America’s atomic vets: ‘We were used as guinea pigs - every one of us’

[prehnite]

The USS De Haven sailed from Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor on May 5, 1958, carrying 240 men deep into the Pacific on a secret mission.

Gunner’s mate Wayne Brooks had only a vague idea of their destination. But within a few days, he would experience an explosion so immense and bright that he could see his own bones. He and his crewmates had been assigned

Comments

[sweetmizre]

it's fucked up some of them don't meet requirements for federal compensation :(

[tabaqui]

It's beyond fucked up.

[browneyedguuurl]

They should come talk to the many Puerto Rican soldiers who were also used for testing back in the day. Ugh!

[lied_ohne_worte]

I read an article recently about US soldiers who were made to help in the Fukushima cleanup. It seems they haven't learned *anything* - again, these people are experiencing typical kinds of cancer etc., and nothing is done for them.

[shortsweetcynic]

great article, OP - very relevant to my interests as of late. thanks for this.

[elialshadowpine]

I have never heard of this before, but it doesn't surprise me. The gov't has a long history of denying medical health claims from veterans. "Shellshock" (PTSD) was ignored in the early to mid 1900s and even today, it's still a fight for it to be recognized. My father fought in Vietnam, and was exposed to Agent Orange. There have been attempted studies, but they've been shut down. Anectdotal evidence shows third generation effects. My father developed chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, thyroid issues, and multiple chemical sensitivity

[stess]

i'm sorry for what your family has been through. It's despicable how our country uses its soldiers and then just throws them away.

[tabaqui]

Good gods, that's horrifying. I'm so sorry you all have had to deal with so much from one, single event.

[mickeym]

I'm so sorry for what your family has been through. It's shameful, how our government treats its soldiers (current and former), and the families of those soldiers.