- When beginning an investigation of any kind, one must
accept the inevitability that when going through the process of "leaving
no stone unturned", the resulting scatter of insects lead to other
stones. Such is the case when it comes to the investigation of nuclear,
chemical and biological exposures and the research and development of these
insidious weapons of mass destruction.
While researching the history behind the Gulf War experiments, I have been
stunned almost on a daily basis by the revelations of other experiments
conducted by the Department of Defense and the CIA on the American civilian
and military population. Our most recent discovery is the that the Department
of the Army was conducting biological, chemical and nuclear experiments
at Ft. Greeley, Alaska and the town of Delta Junction, Alaska.
The documentation for the information that follows was taken from a 60-page
report that included maps, photos and charts I received in a brown manila
envelope entitled:
- INSTALLATION ASSESSMENT OF GERSTLE RIVER TEST SITE: RECORDS
EVALUATION REPORT NO. 105, VOLUME 1 December 1976 Department of the Army
Office of the Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation
Restoration Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
- Do not think that the date of 1976 automatically relegates
this information to a place in the past. This document merely reports the
military activities and involvement up to that time. Information received
recently from the Ft. Greely area leads us to believe that the experiments
conducted in the past have continued to the present and that they are now
affecting the health and welfare of not only the military and indigenous
peoples who reside in that geographical area, but also the animals who
migrate through the test site. We have received reports from both the U.S.
and Canadian authorities claiming there are dramatically increased incidences
of cancer, thyroid conditions and other illnesses and are investigating
the relationship to the U.S. initiated testing. The questions we're asking
are: "Why are troops rotated in and out of Ft. Greely on a six to
nine month basis? Why are we getting reports of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
and thyroid, spinal and brain cancers? Why are the Canadian people becoming
sick after eating caribou and buffalo that migrate through the Ft. Greely
area?"
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
During August 1976, a Records Research study was conducted at Fort Greely
to estimate possible contamination at the Gerstle River Test Site by chemical,
biological, and radiological material, and to assess the possibility of
contaminants migrating beyond the boundaries of the installation. As a
result of the records search survey, it was discovered that the same organization,
which conducted the chemical agent tests at the Gerstle River area, also
conducted biological agent tests at the Delta Creek area of Fort Greely,
Alaska.
Those in charge of this project were Captain James Verney and Captain David
Moss of the U.S.A. Cold Regions Test Center. They served as points of contact
for the assessment. Also, Mr. Bert Johns of Dugway Proving Ground was in
charge of test operations for Dessert Test Center from 1962 to 1967. He
possessed intimate knowledge of test and surveillance operations conducted
at the Gerstle River Test Site during this period. There were only five
copies of this official report that were to be disseminated to the Commander
of the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center, Ft. Greely and Office of the
Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration,
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The American Gulf War Veterans Association
is grateful to an unknown concerned citizen who provided these documents
anonymously.
Summary Description of Ft. Greely, Alaska and U.S. Army Cold Regions Test
Center (CRTC)
Ft. Greely contains 661,814 acres and lies in the southeastern portion
of interior Alaska known as the Tanana Lowlands. Its location if 64 degrees
North latitude and 145 degrees, 43 minutes West longitude. The city in
closest proximity is Delta Junction, which is five miles north. The nearest
city of major population is Fairbanks, which is 100 miles to the northwest.
The Alaska Highway and the Richardson Highway pass Fort Greely and join
at Delta Junction. At the time of the Gerstle River Project (1962-1974),
the U.S. Army Cold Region Test Center was a tenant activity at Fort Greely
and had operational control. Quoting from the report: "The Delta Creek
area, adjacent to the USAF bombing range, was used for biological agent
testing from 1963 through 1967."
HISTORY
Fort Greely, Alaska Wing, Air Transport Command, Big Delta, Alaska, was
first occupied by Army Troops in 1942. It served as a staging area for
aircraft being ferried to Russia under the lend-lease agreement. It was
later designated as the Army Arctic Training Center and in 1953 a permanent
post was constructed. In 1964, the U.S Arctic Test Board was re-designated
the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center. During 1966, the General Equipment Test
Branch, which was located at Fort Wainwright, was absorbed by the Nuclear
Biological, Chemical and Special Projects Division at Fort Greely. In 1976,
the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center was re-designated the U.S. Army Cold Regions
Test Center.
