In 2019, Congress legislated that the Department of Defense (DoD) should issue an Atomic Veterans Service Certificate (AVSC), signed by the Defense Secretary. This enactment was contained in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) was selected to manage the certificate program. The DTRA was tasked with the management of the certificate program, according to the DoD, because it had maintained a database of radiation-exposed veterans.
The intention of the 2019 Law was to recognize all veterans that were exposed to radiation during their service to the United States. This included veterans involved in the development of the atomic bombs, from 1945 to 1962, and those veterans involved in atmospheric and underground testing, from 1951 to 1992.
Recently, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2022 was passed and it required the Secretary of Defense to create the Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal. The Medal was established to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans who were instrumental in the development of our Nation’s atomic and nuclear weapons programs.
Veterans eligible for the Medal are those who, while performing official military duties during the period of July 1, 1945, to October 1, 1992:
(a) Directly participated in the detonation of an atomic weapon or device;
(b) Directly participated in the cleanup of radioactive material resulting from any such atmospheric detonation;
(c) Directly participated in the cleanup of radioactive material resulting from an accident associated with an atomic weapon;
(d) Were exposed to ionizing radiation resulting from the operational use of atomic weapons during World War II.
The Director of the DTRA will supervise and manage both the Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Certificate and Medal Programs. According to the DTRA Director, it is anticipated that the Medals will be available to be awarded to eligible veterans in December of 2022.
Included in the NDAA of 2022 was a provision to permanently designate July 16th of each year as National Atomic Veterans Day. On this day, in 1945, the United States detonated the world’s first atomic bomb at the Trinity Test Site, located within the White Sands Missile Range.
“The recognition (of this day) often means a lot more to the spouses and the children of the veterans than the atomic veterans themselves,” said Keith Kiefer, the President of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV).
The NAAV estimates that over 200,000 veterans participated in the development and testing of our atomic and nuclear weapons.
Another 400,000 veterans may have been exposed during operations and radiation cleanup efforts over the last decades, in locations such as Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, and at Palomares, Spain.
On July 5, 2022, the Secretary of Defense announced that eligible veterans and their next-of-kin (NOK) of deceased eligible veterans will be able to apply for the Medal online, in the near future. The online applications will be processed and the DTRA will provide the Medals in a timely manner.
My Opinion: Well, again it is about time that these disabled veterans will be recognized by our nation. The Atomic Veterans Service Certificate was a nice gesture but a formal Medal is a more lasting tribute.
But we are not alone in the awarding of a Commemorative Service Medal for our veterans. On November 21, 2022, England announced the establishment of the Nuclear Test Medal for their veterans.
England’s first atmospheric atomic test was a plutonium detonation in the Montebello Islands, which occurred on October 3, 1952.
Veterans’ groups in England projected that 22,000 of their veterans were involved in atomic testing in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Perhaps the best concluding comment for this column would be from Congressman Jim McGovern, from Massachusetts, who led the fight to have this veteran’s Medal established.
“Atomic Veterans were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation in performance of their duties, yet they have never been given the full respect and recognition they deserve,” said Congressman McGovern.
“Sworn to silence for decades, these courageous and committed patriots paid a high price for their loyalty to our country,” he concluded. “They kept their promise to America, and I am proud that they will now be given the acknowledgement they so richly deserve for their faithful service to our nation.”
I agree with Congressman McGovern. They should be recognized for their service with a Medal. But more importantly, they should receive disability compensation benefits for the suffering they endured and Congress wants the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 to do that.
Veteran Service Organizations, like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), must make sure that the promises made by Congress to our veterans will be fulfilled!
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a 32-year retired Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and the Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at plahovinsak@msn.com.