Kenneth Brownell - Atomic Cleanup Veteran

Three short years after the Vietnam conflict had officially ended the government found a new way to kill!

In 1977 military members from the Army, Navy and Air Force embarked on a humanitarian cleanup mission in the Marshall Islands. This mission was nothing more than a dog and pony show spending millions of dollars. We were supposed to cleanup the northern islands of radioactive materials left after the testing of forty-two atomic weapons and one hydrogen bomb.

1977, I was 19 years old, new to the military, and very naive! As a carpenter my skill was needed, orders were handed down and preparations were made. I was moving out on a mission.

Everything was planned in a way that no one really knew what was going on. You were told what you would be doing and nothing more. The Navy Seals blew up the coral reefs to get the larger vessels in. A small crew from the Army was sent to get the aggregate for the concrete pads for the base camp buildings.

Then finally the construction crews came in. After each phase was completed the men were shipped out. The construction of the dome began along with the cleanup of the northern islands this was the major part of the project.

The job was completed in late 1980. The dome caped, buildings removed and the equipment dumped into the lagoon all of which was still highly radioactive!

The islands were returned to the Marshallese people’s but still the islands that were cleaned cannot be lived on due to the radiation.

The government did not expect three things to happen: the internet, the declassification of documents and the last and most important, many who worked in and on the islands would still be alive! Many have suffered from cancers including myself, many have diabetes, heart and skin problems. Many other health problems directly related to ionizing radiation have been reported.

Our work efforts and sacrifices made by many to this day still go unnoticed. And our government still denies we were ever exposed! Only a hand full of veterans are alive today to tell the story about the Marshall Islands cleanup project.

“For the good of all man kind!” This was the statement was made by the U.S. Government to the people’s living peacefully on their island atolls. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki should have been proof that further testing was unnecessary! But to this day thousands around the globe are effected by radioactive materials, waste and testing.

When will we learn or is it too late!

Kenneth A. Brownell

U.S. Army 1976-1980

Survivor of the radiology cleanup 1977