How the U.S. Government Used Veterans as Atomic Guinea Pigs | Op-Docs
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- čas přidán 14. 02. 2019
- This week’s Op-Doc is “The Atomic Soldiers,” Morgan Knibbe’s haunting oral history of the United States’ nuclear weapons testing program in the 1950s and ‘60s. As many as 400,000 American servicemen took part in those tests - experiencing nuclear blasts at close range - and the nightmarish story told by the veterans in Knibbe’s film shows how the experience has marked them for life.
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They should show this documentary to everyone in schools across America, the same way that the Germans are taught about their nations wrong doings during WW2
Yeah exactly we was never taught this in school. There's alot of unnecessary History topics they was teaching us in school.
Yes but America wants to sweep all its wrongdoings under the rug. These men are still suffering from that experience. If they had kids after recieving the whole body radiation it can pass on to their kids genetically affecting them. I'm pretty sure many people died, we are watching the survivors.
I'm German and I could not agree more.
the irony is that post-WW2 tons of Nazis occupied all levels of government and became teachers, policemen, wardens, the list goes on. denazification was an absolute joke and operation paperclip granted mass murderers amnesty and cushy lifestyles both in the USA and Germany.
Hahahahah. This is America. That’ll never happen.
My Dad was an atomic vet. When he came down with lung cancer, he told his oncologist about being told to get out of the trench and walk toward the mushroom cloud, and how he tasted metal and threw up. When Dad tried to get his records to show his doc, in case there was something there to help guide his treatment, the time period from when he saw a shot, the time he spent on the project, etc., were gone, except for letters of commendation. No way to know how much he was exposed to. And he told me, “It’s like Agent Orange, you’ll find out about what they did to us after we’re all gone.” My heart breaks for these vets and their families.
I'm so sorry about your dad. There's no word can ease his mental & physical pain he suffered..Don't let the goverment get away from this... it's wrong on many levels.
@@harmoni4499 Yup, but when you sign up, you sign your life away. You have to pledge that you will do whatever it takes to defend the US. My dad (Army) got pancreatic cancer and died shortly after the diagnosis.
@@sigsin1 Prior to 1973, young men did not volunteer to join the military...they were drafted. Furthermore, they did not "sign up" for these activities but were following orders.
My dad got a lung cancer but the cancer was located in his liver. He went from healthy to a walking skeleton in four months. Then dead. Small cell adenocarcinoma. It was horrible. Made me start eating painkillers like candy to dull the emotions.
My dad had almost the same issue with agent orange. They turned their backs on him when he got sick and gave him the run around until he died. I helped him with all of his disability claims and appeals. It was a nightmare. Between doctor appointments, legal stuff and requirements for disability (paperwork, appointments, everything) I was having to take him to and from the VA almost every day of the work week, and that always took the whole day. They want you to give up or die. My dad died. He was stationed in the area that was the mist heavily sprayed place. He said he never could understand how such a heavy duty "plant killer" wouldn't cause problems for the men. They were being drenched in it. Drinking the ground water and bathing in contaminated water.
I'm so sorry about your dad. They ended up starving my dad to death after he had become to hard for me to care for at home by myself (he would become violent from dementia, he also had Parkinson's). No place would take him except the VA who even had the nerve to throw him out 3 times.
They don't care about our vets. I don't know how any one of them sleeps at night.
The first man that starts to speak is my grandfather Charlie. This is the first time I’m seeing this and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for letting him and all these soldiers tell their story in a way they were never able to. I have heard maybe one small story over the years, but never to this extent.
I'm so sorry. I hope that you're close to your Grandfather Charlie. I certainly feel so bad that he suffered such a crime from the U S A Government. Thank him for telling his story❤❤❤❤
My dad was an Atomic Veteran. He died at the age of 43 12/26/84. He told us of how they were allowed and encouraged to swim in lagoons that had been contaminated from previous atomic bombs. My dad was used as a guinea pig also. What is untold is how these atomic bombs changed these men's genetic make up and when they had children like myself, we are experiencing bones deterioration, thyroid issues and even infertility/sterile. I along with my two brothers have deteriorating spines. I have a dead thyroid. The worst was watching my dad live his short life in misery. My dad told us of being told to cover their eyes. He spoke of doing so and feeling as if he had no eyelids, that he could see clean through his arms and see veins and bones. Shame on the Navy!
