VOICES of THE NEXT GENERATION

This section enables the sons and daughters of Atomic Veterans to share experiences and information. You, who have not been heard, will be able to speak of the continuing effects and know that you are not alone.

To enter thoughts and comments click: "HERE" for the entry form.

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Date: Dec 30, 1999
Name: william d. nelson
EMail: thehawk121@aol.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: william d. nelson
Test: Operation Dominic I
Branch: USN-USS Princeton LPH-5
Address: 56b rye colony, rye, new york 10580 (914) 967-6273
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: Lost my left eye in February of 91, due to a melanoma tumor. It took 3 years to prove to the VA that it was caused by my exposure to ionizing radiation in 1962. Also, dignosed with PTSD, and have a posterior subcapsular cataract which was dignosed at a VA C&P exam in June of 97. VA has denied my claim twice saying my eye was not exposed to ionizing radiation. My son was born with polymyositis/dermatomyositis which there is no etiology or cure for. DOD and VA said they know nothing of the disease and that it wasn't caused by my exposure.

Date: Jan 6, 2000
Name: Cheryl
EMail: TXSDiver@aol.com
Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/heartland/valley/4049
Participant: Danne J. Erb
Test: Operation Redwing
Branch: Navy
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? Yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: I am the daughter of an Atomic Vet. I was born with congenital defects of the eyes that have been unexplainable. My father passed away in 1997 and took with him the secrets of Operation Redwing. He would never speak about his time in the Navy until a couple of months before his death. Even then, he would only talk about his first ship, the USS Oriskany. I only heard about Japan and the Phillipines, not Eniwetok. He served aboard the USS Curtiss AV-4 from 1956 - 1957. I knew that he had participated in A-bomb testing only because my mother suspected that it may have been the cause of my birth defects. Of course my father always denied this.One evening not so long ago, I decided to look through his cruise book from the Curtiss. There is a brief introduction about the missions.

Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to search the internet. To say that I was shocked at what I found is an understatement. It shook me up to the point of tears. I asked myself if I had finally found the reason that I was born with such birth defects. Since my father had two tumors removed when I was a small child, I have always suspected that his radiation exposure may have been the cause.I was born with a tumor in my left eye called an encephalomeningocele. The eye has been blind since birth and is small (microphthalmic). There was also a congenital cataract and coloboma of the optic nerve and choroid. A coloboma is basically an area of the eye that didn't form completely, just as a cleft lip or palate would be. As for the right eye, I have a coloboma of the optic disc and choroid and retinal scarring. In 1980, a posterior subcapsular cataract was found. In 20 years, it has never changed. Apparently, from what I have read, radiation related PSC's do not change or effect vision as age related cataracts do. I'm only 33, so it's definately not age related. Doctor's could not even tell me if I could pass this on to my children since there is no history of this condition anywhere in my family. Fortunately, both my daughter's are fine, however, the oldest was born with a recessive gene so we were told. Still, neither she nor I can be genetically tested. No gene has been found that is the cause for the type of "colobomatous microphthalmia" I was born with. No one wants to publicize that they were born with birth defects. I used to feel that way until I started searching for the answers myself. Radiation exposure seems to be my only logical explanation.

I hope other's will follow my lead and share their stories. I know I'm not alone in this. As children of Atomic Vets, we need to make ourselves heard. Not only do I have to worry about future generations being effected because of my father's exposure to radiation, but my husband's participation during the Gulf War and the consequences of the experimental drugs he took and chemical agents he may have been exposed to. These men and women signed up to serve this country and fight for our freedom. The government seems to think that also meansbeing used as a guinea pig or lab rat. It has to stop.

Date: Jan 13, 2000
Name: Larkins Charles W Jr.
EMail: bbjlarkins@aol.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: Larkins Charles W Sr.
Test: Castle
Branch: Army Signal Corp. 2nd Army Eniwetok Atoll
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: I am interested if some of the medical problems that my brother and I have might not be the result of our Father being involved in the testing of the Hydrogen Bombs in operation Castle. If possible I would like additional information on this. Thank You Bill Larkins Jr.

