U.S. Neglected Vets in Infamous Nuclear Test Footage

This nuclear test footage is used in countless videos, but there's a disturbing story behind it. The 20,000 soldiers ordered to participate were told to walk toward the blast zone with no protective gear, and no understanding of the long-term health risks.

For decades, the Veterans Administration denied them healthcare coverage for leukemia and other cancers linked to the tests for two reasons: (1) many couldn't prove they attended because records were lost in a fire and (2) their superiors did not hand out enough dosimeters to accurately track ionizing radiation exposure for each soldier.

They were also not given breathing protection, and the Department of Defense did not account for the radioactive dust breathed in by the soldiers (on the desert floor of the Nevada Test Site) despite there being a clear linkage in scientific literature by the 1940s.

Today, academic research has proven a link between the tests and rates of cancer, plus additional risks to children and grandchildren of the soldiers due to genetic changes from the exposure. Yet in the U.S., the only legislation to cover (some) healthcare costs, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), does not cover descendants.

"Atomic veterans," as they are known, are also pushing for a medal for their service and a national holiday. But the Pentagon claims medals cannot be given because their risks taken were not in a combat setting. Likewise, the only "National Atomic Veterans Day" came on July 16th, 1983 and was not scheduled to repeat in annual fashion.

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-----TIMESTAMPS-----

0:00 Infamous footage
0:48 Radiation "underestimated"
1:42 From the Pacific to Nevada
2:48 Were physiological risks ignored?
4:50 1980s: most claims denied
5:45 Congress takes notice
6:19 Genealogical risks
7:52 No medal, no national holiday
9:41 Conclusion

-----SOURCES-----

Source documents and credits listed here: https://itsredacted.com/the-neglected-vets-from-those-famous-nuclear-test-videos/

It's [redacted] is a venture of It's Bloody Science! LLC, which created the narration and editing of this video. All other images, sounds, music and video clips are freely available in the public domain or Creative Commons licenses, or are licensed via Powtoon software or the YouTube Audio Library.

Select footage from US Army and Prelinger Archives; all is in the public domain. Other clips from US Army and remastered by Jeff Quitney; those are under a Creative Commons license and noted appropriately. Video sources are linked on page linked above.

-----MUSIC-----

Song No. 1: They Might Not, Puddle of Infinity — freely available for use from YouTube Audio Library.

Song No. 2: Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400021
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Song No. 3: 3. King of Peace, Twin Musicom
King of Peace by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Song No. 4: 4. Surrender, Dan Lebowitz — freely available for use from YouTube Audio Library.