Do you have sources for this? What was his name
@@Alextillom it was my dad. I would have him talk to you but he is dead. As are all of the others that were in his brigade. Want to talk about strange, I have constant growth of bone growth in odd places, IE shoulders feet and fingers. Have to have it removed over and over. There is no medical explanation.
@@Alextillom I have a newspaper clipping with my dad. If you have a way I would send you the clipping picture.
That's so so sad. I'm sorry your dad and your family had to pay for those sick people.
@@maqkathy are your bones more dense
There faces tell the whole story and how the military treats the people who give there life to volunteer to become test subjects
‘Volunteer ‘ is a big word, they were just put there by military suits and told some BS story
@@Boutneus12 volunteered to serve their country. Is what I mean by volunteer
@@mymomwhoopsyourmom Yes, understand you. Thank you...✌🏼
European militaries tell you exactly what you're getting yourself into so you can decide if you want to live with it for the rest of your life or not. You're also guaranteed compensation.
US of A prefers to tell them total lies about whats happening until it's too late, there's no laws against it, no compensation, nothing.
Michael MyersThey found out that they were just considered cannon fodder the hard way.
This makes me weep. These patriotic & trusting men were tortured physically & emotionally by our own government & they continue to suffer. It's outrageous & heartbreaking.
"I'd never seen clothes like that before."
I had been assuming he was seeing specialists in some kind of loose hazmat protection suits.
It would never have occurred to me that the _American_ government would put soldiers so close to an atomic blast that they may as well have been Hiroshima victims with their skin coming off their flesh. This day, 2022, is the first I heard of this, and I've known of the experimentation for decades. We've all see those photos and video clips of soldiers in trenches, etc.
Apparently photojournalists and military photographers were never allowed near the soldiers who were arranged like human guinea pigs. Freaking _homicide._
They are the real patriotic Hero...
I was exposed to bioweapons at Dugway UT 2002 w 80 other N guard soldiers. Many have cancer as I hv. The VA denied us benefits too. US government stinks to high heavens.
Uncle Sam Stinks
I picked up on the fact that two guys had gone missing and that someone else had seen two people supposedly walking with their skin dangling/melting off of them. I get the feeling the two people are the same two people and that's honestly so disturbing. All of this is so disturbing
Wow. Horrible
🤬🤬🤬! Those vets Deserve compensation and top of the line Medical Care!! I did not know about this. I only knew about how Vietnam Veterans were affected by Agent Orange! So wrong on so many levels!
J A there is at least one older documentary on the Cold War where you can see footage of men in trenches holding pigs in front of them. I believe that group was told that the pigs were the ones being experimented on.
777sillydog Thank you for your reply. Hearing these brave men’s accounts of their experiences, it just makes me angry that the US Government doesn’t give a flip about our vets lives. What is worse, they aren’t receiving monetary compensation or specialized medical care for their health problems. This documentary just makes me terribly angry.
I think the old documentary is called Atomic Cafe and I agree with you.
These cats are already dead.
This is decades old and no one knows about it.
Also read about the military's syphilis experiments on black soldiers!!! And also agent orange. Its disgusting how the military/government has not treated our service men and women as human beings....they see them as conscripted lab rats!!!
My father was one of the military guinea pigs. It has affected him in various ways but he has had a long life, still kicking at ninety.
This was an utterly irresponsible act on the part of the military and government, the sort of thing they would accuse Russia or North Korea of.
My grandfather was one of them, later on his death bed it was revealed that he had the radioative type of cancer. My grandfather was always reserved so I never got to see the fear in his eyes, I like to think his faith in God and seeing his grandchildren helped him to look forward.
Does he talk about it often?
@@amberslahlize7961 I'm so sorry about your grandfather
The more you research about the US government and how they treat their soilders - and then teach their citizens to thank those soilders for induring that trauma, seeing them as heros rather than victims, the more you realize just how similar they are to their own depictions of North Korea & Russia
@@shitbrainratface4748 underrated comment.
