Atomic Veterans revisited through depleted uranium

Vincent L Guarisco writes "

Atomic Veterans Revisited Through Depleted Uranium Exposure

Written by
Vincent L Guarisco
Axis of Logic editorial
October 15, 2003

" I ask you, what is the difference between 30 million people dead and 130 million people dead? ... With 30 million dead, the United States can survive..."~~Edward Teller, nuclear physicist and 'father' of the H-Bomb.

Welcome to the 21st century uranium slaughtergate, an age-old curse where the forsaken still inherit a radiated death sentence after more than 50 years of tearful grave digging.

I am the offspring of an Atomic Veteran, and I have been in "shock and awe" my entire life over the hushed-up military practice of wanton execution -- I have had to come to grips with the reality of how our government criminally maims, disables and kills anyone at will and with impunity.

History is a useful prognostic tool if those who record it archive it with accuracy and without revision. But as long as recorded history continues to be twisted and suppressed by those above the law, our nation will never learn anything from its mistakes. America will continue to stumble on blindly -- repeatedly victimized by those who write this fairytale from hell with pens literally dipped in the spilled blood of its citizens.

Honesty is the best policy for recording our past, present and future -- either good or bad. However, since it becomes more apparent every day that pathological liars are in control---It is my opinion that today's historians, educators and most media outlets have missed their true calling. If the massive "containment wall" they have efficiently constructed around the many injustices served to Atomic Veterans is any proof, they would make wonderful bricklayers. This insidious atrocity continues to be one of our nation's best-kept secrets, and to this day---not one person has ever been held accountable for the many crimes they have committed against these people who served their country so valiantly.

My father, Navy Seaman Anthony Guarisco, was one of those heroes. His personal experience during a horrible event many years ago that all subsequent leaders have worked overtime to conceal, remains like an evil anchor that weighs upon the hearts and souls of all men. He was just one of thousands of sailors empirically ordered to the atomic gallows of Bikini Atoll in 1946 at "Operation Crossroads."

For those of you who never heard of this hideous event---it was the largest Nuclear Atmospheric Test ever conducted by the United States Government. It involved 45,400 men, 220 ships, and 160 aircraft using two 21-Kiloton nuclear devices very similar to those dropped on Japan in 1945. The tests were conducted against an array of more than 90 target ships in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.

One would think that surely the military-brass and war department had satisfied their thirst for blood after nuking 65 thousand Japanese civilians at the end of WWII. Sorry, that was simply not the case.

Soon after WWII, more than 45,000 exhausted war fatigued combat vets were ordered to the Marshall Islands. Having traveled a tough road, most thought the worst was behind them; they thought this next mission was a pleasure cruise---and why the hell not---they had just finished fighting a very brutal war defeating the Japanese. However, little did they know they were being herded like fatlings for the kill. Not for one minute did any of them even remotely suspect foul play. Why should they? They were heroes who had just defended the most honorable nation in the world, for Christ sake!

Unfortunately, hero status holds little or no weight for those in power. Uncle Sam has his own special way of showing gratitude to those who serve their country. Sadly, more and more it seems that, in order to receive it, you have to first bend over and grab your ankles. My father best describes their generous gratitude for services rendered:

"Before heading out for the Marshall Islands they loaded our ship to the gills with beer and other alcohol beverages, heck, we thought we were going to one big party! After we arrived at Bikini and dropped anchor in our designated position, all of us were ordered up on deck so we could view the horrific mushroom cloud event.

"As the first bomb was exploding I looked over at the guy next me and I was horrified to see his entire skeletal frame like an eerie X-ray. It scared me and I quickly cupped my hands over my face to cover my eyes. When I did this---I could see all the bones in my hands. I was totally overwhelmed with fear. It was at that moment that I knew something was very, very wrong with all of this. My ship was only a few miles away from the first detonation. We were very close -- in fact so close that water from the blast splashed up on our ship drenching everyone on deck, myself included. After that, they decided to move us a little further back for the next one."

"When I saw this explosion, it came home to me what had happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I could see how 55-65 thousand people could die in less than one and a half seconds. It was very awesome. When I saw the second explosion, which was on the water, I saw a target array of approximately 100 ships go up in the air like little toys. I saw the US Arkansas go up about 200 feet in the air and come down in two pieces.

"I saw aircraft carriers flinging around as if they were toys. We went back into the 'ground zero' area immediately after each of the detonations, and I spent a total of 67 days in the Bikini lagoon within one mile of the epicenter. I became very ill approximately four or five days after the second detonation, with symptoms similar to a severe case of influenza. My entire body was covered with welts; I urinated blood. It was very scary. I was very sick for about seven to ten days before I finally began to feel a little better."

My dad wasn't the only one -- he said others on his ship experienced the same debilitating effects. For many years he maintained the hope that, if there was anything wrong, his government would surely let him know. But he found out years later that's not how it is. This government and the US military have steadfastly refused throughout the years to say anything to anybody who's exposed to high levels or low levels of radiation. For almost as many years, I watched my father struggle with denial -- after the sacrifices he had made for his country, it was difficult for him to finally come to grips with the fact that he was dealing with people who really were not interested in anything else but waiting for him to die.