Date: Jan 26, 2000
Name: Marc A Hudon
EMail: mcbhuon@swbell.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Jean Paul Hudon
Test: Red Wing
Branch: US Air force
Address: 15739 s madison olathe ks. 913 390 0054
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: Ireally need to talk to someone about my health and law suit iam filling againstthe defence department and department of energy.Why they didnt tell me when i was young and whats going to happen to my two boys this is such a crime against humanity. Ihave lost my family and friends they cant beleive that our goverment did to there own people yet we paid the natives 126000000.00 and nothing to my father or my self and used us as ginie pigs

Date: Mar 5, 2000
Name: Matthew P. Carrozo
EMail: carrozo@netc.pt
Web Site: http://
Participant: Matthew James Carrozo
Test: Nagasaki Landing
Branch: Marines
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? ?
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: All of my 7 siblings have spinal deficiencies. Could my fathers exposure on Nagasaki have a cause upon our condition. My father passed away in 1981 from lung cancer at the age of 56. Thank you, M. Carrozo

Date: Mar 31, 2000
Name: Jill Cunniff
EMail: freshnfun@aol.com
Web Site: http://www.griefwarehouse.org
Participant: M Steinfeld
Test: Nevada desert 1951
Branch: Military Intelligence, 82nd Airborne
Address: PO BOX 1003, Highland Park, Illinois 60035
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? No
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: My father participated in the Nevada desert test site in 1951. I am healthy although my 7 year old son Danny died in 1998 from Acute Myeloid Leukemia,with chromosomal deletions in his leukemic cells of -5 & -7. This is the sort of leukemia that is often radiation induced. I am wondering if somehow I passed this on to my son via my fathers exposure in 1951.. I myself was born in 1957. I am healthy as are my siblings, one of whom was born in 1950 and the other in 1954. The one born in 1954 was born with undecended testicles, which were surgically corrected when he was a child. I myself did not menstruate until the age of 16 and a half. I have wondered if these were related to my father's exposure to radiation. Being a great patriot, my father would never admit that the government would do anything "wrong". Any advice or input on the acute myeloid leukemia connection and grandparent exposure to radiation would be greatly appreciated.

Date: Apr 1, 2000
Name: sondramarshallkoenig
EMail: sandyk@hotmail
Web Site: http://
Participant: john a marshall
Test: operation crossroads
Branch: navy bayfield signalman
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? no
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: my dad passed away with cancer,my daughter has a deformed thumb just like the little girl from bikini atoll.the next generation.

Date: Apr 17, 2000
Name: Cindy Christian
EMail: MissyButterfly@aol.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: Albert Christian
Test: Operation CrossRoads I and II (1946) Bikini
Branch: Navy
Address: 4051 N. Laporte #3D, Chicago, IL. 60641
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? YES
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: It is important to share that I was also born in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1949. My father was a Uranium Miner there and I played on tailings from the mines outside the Atom Bomb Plant (as Mama called it). We left Colorado mid- 1951. I have had a thyroid problem since age 13. Now at age 50 surgical biopsy is being considered due to results of fine needle biopsy done a week ago. My father suffered 47yrs... His life ended in a VA hospital. I kept a journel his last two months of life and still can not read it. I wrote many pages during the months that followed his death. Some of what I wrote can be seen at the following URL: http://pages.ivillage.com/misc/spiritmiss/SpiritMiss.html You will need to click on CRYING FOR MY DADDY. It is my hope to write more yet with this recent news regarding my own health I am once more having trouble fighting back the tears. Tears I cried for my Daddy... tears I cried for Atomic Veterans... for Veterans in the VA hospitals... for myself. Am determined not to drown in tears again over this matter. Thank you for the wonderful work that you and those related with your site are doing. Sincerely, Cindy Christian MissyButterfly@aol.com