Seeing grown men tear up at the mere thought of what they went through that day is something else. Even though it has been over 60 years since it happened, they still have trouble talking about it. This is beyond insanity.
It takes courage to speak out, even after many years. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Never fear speaking out. U might save thousands of lives from it. Screw uncle sam-!
Wow, I don't think I've heard a more detailed description of what it was like to go through this. Scary.
Stay out of the military 😢
Big eye opener. Thank youse for sharing your stories. Don't stop fighting for your compensation
The pain of these men faces really hurts me😢 I’m so sorry you all went through all that.
We hear you.
These men were employed by the government, witnessing the most destructive and powerful human invention ever created. Traumatized, shocked, and bewildered after 70+ years! They all sit here in front of a camera to tell us their accounts of what they had seen and realize the horrendous consequences involved with these super-weapons. That to me is undeniably Honorable!
It's crazy how these people still couldn't get over it. They're still traumatized after all these years.
Jesus. I was in tears at the end of this, feeling for these men. How they'd trusted their government to do what's best for them and their nation, and how their government treated them like expendable test subjects instead, to recompense them in such a way for the front line effort and suffering they'd already given. If this is not a cause for revolution, I don't know what is. My heart goes out to these poor people.
I'm 68 years old and recently I had the same cancer that the vet had. Squanoma cancer. I am a vet. They cut it out of my side, right at the belt line. It was long, about 3 fingers wide and deep, the nurse.that witnessed to operation, told me this.
I am a veteran from the early 70's
Probly agent orange or this either way it’s not ok to experiment with humans
wow hope your ok
Seeing your life flash before your eyes is an understatement here
Majikalnight no pun intended i hope
Veterans, thank you for your service and thank you for telling your story. We fellow Americans care about you.
service? lol
sure don't show it.
Apparently not enough to vote politicians into power that actually care...
People just want to live, nobody wants to be fighting and killing each other.
They could'a fooled me, what with all the Trump rallies..
@@MrDavidBFoster we’re closer to Nuke war now with Biden
As a veteran who was in the cold war YOU MEN ARE HEROS! NEVER BE SILENT!
I was a Naval sonar technician I watched the NUKE MISSILE subs all over the globe from the surface...I handled torpedoes, rocket thrown , and over the side as well as harpoon missiles and DEPTH CHARGES that were VERY POTENT.... Stay away from the ground ZERO spots on EARTH...let the SUN clean it up a few billion years...Talk PEACE for earths children...THEY DESERVE IT! No matter where on earth they walk!
I am so deeply sorry. Thank you for your bravery! I’m hurting for you. You deserve so much more.
He fought the 2nd world war from Tunisia through Sicily, Italy, and France, then the gov't put Pattons army in trenches at a bomb tests to see what would happen. He survived for more than 35 years and lived every day to the fullest
"If you could just see the colors--" never sounded so creepy/disturbing....
I feel like The New York Times CZcams channel is my little secret. Great videos, but no body watches them hardly.
CZcams is hiding it from the masses so they dont go pidgeoning around.
34000+ watched this one that's hardly nobody
@@sideshowbob6416 go look at a Cardi B video
compare the numbers
40k is NOTHING to 40M
get real
@@RoastCDuck yep CZcams is ghosting controversial videos and channels
@Ssargrettal Nosaj Just a theory, People are propense to drama, so the platforms hide certain videos to those people to make life easy for everyone.
In reality it is possible that most internauts just prefer trendy stuff cause popularity and reddit humour memes and thus this videos are not watched too much, better for us, you and everyone who watches this videos.
Thanks for making this, I wish everyone would watch it
Thank you for sharing your stories. This video is and should remain an important document of a terrible history that should hopefully never repeat itself. I hope this sticks within history and that it will never be forgotten.
Thanks for showing this
My heart goes out to all of those men.
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS. Take a good look, people. Grown men in tears over what they experienced all these years later …….it was that terrible.
Thank you New York Times for bringing these men’s stories to us.
Yup kneeling peacefully during the anthem is disrespectful but nuking vets naw man that's patriotic. What a joke and hypocritical.
Who says nuking vets is patriotic?