The Gerstle River Test Site, which parallels the Alaska Highway was acquired
by the U.S. Army in 1952 for an indefinite period and was used by Dugway
Proving Ground for chemical and high explosive testing from 1954 to 1962.
In 1954, Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) initiated a comprehensive program
for the surveillance testing of chemical and biological materials. From
1954 to 1962, a comprehensive Arctic Environmental/Surveillance Program
on Chemical Corps material was conducted at the Gerstle River Test Site
(GRTS). Limited cold weather dissemination testing of GB (sarin gas and
VX, deadly nerve agents) was conducted in this area. (Note: President Clinton
recently bombed a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that he stated was producing
precursor of VX --this has now been proven to have been false as the plant
was truly a pharmaceutical production facility.) It is indeed startling
to find out that our own country was, in fact, testing these deadly nerve
agents within five miles of the inhabitants of Delta Junction, Alaska.
Single round, GB-filled (Sarin) munitions were tested in the winters of
1955 through 1957. Six trials of VX-filled M23 mines were conducted in
the winter of 1960-61. The majority of testing at the Gerstle River Army
Test Site was with single round, statically fired, chemical munitions.
However, GB filled 155mm howitzer shells were dynamically fired into spruce
forests.
Sarin Gas, VX nerve agent, high explosives, (including mines, projectiles
and rockets) as well as BLU 19/B23 bombs and bomblets, M23 Land Mines,
M55 Rockets, 155mm Howitzers, and M121A-1 shells, were tested under the
Codenames of: Whistle Down, Elk Hunt, Devil Hole, Swamp Oak, Sundown and
Dew Point.
One very embarrassing situation occurred according to the report:
"Blueberry Lake became a controversial subject during the 1969/1979
period and to date is a sensitive issue. In the winter of 1965, a number
of chemical munitions were stored on the ice of Blueberry Lake for ultimate
disposal during the same year. For unknown reasons, the shells were neglected
and finally sank to the bottom of the lake during the spring thaw. The
incident became known sometime in 1969. Approximately 231 105mm Projectiles,
M55 Rockets and cylinders sank to the bottom of the lake containing Sarin
gas GA and HD (mustard gas) and VX nerve agent."
To add insult to injury, thousands of pounds of herbicides including 2,4D
(does the name Agent Orange ring a bell?) 2-4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid,
2,4,5-T (Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid isooctyl ester, Alkanolamine salts,
Dinitro-o-sec-1 tylphenol were utilized on the area.
BIOLOGICAL TESTING
- Biological Testing was conducted from December 1963 through
August 25th, 1967 under
Codename projects Night Train, West Side I, Special Study Alaska and Rev.
Cloud. The munitions utilized were; A/B 45Y Spray Tanks using F100 and
F105 aircraft, bomblets, dispensers and Disseminators. During the "Special
Study Alaska", biological infectious agents Serratia Marcescens, E
coli, and LVS (not determined) were mixed together for trials totaling
264 liters of agent that were aerially dispersed.
LEGAL CLAIMS
In the early 1970's, the Gerstle River Test Site at Fort Greely became
a matter of controversy for Alaskan politicians in Washington, D.C. The
discovery that the U.S. Army had conducted chemical and biological tests
brought about accusations that the U.S. Army was responsible for the deaths
of various animals in Delta Junction, the paralysis of two children and
an outbreak of Tularemia. All claims prior to 1972 should be on file at
the U.S. Army Claims Service at Fort Meade, Maryland, or the Office of
the Judge Advocate General (OTJAG), Litigation Division, Washington, D.C.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
- The wife of a serviceman who was stationed at Ft. Greely,
Alaska, from 1990-92 recently contacted me. Laura Cuozzo is a 29 year old
housewife and mother of four children. She has single handedly re-opened
the investigation into what has been happening at Ft. Greely over the past
30 years. Her story explains the heartache the civilian and military populations
have been subjected to as a result of living and working in a nuclear,
biological and chemical playground. The following is her statement and
testimony:
Disturbing information about Ft. Greely
John & Laura Cuozzo Telephone 813-969-0110 email: <mailto:lcuozzo1@tampabay.rr.comlcuozzo1@tampabay.rr.com
17409 Darby Lane Lutz, FL 33549
- Today I wish to share with you events which are taking
place half a world away, yet affect every American citizen. Fort Greely
and the sleepy town outside of it, Delta Junction, are located in the "Middle
of Nowhere", Alaska. Actually they are about 100 miles south of Fairbanks.