Date: Aug 22, 2000
Name: Alecia
EMail: kk009@whitemtns.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: Estel Browning Myers
Test: Nagasaki Prison Camp Survivor
Branch: Pharmacist's 1st Class, USN
Address: 4256 Forest Glade Dr. Show Low, AZ 85901 520-537-0947
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes...brother died
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: My father Estel Myers was in Nagasaki when the bomb went off. I recall him telling us 7 children that he was covered in gray ash. He was also on the hellship the Oryoku Maru and in Pasay, and Bilibid Prison Camps. While in the prison camps he suffered from beri beri,dysentary, and other pow diseases. He died in 1973 of carcinoma of the brain and left lung. My mom never has received any compensation and a current DIC claim is pending. xxxx my fingers crossed... My brother died of lukemia at age 43. However, lukemia has never been detected in our family. Other siblings including myself suffer from bronchitits, asthma, and skin rashes or what we thought was just sensitve skin. Feel free to contact me at anytime, I am so tired of all the injustices the hero's of ww2 and their survivors have suffered.

Date: Aug 29, 2000
Name: Delinda
EMail: delinda@pdq.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Norman L. Summers
Test: Operation Greenhouse
Branch: Navy
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? No
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: My father participated in Operation Greenhouse in 1951. He recounted the stories of the atomic detonations many times during my childhood. He always felt lucky that he had not suffered ill effects from the atomic testing ... until he was diagnosed with Chronic Myelegenous Leukemia (CML) just earlier this year. He died very suddenly after the diagnosis. CML has been definitively linked to radiation exposure. It is also characterized by a mutant chromosome (called the "Philadelphia chromosome"). Since my father's radiation exposure occurred before either my sister or I were born, I now worry that this radiation-induced leukemia may have been passed on to either of us (or on to my children). Does anyone have any reliable medical information concerning CML being inherited??

Date: Sep 20, 2000
Name: Jill Winchester
EMail: jew35_99@yahoo.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: John Thomas Crawford
Test: Upshot Knothole
Branch: Army
Address: 920 Pennock Bridge Rd. Landenberg, Pa. 19350 1-610-255-4806
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? No
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: My dad participated in the A-bomb blast in Nevada.(upshot knothole) He occupied a forward foxhole during the atomic blast and immediately after the blast charged forward in skirmishes to mop up an imaginary enemy. My father died in 1985 with lung cancer. He also was diagnosed with a disease called Fahrs Disease which is a neurological disorder. I have helped my mom with filing claims with the government and have had no luck what so ever. I also had a sister born before me that only lived a few days, had some type of heart problem. My mother also suffered 3 miscarriages after my father was released from the service in 1954. Would appreciate any help I can get. I know the government can not bring my dad back, but they can surely help compensate as my mother is 70 and still has to work full time to make ends meet. Thank you.

Date: Sep 26, 2000
Name: tomy
EMail: conobies@hotmail.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: jamieJones
Test: Bronchitis
Branch: Bronchtits Desease
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? no
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: I will like to Kniow the symptoms of someone who as the Bronchtits desease.So I can be aware of them.

Date: Sep 26, 2000
Name: tomy
EMail: conobies@hotmail.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: jamieJones
Test: Bronchitis
Branch: Bronchtits Desease
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? no
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: I lost my left leg that got infected by some kind of radiation in 91 and know i am blind in one eye .

Date: Oct 5, 2000
Name: beverly bolick terry
EMail: phoneboy@salisbury.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: john bolick
Test: operation crossroads; on board uss turner
Branch: u.s. navy
Address: 188 goodnight farm rd salisbury, nc 28147
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: my father was diagnosed with kidney cancer on sept 25, 2000. he has 4 weeks to live. three weeks ago he was walking around the house, not feeling well with a back ache, we took him to the doctor and found out two days later he had cancer in his kidney and it is now spreading to his spine and stomach. he cannot walk now or feed himself. hospice helps us take care of dad. we will miss him so much and i think this is totally unfair that he has to die at the age of 74. i have since then surfed the net and found tons of info about atomic vets. there is no cancer what so ever in his family. i also have a mildly retarded sister that is now 44. we wonder if this is also a link to his being exposed in 1946 to radiation? my dad was on the uss turner during operation crossroads

Date: Oct 14, 2000
Name: dorothy blake
EMail: bdottie@lycos.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: charlie slankerd
Test: nagasaki-hiroshma
Branch: navy
Address: p.o. box 1029 manila ar 72442
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: my father was in the clean-up at nagasaki and hiroshma from dec 5 1945to march 2 1946. he died from pancreas cancer in 1963 at the age of 37i have two sisters and a brother we all have medical problems. i and anothersister had a misscarrage. we all have depression problems i have hypothriodisumwe all have stomach problems my grandson was born with hairlip and clift pallet.i would like to know why we were never tested i read it was because they could'nt find us. Well,they knew how to find my dad well enough to draft him.