Desperate bait
@Daniel Kintigh You should see a psychiatrist
@Daniel Kintigh are you joking ? If america was dead the world would live .
@Daniel Kintigh you are stupid veterans agree to kneeling.
The U.S. armed forces are utterly incredible in their disdain for ethics.
beautiful editing and cinematography.
Half way thru i couldnt watch no more but out of respect for these men the least i can do is hear them out they definitely deserve to be heard god bless them and thank you guys for everything and im so so sorry you guys had to go thru that
This story is incredible!
tragically beautiful and heartrending recounting by brave and important men
As soon as he started talking about the two men walking I knew where the story was going and it must be the most horrible thing to know he saw those men probably melting to death
I feel for these brave veterans. This video needs to be shared with everyone you know. Especially those who think our governmental officials are here to protect them. The government(s) of the world have performed atrocities against humanity in the past, and they are performing atrocities to this very day. Looking at past behavior, we can only assume they will be committing atrocities against “We the Peasants” in the future.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thank all this veterans for sharing. This is really powerfull.
I feel traumatized just by hearing and listening to these Men. So sorry that you people have to go through this!!!
Thank you for this information it has a place in history.
I feel so horrible for what you guys went through and continued to.
Heart breaking
Thank you for your service
My heart goes out to these Hero's!
everytime i hear about soldiers crying for their mothers always makes me well up myself
These poor, poor men. You can see the trauma in their faces. Governments are absolutely disgusting.
This is the very, very dark side of the American obsession with world military dominance. Then there are Hiroshima and Nagasaki... It is very hard to be proud of a country with such cavalier disregard for human life.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were after Japan refused to surrender, even after warned, like twice. It was either that, or spend lots of time and lots and lots of lives (on both sides) island hopping like we were. The results were horrifying of course, but it wasn't indefensible.
And, be aware that this is the news; they have an incentive to tell you the worst, most shocking things. Most of the time, our country is not disregarding human life, so don't lose perspective =)
How else were we supposed to achieve total global hegemony? If it wasn't for those _Damned Rosenbergs..._
@@ActionAlligator We'd have dropped it on Alabama, if that's what it took to show the world who's boss!
@@MrDavidBFoster
I can't tell how much of you is joking and how much of you is teasing to make a point. The only reason we dropped those bombs was to put an _end_ to the war with Japan. The "message to the world" about our new capabilities was something that also happened to be in our interest. We had a whole lot of other opportunities to drop bombs if dominance and show were really what we valued.
@@ActionAlligator Not a single word of that was spoken in jest.
This shouldn't ever never happened to our veterans or any other human being! Just listening made me shivering inside & out. Please stay safe & healthy!
They are heroes forever.
We sent to BIKINI ATOLL for a series of ATOMIC bomb tests
We know the dangers of RADIATION. Why wont Congress compensate the men & women they didn't mind useing as Guinea pigs.
Why dont our Government be as fair with our military
As our military is so fair and dedicated to this great country
?????????
10:00 into video The soldier mentioned seeing men with "padded clothes". Clearly this is a multi purpose test with 2 groups of soldiers. One group has on padded clothes the other doesn't. The soldiers without the padded clothes were expendable in the eyes of the military.
Time and time again- it is the law abiding citizens who suffer from the willful deceit of government.
These men witnessed first hand the immense destructive power of the atomic bomb and even though they’re soldiers sworn to defend their country they know in their souls that the world is better off without nuclear weapons. The atomic bomb was the result of fear. Why then would we create such a horrific weapon to make ourselves feel safer?
Exactly!
Thermonuclear bomb* not atomic bomb. What these men witnessed were much larger than atomic bombs. But nonetheless, your point gets across and i agree
This video needs more views!!!!
Severely underrated video
Deeply profound
If the US government cannot even pay enough and in time the WW 2 veterans, how much more the more recent veterans?
This makes me so angry, these men gave their lives and they cant even get the govt to acknowledge them and what they did to them...it hurts my soul.
I can’t imagine what these men must have experienced. Through their words I imagined what they were describing. As the images came alive in my head I cringed at what I saw.
