Exposed to radiation, by Wayne Beckman
November 10th, 2009 at Tue, 10th, 2009 at 1:50 pm by andyhobbs
I proudly served four years in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict.
Although my schooling and initial training was in vehicle maintenance and repair, my primary duty was performing highly classified activity under the direction and surveillance of the Atomic Energy Commission.
My duties involved the loading unloading and maintenance of nuclear weapons on B-36, B-47 and B-50 aircraft.
Since we were the initial Air Force base to receive nuclear weapons after only lab testing, many of the duties and safety measures were not completely defined. We were not issued any protective wear or monitoring equipment, so recording of any exposure data was not available.
During the loading and unloading of the aircraft, the nuclear warhead was beside me at all times. It was during these times that I was exposed to radiation that has later caused me to have multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow), and mononeuritis multiplex (nerve disease.)
After becoming completely paralyzed, it has taken me more than 12 years of therapy and medication to perform some of life’s basic functions again. The VA health system has taken very good care of me.
They will not, at present, acknowledge that I was exposed to any radiation since no official data was recorded. I am still pursuing my case through the appeals process.
ABOUT COMMUNITY BLOGS: Community blogs are written by volunteers. They are members of our community but not employees of this site or newspaper. They have applied or were invited to blog here but their words are their own and are not edited by the editor or staff of this site, and have agreed to abide by our Terms of Use. The authors are solely responsible for their content. If you have concerns about something you read on a community blog, please contact the author directly or email us.
COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.
So keep your comments:
- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.