Date: Oct 15, 2000
Name: Maryann Brazauski Peterson
EMail: mbpeter@worldnet.att.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Bruce Brazauski
Test: cleaned up after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Army Corp of Engineers
Branch: Army
Address: 4755 Westchester Court, Duluth, GA 30096
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: My parents met and married well after the 2nd WW. I was born in October 1950 and my sister was born 13 months later. My father left the pictures he took when he was in Japan. He suffered with sores all over his body when he was in Japan. He was treated with oatmeal baths. He was discusted with the USA and got out of the service as soon as he could. He had a very severe and difficult to control diabetes. He died of a series of strokes in his 60s. I never knew him to be healthy. He also was prone to rages. I credit my mother with whatever quality of life he had. She was a registered nurse and did everything in her power to help my father live a healthy life. My sister has a heart valve problem and had uncontrolable high temperatures when she was a toddler. My mother had to keep her from exerting herself including playing when she was young. My immune system seems to be compromised. I am chemically sensitive and I absorb heavy metals. I finally had to remove my wedding band because I absorbed the metal that made my white gold band white. I have a gold gold band put away. I get unexplained sores and rashes all over my body. Also bruises appear where no bump or outside source damage occurred. I would be grateful for whatever information I could pass on to my children that would help to protect their health. I would also like the US Government to acknowledge my father's sacrifice. I would appreciate any help I could get.

Date: Oct 29, 2000
Name: Holly
EMail: Atleisure@prodigy.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Robert Leo Evens
Test: Hardtack I & II Eniwetok Marshall Islands
Branch: Task Group 7.2 JTF Seven
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? YES
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: I am a daughter of a Atomic Veteran. My father was stationed in Eniwetok Atoll in 1958 during Operation Hardtack I & II He passed away at the young age of 55 of Carcinoma of the maxillary sinus /Brain Tumor(squamous cell carcinoma) a very rare type of cancer.It was only until I did some research on the internet that I became shocked and ashamed of all the testing that was done to my father and thousands of innocent young men. You really don't need to have much of a medical background to see that any amount of Radiation Exposure could cause serious medical problems. We don't even want to stand next to a microwave oven let alone watch an atomic bombs go off. His oath of sworn secrecy didn't allow him to talk about the mission let alone seek any medical help from the VA until the pain became unbearable. When he did finally seek medical attention it was not at a VA clinic but a hospital in the private sector. The VA didn't recognized his type of cancer with one that received benefits. With most of Veterans radiation badges lost the "Fire" there is little concrete evidence of the actual amounts of Radiation Exposure that my father along with other veterans had experienced. Even if they did produce some "document" with a number, you are sure to question it's accuracy. You only have to look to your common sense to know that these men were exposed to horrific levels of Radiation Exposure that in today's standards would only be considered inhumane. And knowingly exposing these young men makes it a premeditated act and this thought appalls me. I am aware that the Marshall Island's are currently and have been in the past receiving compensation for our bombing experiments. It seems, they recognized the danger to the locals of the islands and are willing to compensate them. They have also recently been compensating contract workers of hazardous radioactive materials. My hope that is one day the Atomic veterans will be justified and recognized for their heroic ultimate sacrifice... Their own Lives and the lives of us, "Children of Atomic Veterans." Holly.If anyone has any information or was stationed along with my father I would love to compare notes. Please email.