These are the real people deserving of repirations
My husband is a Enewetak Atoll Atomic Cleanup Vet, This Joint Task Force were sent to the Marshall Islands to clean up after over 43 Nuclear Weapons. These men had no protective gear or anything. They picked up chunks of plutonium with there bare hand. They scrapped the top soil off of some of the islands. The radioactive and contaminated debris was dumped in the Runit Dome. Search "The Dome" on CZcams.
I will never forget you
Goosebumps
My father died in 1996 and died from radiation poisoning and cancer from Bikini Atoll my mother finally started receiving her survivor benefits in 2016. 1850.00 a month and champ va insurance. Small price for my fathers life
With Oppenheimer coming out I can't help but think of these men. How that one man said he can't see the bomb. And here we are all rushing to see Hollywood recreate the bomb on the big screen.
I experienced nuclear testing personally! I was a Marine aboard the USS Princeton LPH-5 in 1962. Part of Operation Dominic at Johnston Atoll....Nightmares still haunt me!
Everyone needs to watch this video.
2.3 Million subs on this channel and this vid only has 1.6k likes almost a year after posting. Feels wrong.
666tReaper but the Cardi b video has millions 🤦🏾♀️😂
You're here because you searched out out.
Praying for all.
I was informed about these tests and the results it had on the military personal several years ago while in college,, but I never saw the affects it had on the men that were present during these tests. I see it clearly now.
I swear they probably assumed they'd create super soldiers but turns out it tore apart flesh.
honestly guys, i have no words.
This was hard to watch...real heroes right here
This is insane
Where are these veterans now? Are they okay? The pain and fear in their eyes makes me sad, and it makes me sick that they were forced into silence, they struggled for years, decades even, with this secret
heartbreaking.
i hear you dude
Can’t believe this only has 100k views
I'm sorry! The amount of love and respect I have for you men is not able to be measured!
SALUTE!
Increible
So heartbreaking to watch
Feel so bad for these guys
Surprised this hasn't got a million views
Why? Nobody wants to know this, ESPECIALLY the people in charge!
This is just outrageous !!!!’
No matter how much wrong these men did before their service. They were punished.Even if they didn’t deserve it. There will be a special place in the eyes of God for the Atomic Soldiers. Never stop fighting for your compensation and rights. Thank you for your service.
The sadness and coldness in their stare
I am so sorry
From IRELAND WITH LOVE TO THOSE BRAVE MEN !!I HOPE AND PRAY THAT THEY WILL FIND SOME PEACE ✌️ FROM THIS NUCLEAR ☢️ NIGHTMARES GOD SAVE THEM AND PROTECT THEIR LOVED ONES ..... FROM WEXFORD IN REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 🇮🇪
The X-ray... The X-ray... amazing @4.05
Very sad 😥.
These are trained soldiers and they were exposed to an essentially ancient, low-yield version of what we are armed with today. It is impossible to comprehend the scale and depth of widespread suffering that a true nuclear exchange would cause. It's like a supernatural power from heaven that destroys or drives mad all it touches; it would probably be the most influential event in human history, at least for the short time we would exist after the event.
This is very sad. I hope nothing happened to them for speaking out.
I remember being at six flags a long time ago where they re-enacted lethal weapon and we were sitting on the benches watching this live show...... a big fireball exploded and the mild heat shockwave was incredible. That being said that was just a show! I can only imagine what these guys went through
I'm listening ...
I only made it 6 minutes in. I'll have to watch it in increments. I'm so sorry for everyone effected. We glorify the military as protecting us and others, but we harm as much as help. Often times we make things worse. I cant comprehend what it's like to live through this, and other heinous atrocities. Humanity is horrendous.
Years later, but does anyone happen to know which tests these men participated in? Perhaps Desert Rock, or Plumbbob?
*I'M SO SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO ALL OF YOU!! I WISH YOU COULD SUE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT'S NOT FAIR!! WHERE DID THEY DO THIS?*
New Mexico, White Sands nuclear test range
I was a teenager in the 60’s and never heard a word that anything like this took place. My heart breaks for these men who were duped because they were in the military. Shame on our government and the military but the final insult is their medical issues are not paid.😢
Billions have been paid in compensation, where is there share???