Earthquake and Tsunami

Nuclear Power in limbo.

Today, five days after one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history and the ensuing tsunami,Japan is still reeling with the future of its economy and its nuclear power very much in doubt but knowing the history of Japanese industriousness gives hope that their future, though not very bright at this moment in time, will eventually return to some semblance of normality. That being as it is and with no intention of taking anything away from the seriousness of the calamity in Japan and the long road which is to be traveled, not only by the Japanese but by all the industrialized world, before we can look back and say; "A job well done" but it is my opinion that too much of the news today is stressing the dangers associated with the generation of nuclear power, not only in Japan but even here in the United State.

I make no claim as to being an expert on nuclear power plants but I have had some experience with Atomic [nuclear] Bombs after having witnessed the detonation of such a device from a distance of about seven miles and walked in the dust, created by that explosion, of Yucca Flats, Nevada less than two hours later. That walk took us up to a point a few hundred yards from ground zero where we inspected heavy equipment [tanks, trucks and so forth] for damage even to the point of climbing on top of tanks with no thought of radiation. In fact, we were not even told anything about radiation and at that time, 1951, few people outside of hospitals, or Los Alamos, New Mexico, even knew what it was and especially not twenty year old soldiers.

I very well remember that we were told to sit down facing away from ground zero for even with dark glasses we could not have looked at the fireball created by the detonation without getting eye damage and the force of that blast could have knocked a person down if standing and not expecting it. After several seconds we were allowed to turn around, still wearing dark glasses, so we could view the mushroom shaped cloud rising slowly into the atmosphere with the fireball glowing brightly. This group of soldiers were from the 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division, which was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and was used as atomic guinea pigs as the first humans to participate in an atomic bomb test.The purpose, as stated by the Department of Defense, was to find out what effects, both physical and physiological, atomic warfare would have on our soldiers in combat. That test was the first of several years of such testing and I am fairly certain that every person involved in those test was warned not to talk about their experience under the threat of being tried for treason if they did.

Most of the soldiers involved in those first tests are no longer living with many of them dying from cancer or cancer-like diseases. In my opinion, many diseases can be caused or made much worse by being exposed to excess radiation and even though our government has and never will admit that those test had any adverse effects on us guinea pigs, I am sure that too many have died much too young for their deaths not to have been helped along by that excess exposure to atomic radiation.

Whatever the future, for all of this world, holds it can be enhanced by our participation in the forming of events which will follow, as in any near disaster, and at this time it appears that help being given and offered, will probably bring Japan back into that future. Let us all hope and pray that it will continue. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William