Date: Dec 13, 2000
Name: Rose England
EMail: rozella@enter.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Daniel J. Mondelli
Test: Upshot Knothole
Branch: Army
Address: 105 Hulshizer Ave., Stewartsville, NJ 08886
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? YES
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: I am the daughter of an atomic vet.My father was exposed in the 1950's and I was born in 1960.Like so many children of atomic vets,I was born with a tumor of the left eye.It was malignant and I had my left eye removed at the age of two.The name of my cancer was retinoblastoma which is rare and is caused by a mutated gene.There is no family history of this disease on either side of the family.My father was diagnosed with throat cancer at the age of 54 and had to have his voice box removed.He died at the age of 58.I want to hear from other children of atomic vets who were also born with eye cancers or eye problems.

Date: Jan 30, 2001
Name: Ian Batchelor
EMail: batcheli@bigpond.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: Major A.F. Batchelor M.B.E (retired)
Test: Antler Series, Maralinga
Branch: Royal Australian Engineers
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? Yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: I came across this site looking for some type of compilation of illnesses of the children of nuclear veterans. If there is one somewhere it's damn hard to find. Apart from the morbid description and pictures of non-viable twisted and distorted embryos, there seems to be nothing.My father was a member of an engineer troop during the British atomic tests conducted in outback Australia in 1957. From what I can gather, their job involved the preparation of the test sites, as well as the recovery of scientific equipment from the blast area immediately after the explosion.Unlike the United States, Australia only recognises as dangerous service the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. No recognition of the danger associated with ionizing radiation from the British atomic tests is considered. They somehow think that these bombs were safe! Go figure!Thankfully, there seems to be nothing wrong with my father (touch wood) apart from some skin cancers which were successfully removed - not uncommon here anyway. It is a different story of most of the soldiers that he served with at Maralinga, many having died from various forms of cancer - way too many.I have two brothers. My older brother was born before the nuclear tests, and there is nothing wrong with him. After the atomic tests, my mother had a number of miscarriages, until I came along in 1966, and my younger brother in 1969.Both my younger brother and I where both terribly ill as small children. I had pnuemonia twice, and my brother would not, or could not put on weight. We both seem to suffer from gastro-intestinal problems and depression. Both of us needed braces on our teeth, and my brother had additional teeth roots. He currently weighs 57Kg (125lbs) - a bit light for a man in his 30's.A few years ago, I had an endoscopy to try to reveal why I was getting stomach aches - all they found was some inflamation of the stomach wall, no reason why. Zantac seems to help with the aching as well as the reflux that comes with it, so all they could do was suggest I continue with it.I have also been suffering from clinical depression, anxiety and sleep disorders (not sleeping, waking when I do), particularly in the last 12 months or so. This is being treated with anti-depressents, the occaisional sleeping pill and frisium for anxiety.Skin irritation also seems to be a problem, and I have to be careful what sort of deodorants and shaving cream I use. I suffer from regular bouts of sinusitis which I think may be related to the skin irritation.The curious thing is my older brother suffers from none of this, yet my younger brother and I both share similar problems.I hope this is of some help.

Date: Feb 19, 2001
Name: Delinda Sterling
EMail: delinda@pdq.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Norman L. Summers Jr.
Test: Operation Greenhouse
Branch: Navy - DDE Sproston
Address: 281-480-7252
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? No
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: I am the daughter of Norman L. Summers, Jr., who served in the Navy during both WW II and the Korean conflict. During his time of service, Dad was aboard the USS Sproston from 9-15-50 to 11-2-51. During this time, the Sproston participated in nuclear testing at Enewetok ("Operation Greenhouse") in April and May 1951. My dad was diagnosed with chronic mylegeneous leukemia (CML), and died in April 2000. CML has been definitely linked to radiation exposure, and is also listed as one of the "presumptive diseases" on various atomic-related legislation. Our family filed for benefits with the Veterans Administration in June 2000, since we believed my dad's cancer was related to this nuclear testing. I am honored to report that after only 5 months, the VA awarded our claim for DIC (Dependency Indemnity Compensation), and the VA acknowledged that my father's death was service-connected. My mother has been receiving the DIC benefits for the last several months.I have heard many horror stories of long, arduous battles with the VA, and I can certainly believe them. However, I just wanted to let folks know that not every claim for compensation is an arduous battle. We were fortunate to have a fairly straight-forward claim, and I was blessed to have received assistance (stories from fellow shipmates, etc.) from many sources.If I can help any other surviving spouses or their dependents with a DIC claim, I will be glad to do so. I am not an expert, by any means. But I have been fortunate to have compiled a number of good sources to get information. I am in the process of documenting my research so that others can look at the same sources I have.