The simple people there live in the Land of the Midnight Sun. They are
rugged individualists making their way on the Last Frontier. There is no
crime rate there, for often it is too cold to venture out, yet a great
crime is being committed there. No one cares because the location is remote,
the population is few and virtually no one knows these places exist. This
strategy had worked well for the U.S. Army so far. This discussion involves
utter disregard for humanity and our environment. It is my intention to
prove unequivocally that Ft. Greely has been used as a nuclear, chemical
and biological weapons test site that has jeopardized the welfare and safety
of its inhabitants for over 40 years. I will first relate many experiences
encountered while living on Ft. Greely, their relationship to events taking
place today and the results of on-going research.
-
- First of all, I will outline important events which occurred
on Ft. Greely during the period of October 29, 1990 until September 30,
1992. These facts have been compiled from my own recollection, the recollection
of others present at the time and a photo albums which chronicles our stay.
A vast majority of the photographs are labeled with dates and places.
-
- The following events took place between December of 1990
until April of 1991:
-
- I. SPC John W. Cuozzo, my husband, and CPL Jason F. Kelly
were assigned to the MEDDAC unit as x-ray technologists. One day a team
of men arrived, escorted by First Sgt. Steven Stenger, to investigate rumors
of leakage on the base. Each member of the team suited up in radioactive
protective clothing and was assigned a dosimeter by my husband. The team
explained to John that they did indeed discover a leak and would stay to
build a wall casing around the tank. He was told that there was nothing
to worry about and explained to me that we were to tell no one else on
the base about this matter.
-
- II. During the Persian Gulf War, special readiness exercises
were held at Ft. Greely. Airplanes from Eielson Air Force Base flew over
all day dropping bombs out on the range. What distinguished these exercises
from any others? Were they using depleted uranium?
-
- III. Also during the Persian Gulf War, a study was done
at the clinic. There was a campaign to test the lung capacity of people
living and working on the base. It included those not entitled to receive
health care at the clinic. When I went down to have it done and casually
asked Cpt. David Peterson, R.N. why they were giving away free lung capacity
examinations, he explained that he did not know. He was to recruit volunteers
and report the findings. When my sister, Heather Breece, came to live with
us in April of 1991, I brought her over to the clinic for lung testing
because she smoked cigarettes, but by then the study had ended. Why was
the Army interested in testing the lungs of everyone from the area?
-
- IV. In the early months of 1991, I began experiencing
extreme joint pain throughout my entire body. Every evening the pains came
on strong. We deduced that the extreme arctic temperatures were wreaking
havoc on my body, but no amount of warmth could subdue the pain. The next
two events took place in the summer of 1991:
1. One day in August Sgt. Don Jenkins, John Vitek (a friend staying with
us), John, Heather and myself decided to do some sightseeing in the area.
We decided to climb Donnely's Dome located on Texas Range on Ft. Greely.
We drove to the location, but did not see the path that everyone else takes
to reach the summit. John Vitek and I had been climbing most of the way
together until I separated from the rest of the group and moved further
to the left in an effort to find the path and take the easy way up. I climbed
through small bushes onto an area of open tundra. The mountain was so steep
that my knees were in my chin and my hands were touching the tundra. At
that point something happened. It felt as if my body had suddenly become
attacked. Every lymph node on my head and neck swelled up. I experienced
a strange headache and nausea. Panicking, I looked beneath me to see what
had caused this. Realizing that my body's awkward position prevented this,
I mistakenly moved further to the left and sat far enough away from the
spot, but close enough to scope out the area. There was absolutely nothing
to be detected. Unfortunately, my only choice was to retrace my steps to
return to the group. I risked leaping over the area and rolling down the
mountain side rather than touching the spot again. I returned to the group
and watched as they went ahead to the top. That evening the pain became
immense. Upon examination, John had found that the lymph nodes on my head
had swelled up to the size of marbles. I remember that for two nights I
could only sleep on my face which made it difficult to breathe, but I do
not remember whether the incident had taken place on Saturday or Sunday.
