Operation Teapot
US Atomic Veterans
Louis A. Watts
From: "louwatts3" louwatts3@comcast.net
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Still Existing Atomic Vet
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005
I was assigned to the 1009th SWS stationed at McClellan AFB from 1953 to 1957. I was assigned to the TSP Maintenance Shop that provided Depot Level maint for the various instrumentation used throughout this organization. We also provided support to the field operations (Project 40.8), and I was NCOIC responsible for the USAF airborne sampling equipment used in the TEAPOT series in Las Vegas in 1955.
Three individuals from the TSP Shop (James Kohlege, Arthur H. Diede, and I) provided support to the sampling squadron from Alburquerque NM (14 F-84s and one B-57), preparing sample gas-bottles & filter papers used to collect radioactive debris, loading the bottles in to the aircraft, unloading and decontaminating (steam clean) the "hot" bottles from the "Hot" aircraft, shipping the samples to 3 laboratories, tearing-down the air-sample high-pressure compressors from the aircraft for decontamination and cleaning, purging the aircraft sample ducting, and other tasks as became necessary such as collecting vegetation and dirt samples (UCLA Project) from down-wind in Utah.
Art Diede subsequently supported a NBS project in the Pacific tests in 1956 - he died at an early age from a brain hemorrhage.
During the 1980's, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) conducted a program for tracking Atomic Veterans (McClain VA Offices, I believe under the Technology Development Group, at that time headed by Thomas Dillon). I was contacted several times by the researcher to verify or validate information on nuclear test events, but otherwise know little about the project .
Louis A. Watts
(Age 71)
Woodinville, WA
Email: louwatts3@comcast.net
Operation Teapot
Keith Whittle
February 6, 2005