Date: Mar 1, 2001
Name: Dennis Rehder
EMail: dkrea@mediaone.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Gerald F. Rehder
Test: Enewetak(hardtak 1)?
Branch: Navy USS Lansing
Address: 661 296 3824
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: yes

Comments: My brother and sister have all had polyps removed from our colons. My father died of Colon cancer in 1994( age 55). We range from age 35 to 40.We are concernd. But are testing often. Any additional info would help.

Date: May 2, 2001
Name: JANIE PLYMALE
EMail: PLYJANIE@AOL.COM
Web Site:
Participant: CURTIS PLYMALE
Test: NUCLEAR TESTING OFF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS
Branch: NAVY SIGNAL MAN
Address: 5555 SPRING VALLEY RD APT#2056, DALLAS TX 75240, 972-934-0761
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? YES
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: I AM WRITING ON BEHALF OF MY FATHER, CURTIS PLYMALE. HE WAS ABOARD THE USS SPRINGFIELD CL-66 DURING 1948-1950 AND PCEC882 FROM 1950 TO NOV 1951. HE WAS A SIGNAL MAN ON THE USS SPRINGFIELD CL-66 WHEN THEY TESTED THE ATOMIC BOMB ON THE PACIFIC BY THE MARSHALL ISLANDS. HE WAS ON THE SIGNAL BRIDGE WHEN THE BOMB WENT OFF. HE LOST HIS HAIR AND TEETH WHEN HE WAS 18 YEARS OF AGE. HIS LUNGS ARE SO BADLY BURNED FROM RADIATION. HE HAS MANY MORE PROBLEMS THAN WHAT I, AM, SPEAKING OF. ON THE PCEC882, THEY HAD THE WORLDS RECORDED ROLL OVER ON THIS SHIP. HE WAS ALSO A GOLDEN GLOVE BOXER ON BOTH SHIPS. WE ARE LOOKING FOR ANY SURVIVORS WHO WERE ON THE USS SPRINGFIELD CL-66 OR THE PCEC882, DURING HIS TIME IN THE NAVY. WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO FIND THE CRUISE BOOK FOR THE USS SPRINGFIELD CL-66 DURING THE TIME OF 1948-1950. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT CURTIS PLYMALE @ (501)-674-2422, ADDRESS 8506 CRAFT RD, LAVACA, AR 72941-5301 OR VIA EMAIL @ PLYJANIE@AOL.COM.THANK YOU JANIE PLYMALEPLEASE INCLUDE EMAIL AND PERSONAL INFO.

Date: Jun 22, 2001
Name: Terry Campbell
EMail: mgb77kimba@aol.com
Web Site: http://
Participant: Donald Campbell
Test: Operation Sandsone, Eniwetok Atoll PPG Spring 0f 1948
Branch: United States Navy
Address:
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? yes
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: no

Comments: My father was assigned to LSM-250 in the spring of 1948. His LSM was responsible for laying the cable for the Atomic Tests that took place on Eniwetok. He was present for all three tests, X-ray, Yoke and Zebra. Out of the 42 men aboard the LSM, one one had a radationd detedction badge, and he was in the wheel house. After the explosions the crew was required to wash down the ship. They were not provided with any protective clothing for this task. Accorfing to the Defense Nuclear Agency report,some of the air filters on the LSM were contaminted to well beyond what was considered safe levels. According to my father they were given scrapers and told to clean them, again without any protective clothing. This was all that i could get from my father before he died in 1999. Due to his oath of secrecy he would not talk more about what he went through. I was born without any cartilage in my knees and other joint, my sister developed Lupis, and my niece was born with her esophigus complety attached, and has also developed Eplepsy. I do not know if any of these conditions are connected to my fathers exposure, but I can not help but wonder if they are and what may face me in the future. In the late 80's my father received a letter fro the Goverment giving him a clean bill of health. It seems that they had been monitoring his medicial condition from 1948 on. It is sad that no one in Goverment will tell us what information they have, and that they want to forget about their "Guiena PIg" and their families. At least we will never forget.

