 more radiogenic diseases.
Best regards,
Al Truocchio
(RD3)
Santa Maria, CA.
bullcynrd@earthlink.net
--Keith Whittle
November 1, 2001
Operation Greenhouse