A considerable part of the Cold War was covert.
Over 400,000 veterans served without fanfare or appreciation. Cold War Veterans have been denied respect, remembrance, and recognition for too long. At age 12 I was brought into Oak Knoll Naval Hospital to meet with a small room full of the Chief's doctors, specialists and surgeons. I knew something had been not quite right with his health for some time, but no one was talking around the house. Not unusual for a household Q-Cleared above Top Secret. The bomb they dropped on me that day, aside from the severity of my father's conditions, was that I was now considered an "Atomic Child". They showed me a certificate and explained that The Chief had been a part of Top Secret tests while at sea and had been exposed to radiation there. That is where my trip down the rabbit hole began...
Over 400,000 veterans served without fanfare or appreciation. Cold War Veterans have been denied respect, remembrance, and recognition for too long. At age 12 I was brought into Oak Knoll Naval Hospital to meet with a small room full of the Chief's doctors, specialists and surgeons. I knew something had been not quite right with his health for some time, but no one was talking around the house. Not unusual for a household Q-Cleared above Top Secret. The bomb they dropped on me that day, aside from the severity of my father's conditions, was that I was now considered an "Atomic Child". They showed me a certificate and explained that The Chief had been a part of Top Secret tests while at sea and had been exposed to radiation there. That is where my trip down the rabbit hole began...
“When she thought it over afterwards it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
TO REQUEST A SITE PASSWORD
OVEREXPOSEDBorn under a veil of secrecy to parents warned not to have any more children...
I'm a Next-generation (NextGEN) offspring of a radiologicly exposed Atomic Veteran. My Father, "The Chief", who served as a crytographer and Chief Radioman on the Naval Command Flagship USS ESTES, and multiple other Joint Task Forces, witnessed multiple atomic, hydrogen or thermonuclear tests at the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) atolls; Marshall Islands, Bikini Island. He began his 'atomic' assignment when he was assigned to the naval training center closest to the converted DoD Manhattan Project compound in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 1949 to prep for the tests and through to the day he died, he was a monitored test subject to varying degrees. Stationed at Treasure Island Naval Base, and treated at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital and Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NDRL) at Hunter''s Point, my father became an integral part of the governments well documented human radiologic experiments due to the nature of his exposure, while I became part of the fall-out. What leads me to organize and expose this experience and share this story, first and foremost, it is by way to shine a light on an effort to get recognition not only for those exposed at Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) events and for those of us who didn't sign up or enlist for this human radiolgic experiment - the genetically challenged offspring. Secondly, it is to continue to explore learning about who The Chief was and what the new realities mean for me. The Chief was never declassified in his lifetime - having died following 20 years in the care of great military physicians and surgeons who studied and cared for him. With the continuity of care and the understanding of, and respect from, non-civilian providers in a highly skilled Naval Hospital who provided uninterrupted care for his needs. Due to the severity and nature of his reconstructive surgeries, one of which bordered on involuntary sexual reassignment, The Chief felt he could never step into civilian healthcare environment and be understood, respected or cared for properly. His experience was unique, To this day, we continue to live with the fallout... I started this research over 13 years ago in earnest when I filed a RECA claim, and launched the weabsite to begin to document this journey - in June of 2016 - I have now been diagnosed with yet another residual condition... a lymphoma type cancer. while my story continues to unfold... Theirs is a love story. His, one of commitment and devotion to his shipmates and his country. Hers, one or romance, devotion and unconditional love and sacrifice... as a wife and a mother. Mine is one of bizarre protocols in uncharted territories carrying family secrets for over 40 years. It was an amazing adventure to be raised by these two people. They were progressively fierce individuals, stunning as a couple, and following his participation in the dozens of atomic blasts off-shore, the two of them were certainly living like the world was going up in a mushroom cloud tomorrow and they wanted to see more of it before that ever happened. All of our lives were "Atomic" now - not in some distant future. The health issues handed from Father to Daughter created a bond between that began at the first signs I was able to potentially reproduce, at age 12. The Naval doctors sat us all down and told me why I should not be allowed to have children due to genetic defects and damaged DNA due to his exposure at the PPG. Some of what bonded The Chief and I would become family secrets I would carry over 4 decades.
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FALLOUTAnd the beat goes on...
My recent diagnosis and treatment has refueled my desire to raise awareness of the plight for those of us who are living with and suffering the unintended consequences of human radiation experiments. Strange AttractorsFrom Fractals to Fine Art Forensics, Cold War Art Movements to the CIA - from generation to generation, high science, high minded creative, technical and critical thinking have defined
our family. |