Date: Jul 25, 2001
Name: Daniel Mikulich
EMail: ebroot@pacbell.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Richard L Unger
Test: Hood test / Plumbbob Series
Branch: USMC 7th Marines
Address: 650-737-6032
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? No
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: Yes

Comments: My name is Daniel Mikulich and My Father-In-Law Is Richard L Unger a Veteran of the Marine Corps from 1956 -1960. On April 27, 2001 my father was diagnosed with multiple-Mylomia cancer after many months of suffering with painful un-diagnosed illness's. He was then placed on an aggressive treatment plan which included Chemo Therapy pills, a chest port for more aggressive Chemo treatment, and direct radiation treatments for tumors along his spinal column that were causing him unbearable pain. The treatment plan though aggressive showed no positive results and in a few short weeks he had gone from a man who would be up at the crack-of-dawn exercising and working around the house to one who sent all his hours in bed or in a recliner drifting in and out of consciences because of pain medication required to make his back pain bearable. On fathers day he suffered a massive stroke paralyzing the left side of his body permanently. This was contributed to clumping of his blood as a result of dead blood cells and Mylomia cancer cells in his circulatory system. The next week we received word from the doctor that the cancer had progressed to stage 4. We were told that any cancer treatment therapy would do very little to buy any time. By this time even the simple act of lifting him out of the hospital bed for tests was causing his bones to fracture because they had become weak and brittle. We explained to Dad what the doctors had found and as a family we decided with him to have him released to home hospice on Friday June 29th. On Monday July 02, 2001 at 11:11 AM Richard Unger died quietly at his home in Paso Robles, CA. On my first visit to him after the initial diagnosis we were talking and I asked him if he had told the doctors the story he had told me the experience he had during the summer of 1957 when he was assigned TAD to the 1st Atomic Exercise Bergrade of the 1st Marine Division to take part in an exercise in Nevada that involved a test detonation of a nuclear device. He explained that he had not but agreed that it would probably be a good idea to do so just in case it may be somehow related to his health problems. Over the next few weeks used my knowledge regarding the effects of exposure to radiation that I received while serving in the Navy as a nuclear propulsion plant operator to do some research on his exposure levels to see if there might's be a link to his illness. In discussing this at length with his Pathologist, his Radiologist, and doing on line research I am very certain that the cancer he had was a result of the long term complications that result from the exposure to the type of high levels of ionizing radiation such as the one he received during this testing. I am also certain that the cancer took many years off the life of a healthy honorable man one who took great in the fact that he had served his country as a member of the USMC.I am disgusted that in the 44 years since this event Father has not once received a follow up exam or at least been informed that he should be more aggressive about having regular medical screenings for the health problems directly related to exposure to ionizing radiation which may have resulted in early detection, and better chances of the treatment being successful .

Date: Aug 19, 2001
Name: Kristen Sepulveda
EMail: asepulveda@uswest.net
Web Site: http://
Participant: Leon Eneboe
Test: Operation Hardtack-Bikini Atol, Marshall Islands
Branch: Navy
Address: 3908 225th Lane N.W., St. Francis, MN 55070
Do you have medical problems which you believe resulted from parental radiation exposure? YES
Are you willing to be contacted for more info: YES

Comments: After my dad came back from the navy, he had a complete nervous breakdown. He was involved in many nuclear tests aboard the USS Boxer. He later had four kids(me included) All of us have had complete nervous breakdowns and have severe problems with depressions and anxiety disorders. They began when we were little kids. None of my relatives have any of this in their families. Could the radiation exposure have damaged his central nervous system and also genetically damaged ours? These problems are not a product of our environment. We are all by nature very smart, witty and humorous people. But we all battle chronic and severe nervous system disorders. My dad still does as well.