On Monday morning I was examined at the clinic. The doctor felt sure that
this condition was due to a thyroid problem. He explained that he should
be able to detect an infection somewhere in my body. He ran the tests,
but the results came back negative. My condition perplexed him and he reran
the tests, thinking that the lab had made an error, yet once again the
results were negative. Eventually the lymph nodes returned to normal, yet
the headaches and nausea persisted for years. They would best be described
as sublime and omnipresent.
-
- 2. The Army began conducting extensive radon testing
of the base. Every family took turns relocating to the base motel for a
period of days so that their housing could be tested. Then every soldier
was asked to stay at the motel while their barracks were tested. My sister
remembers our stay very well because at the time John had attended a buffalo
cookout in Delta Junction. He brought back buffalo sloppy joes and buffalo
steak which she simply refused to eat. Eventually an entire barracks was
condemned and the soldiers were asked to cram into another building. Sgt.
Jenkins, along with another soldier, asked special permission to remain
and it was allowed. Why was the entire base relocated out of their quarters
when a simple radon detector in our basements would have sufficed? Why
was Sgt. Jenkins permitted to reside in a condemned barracks?
-
- Sometime between April of 1991 until Thanksgiving Day,
1991 the following event occurred:
-
- Heather had been experiencing chronic fatigue, sharp
pains in her uterus and spotting. One evening we took her to the emergency
room at the clinic. Upon our arrival, Sgt. Jenkins, who worked as a medic
in the ER, asked us if we were there because we had the flu. He explained
that it was a very busy time because everyone was getting ill on base.
Heather was examined, tests were run, the results came back negative, the
condition went undiagnosed and persisted until a few months after leaving
Ft. Greely.
The following events took place from the winter of 1991 until September
30, 1992:
-
- 1. Before becoming employed at the Post Exchange, I signed
up as a Red Cross Volunteer. Mrs. Lewis was the head of the volunteer effort
and had two small children. These children were always sick, pale and extremely
thin, but the first thing everyone noticed about these children was their
lack of hair. The mother and I once had a discussion about her children's
health. She told me that their hair simply would not grow in some areas
and in other areas would only come in silky fine. They looked like chemotherapy
patients. She told me that both of her children had lived on Ft. Greely
all of their little lives (her husband kept requesting extensions) and
that the only meat they ever ate was the moose stored in their freezer
from hunting season. They were poor and her husband hunted during the season
so they could spend less money on their food bills throughout the year.
She told me that the meat did not taste right to her and she suspected
that it may have been the cause of her children's illness. She tried to
buy beef at the commissary, but the children, not being accustomed to the
taste, would not eat it and her husband had forbid her to waste any more
money. She had taken them to doctors who could find nothing wrong with
the children. Their father, Sgt. Lonnie Lewis, was assigned to MEDDAC,
but attached to the Gerstle River Test Site (CRTC). He was becoming increasingly
ill and no one could diagnose his problem.
-
- 2. While working at the Post Exchange, I began to get
to know many others living on the base. It bothered me to discover that
5 people I knew had cancer. Two had ovarian, one cervical and I do not
recall what types the men had. It struck me as odd that amongst such a
small population at least 5 had cancer. How many more had been diagnosed?
There seemed to be only one link unifying them all. All had lived on base
past their original two year tour. All had asked for extensions.
-
- 3. Shortly before my family left Ft. Greely, orders came
down that no one would be allowed to remain on base past their one or two
year orders and that there would be absolutely no exceptions.
-
- 4. The last thing I did before leaving Fort Greely was
to ensure proper health care for pregnant women on base. We were told that
the OB/GYNs at Ft. Wainwright did not feel like making the monthly trip
down to Ft. Greely and that we were to be examined by a M.D. on base instead.
This seemed unacceptable to me and despite my husband's fears of backlash
from the chain of command, I marched into the Base Commander's office on
his first day-- what a welcoming committee. I demanded to know why the
medical staff of Ft. Wainwright was too lazy to send one OB/GYN once a
month to Ft. Greely, had asked that the women travel to Fairbanks instead
and now were refusing to treat us altogether. He explained that he did
not know their reasons, but that the entire group of OB/GYNs had banded
together and were led by a Major. They were all determined to defy orders
and there was nothing he could do. It was only when I threatened to contact
every women's rights organization and the media that the Base Commander
assured me that he would take care of the matter. My husband experienced
no backlash from this issue and it was never mentioned again. From that
point on and till this day, Ft. Wainwright sends an OB/GYN once a month
to Ft. Greely. Why did the doctors really not want to come to Greely and
refuse to treat us? What had they noticed about the residents of Ft. Greely?