The United States Government calls Operation Crossroads a "Test." My father says, "Those of us whose lives were destroyed call this deadly "operation" by its true name --"Premeditated Slaughter."

Many years have passed since that horrible event at Bikini Atoll. Most have forgotten what should have never been forgotten -- the reality of how impervious our government can be when critiquing the killing effectiveness of its own weapons of mass destruction. How insignificant we really are to those who hold their finger on the button.

To my knowledge, my father, who was aboard LST #388, is the last living survivor from his ship at Operation Crossroads. To this day the government still maintains that his radiation exposure at Bikini never exceeded the allowable limits, therefore disregarding his many significant health problems as being service related. After more then 50 years of fighting his case, he was finally awarded a service-connected disability claim for PTSD (Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder). How ironic---they drove him crazy before they awarded him. Back home, we have an old-fashioned saying for that -- it's called getting f--ked and then kicked out, without so much as a goodbye kiss...

Having a father who was subjected to such betrayal did not create pleasant childhood memories, but as an adult I can appreciate the knowledge associated with knowing how our government operates. It always puts an evil little smirk on my face to hear President Bush rave about how cruel Saddam Hussein is for gassing Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war, or how cruel he was for gassing the Kurds at Halabja in 1988. I can't help thinking -- Saddam doesn't hold a water pistol next to you, pal.

Ok, so here we are in the 21st century. Does anyone truly believe that our government and military apparatus has grown a conscience since then? More explicitly, does anyone think they would purposely contaminate or expose GIs to harmful radiation, biological warfare or anything else not mentioned disregarding the deadly health consequences of their actions? The answer is Yes. US troops may not bear witness to mushroom fireballs bursting in air, but in Iraq they're getting exposed to radiation on a daily basis, and many other deadly toxins as well.

Army health physicist Dr. Doug Rokke was sent to the Middle East to salvage depleted uranium (DU)-contaminated tanks after Gulf War I. His Geiger counters revealed that the war zones of Iraq and Kuwait were contaminated with up to 300 millirems an hour in beta and gamma radiation plus thousands to millions of counts per minute in alpha radiation. Rokke recently told the media: "The whole area is still trashed. It is hotter than heck over there still. This stuff doesn't go away."

Rokke told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/95178_du12. shtml in November 2002, "Verified adverse health effects from personal experience, physicians and from personal reports from individuals with known DU exposures include reactive airway disease, neurological abnormalities, kidney stones and chronic kidney pain, rashes, vision degradation and night-vision losses, lymphoma, various forms of skin and organ cancer, neurophychological disorders, uranium in semen, sexual dysfunction and birth defects in offspring."

Rokke has also told the Defense Department of his findings -- many times. He said, "We warned them in 1991 after the Gulf War, but because of liability issues, they continue to ignore the problem."

More than 320 tons of DU was used against Iraq in 1991. A 1998 report by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances confirms that inhaling DU causes symptoms identical to those claimed by many sick vets with Gulf War Syndrome. The Gulf War Veterans Association reports that at least 300,000 Gulf War I vets have now developed incapacitating illnesses.

To date, 209,000 vets have filed claims for disability benefits based on service-connected injuries and illnesses from combat in that war. Can you imagine how many claims will be processed this round? Whoa, I dare not imagine.

More than 10 years ago, defense contractors introduced this lethal waste into much of the Pentagon's weaponry. Navy ships carrying Phalanx rapid-fire guns are capable of firing thousands of DU rounds per minute. Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. ships and subs are DU-tipped. The M1 Abrams tanks are armored with DU. These and British Challenger II tanks are tightly packed with DU shells, which continually irradiate troops in or near them. The A-10 "tank buster" aircraft fires DU shells as well.

Depleted uranium is a component of toxic nuclear waste, usually stored at secure sites. Handlers are supposed to wear radiation protection gear. Unfortunately, battle ready soldiers are not supplied with the needed protection gear for handling ammo and other munitions.

DU munitions are classified by a United Nations resolution as illegal weapons of mass destruction. Their usage breaks all international laws, treaties and conventions forbidding poisoned weapons aimed at causing unnecessary suffering.

Nearly half of Rokke's cleanup team is dead, and most of the others -- including Rokke -- have serious health problems. Rokke, who has been sounding the alarm for more than a decade, says he has reactive airway disease, neurological damage, cataracts and kidney problems. He blames his health problems on exposure to DU. "This whole thing is a crime against God and humanity," he said.

The Bush-Cheney cartel has no shame! They have sent coalition forces into a depleted uranium (DU) toxic wasteland, an "enlistment" gift that will keep on giving for a lifetime. There is no escape, soldiers are inhaling and ingesting DU dust everyday over there, and the potential risk for cancer and other diseases is so high it staggers the imagination. It truly is a death sentence for everyone involved.

For the love of sanity, for the love of life, Americans must demand that our troops be immediately brought home! We must march in the streets, scream out our windows -- do whatever it takes to stop this madness. I have been to the funerals; I have seen firsthand what happens to loved ones whose lives are destroyed. It cannot be allowed to continue.

*Vincent L Guarisco is a freelance writer from Bullhead City, Arizona, a contributing writer for Axis of Logic and a lifetime member of the Alliance of Atomic Veterans.

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printed from Atomic Veterans revisited through depleted uranium on 2004-06-03 17:12:02