The Jim Corey Memorial Step
As one of a number of intelligence analysts concerned with proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), I was invited on a group tour of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in order to better understand the signs that a nation was preparing to test a nuclear weapon. At one point, we were visiting the site of a tunnel shot that hadn't been used. (A tunnel shot is a nuclear test that takes place in a tunnel in a mountain rather than in a hole in the ground or above ground.) We were examining a line-of-sight (LOS) pipe. (A LOS pipe is a large pipe that leads from the point of detonation to instruments that measure the characteristics of the radiation emanating from the detonation.) We were invited to step up into the pipe and walk down it to see the door that closes after the initial radiation has passed but before the blast wave can come down the pipe to destroy the instruments.
The safety people had required that we wear some clumsy boots and safety glasses, and the safety glasses affected my depth perception. When I started to step up into the LOS pipe (a very high step), I misjudged the distance and fell forward, hitting my shin on the pipe. I thought, "Wow, that hurts," and then forgot it and got into it and walked down to see the blast door, which was indeed very neat.
Subsequent to this, we had lunch at a little building outside the tunnel. When we got back on the bus, we were supposed to next visit the underground laboratory, which I really wanted to see. However, I looked down at my leg and noticed that my sock was soaked with blood. I notified the tour director of this, and a small panic ensued. They got all the first-aid kits at the site and in the vehicles, and they were all so out of date that they were useless. So it was decided that they would call the medical facility at Mercury (the very small town at the entrance to the NTS), and have someone meet us at the nearest point between us and the next visit site (this was like 60 miles; the NTS is BIG). When we got there, we found two ambulances and a fire truck waiting for us. The tour director got out of the bus and into a shouting argument with the fire captain (I think). Anyhow, I ended up in an ambulance and rode a long ride to Mercury. When I got there, the Physicians Assistant there was delighted. He fitted me all up like a surgical patient and worked on my shin. He told my that I had actually chipped the bone. He did an excellent job on my shin though.
Later, I learned that they had had the Life Flight helicopter in Las Vegas standing by for me. Through some miscommunication, the medical people understood that I had severed my femoral artery and was bleeding out. I didn't get to see the underground laboratory, but now a step up into the LOS pipe is named for me.
The safety people had required that we wear some clumsy boots and safety glasses, and the safety glasses affected my depth perception. When I started to step up into the LOS pipe (a very high step), I misjudged the distance and fell forward, hitting my shin on the pipe. I thought, "Wow, that hurts," and then forgot it and got into it and walked down to see the blast door, which was indeed very neat.
Subsequent to this, we had lunch at a little building outside the tunnel. When we got back on the bus, we were supposed to next visit the underground laboratory, which I really wanted to see. However, I looked down at my leg and noticed that my sock was soaked with blood. I notified the tour director of this, and a small panic ensued. They got all the first-aid kits at the site and in the vehicles, and they were all so out of date that they were useless. So it was decided that they would call the medical facility at Mercury (the very small town at the entrance to the NTS), and have someone meet us at the nearest point between us and the next visit site (this was like 60 miles; the NTS is BIG). When we got there, we found two ambulances and a fire truck waiting for us. The tour director got out of the bus and into a shouting argument with the fire captain (I think). Anyhow, I ended up in an ambulance and rode a long ride to Mercury. When I got there, the Physicians Assistant there was delighted. He fitted me all up like a surgical patient and worked on my shin. He told my that I had actually chipped the bone. He did an excellent job on my shin though.
Later, I learned that they had had the Life Flight helicopter in Las Vegas standing by for me. Through some miscommunication, the medical people understood that I had severed my femoral artery and was bleeding out. I didn't get to see the underground laboratory, but now a step up into the LOS pipe is named for me.