Task and Purpose: Abigail Spanberger: America’s Atomic Veterans, hidden by secrets, were forgotten for 50 years

Abigail Spanberger, Task & Purpose

This editorial on the naming of July 16 as National Atomic Veterans Day is written by Abigail Spanberger, the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 7th congressional district. From 2006 to 2014, she was an Operations Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. The views expressed are her own.

Virginia native Gillie Jenkins was just 15 years old when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed basic training. But rather than being posted on a ship, he instead found himself assigned to “Special Projects.” He found out quickly what that meant — nuclear tests.

Gillie was sent to a string of remote Pacific islands for a secret project dubbed “Operation Crossroads” — the first nuclear weapons tests since the 1945 Trinity detonation in the New Mexico desert. These tests at Bikini Atoll were also the first detonations of nuclear devices since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Stationed far from Virginia in the Marshall Islands, Gillie and his fellow servicemembers used a Geiger counter multiple times a day to test their radiation levels. Each month, they had blood tests taken and received X-rays to check for further exposure.

For 16 months, Gillie was exposed to ionized radiation as he selflessly served his country. The Americans who ran this operation — and similar missions over the course of more than a decade — are known as America’s “Atomic Veterans.”

From 1945 until 1962, hundreds of thousands of U.S. servicemembers, like Gillie, participated in aboveground and underwater nuclear weapons tests. Many fell ill — often at young ages with illnesses linked to their radiation exposure.

But for decades, the American public was left in the dark. Atomic Veterans had sworn an oath of secrecy and had signed away their ability to share their stories with anyone. They were banned from confiding in their loved ones, receiving proper medical care from physicians, or receiving the VA disability benefits they had earned.

For 50 years, Atomic Veterans in Virginia and across our country were never fully recognized for the immense sacrifices they made on behalf of the United States and democracy across the globe — Virginians like Gillie Jenkins, who went on to serve as the Director at Large for the Virginia branch of the National Association of Atomic Veterans.

It was not until the mid-1990s that the veil of secrecy began to lift. In 1995, President Clinton issued a formal apology to America’s Atomic Veterans and ordered Congress to repeal the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act and allow Atomic Veterans to share the full extent of their service without fear of fines or treason charges. This long overdue repeal came after thousands of these heroes had already passed away — the true nature of their service and the exposures that took their lives totally unknown to their loved ones.

When I was first elected to Congress, Gillie’s daughter told me about his decades of tireless work trying to get permanent, federal recognition of the sacrifices and valor of his fellow Atomic Veterans. Over the ensuing two years, Gillie was a relentless and amazing partner as we worked to achieve that deserved recognition. As an Atomic Veteran who never suffered the illnesses and cancers that took the lives of so many of his brothers-in-arms, he made it his mission to ensure their sacrifices would forever be honored.

There had been some degree of recognition before — but it was hardly consistent. Back in 1983, President Reagan issued a proclamation recognizing July 16 — the anniversary of the Trinity Test — as National Atomic Veterans’ Day. However, his proclamation did not require recognition in succeeding years. Atomic Veterans were again relegated to the shadows.

That’s why I was honored to lead the charge to make sure these patriots receive the recognition they deserve with an annual designation of National Atomic Veterans Day. In December 2021, President Biden signed my bipartisan legislation into law to recognize these heroes in perpetuity.

Thanks to the tireless advocacy of Atomic Veterans from across our Commonwealth and our country, July 16 recognizes the pivotal role of Atomic Veterans in our nation’s progress and preservation. But still today, many Atomic Veterans — including Americans who served or were held as prisoners of war in or around Hiroshima and Nagasaki before 1946 — struggle to receive the compensation and disability benefits owed to them from their service.

Each year on July 16, I encourage every American to take a moment to remember the deep contributions of our nation’s Atomic Veterans, thank their families, and educate the next generation about the critical role they played in keeping our nation safe.

National Atomic Veterans Day is a reminder to look back on the sacrifices of the Americans who served in dangerous and secret missions. They did what their country asked of them — and we have work ahead to repay the immense debt America still owes to Gillie and his fellow heroes.