-
- As you can plainly see, many extraordinary things occurred
during our time there. It has taken a great amount of courage to come forward
with this information when I know it will be at first taken with disbelief.
If lie detector tests, psychological examinations and physical examinations
are called for, I will gladly comply. I welcome any effort to back the
authenticity of this testimony for I am not lying, nor am I crazy, but
I am ill and so are a great many others in this country and around the
world. Affidavits are coming from many of those mentioned above. When
the others are found I expect theirs as well. This was my first experience
dealing with the military, I was anxious to re-enter the real world and
put it all behind me. Two things have hampered this: my health and my conscience.
John had opted for an early out, received an Honorable Discharge and we
moved to Tampa, Florida. It was here that my cognitive struggle began for
I quickly realized that my ability to communicate with others was hampered
by moments of confusion and of total memory loss. In 1988 I had taken the
Army's entrance exam. This exam is well noted for its accuracy in determining
I.Q. levels. My score fell within the top 10% and at the enlistment center
they offered me a MOS in Military Intelligence learning Czechoslovakian,
yet now I am sometimes unable to carry on a simple conversation. It has
been a humbling experience.
-
- In March of 1994, an OB/GYN discovered a lump in my throat
and urged me to have it checked out. After many tests, I underwent a very
risky surgery to have the right side of my thyroid removed. The biopsy
revealed papillary thyroid cancer. Papillary thyroid cancer can ONLY be
acquired from radiation poisoning or fallout. Now there are radiation treatments,
various tests and the use of Synthroid for the rest of my life. Strangely,
after the tumor had been removed, the daily headaches and nausea disappeared
and the pain in my joints has greatly lessened. Further testing revealed
Hashimoto's disease. You have a better chance of being struck by lightening
than getting this extremely rare condition. It is an immune system disorder
relevant to a defective gene. That is what radiation does to your genes.
It does not always outright attack them; it alters them.
-
- Now that you have discovered my motives, I would like
to inform you of all the information acquired as a result of private research.
After reading reports of human radiation experimentation conducted by the
Air Force in Alaska involving radioactive isotope iodine 131 (this is what
gives many people thyroid cancer), I began to make a few phone calls. The
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research suggested that I may have
gotten thyroid cancer as a result of drinking milk that had been contaminated
with fallout as a child. Their representative explained that low exposures
of iodine 131 over a long period of time can cause thyroid cancer and that
it takes five years to develop. The only problem with this theory is that
as child I never drank milk. I have lactose intolerance and the physician
at the time instructed my mother and grandmother to not give me any milk
products. I also did not grow up in a state which received high levels
of fallout according to the National Cancer Association.
-
- On July 21, 1998 per a telephone conversation with Cathy
Lemar, Executive Director of the Military Toxics Project, I was informed
that Ft. Greely has radioactive materials stored on site. She has sent
me a copy of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) report on Ft. Greely
in which it states, "Begin removal of contaminated pipe and associated
soil from nuclear power plant cooling water waste line in FY97" She
also made me fully aware and has sent documentation of the role depleted
uranium plays in giving people thyroid cancer. This new awareness was an
encouragement to probe further.
To my amazement there is a wealth of information available on the internet.
To understand the history of Fort Greely, you must understand that it is
also called by two other names: the Northern Warfare Training Center and
the Cold Regions Testing Center. Every year NWTC hosts troops from all
over the country, including West Point Cadets, to train on its ranges and
rivers. CRTC is responsible for a plethora of testing on Ft. Greely. As
part of the Cold War effort to develop and test nuclear weapons, Ft. Greely
was chosen as a site to place the Atomic Energy commission's SM-1A reactor.
The SM-1A was a medium sized, fixed-base (as opposed to portable), pressurized
water nuclear power plant. Experiments were conducted there and called
"Project Greely" during the years of 1964 and 1965. During the
years of 1966 and 1967 I have found reports referring to the "Greely
Event". NASA conducted nuclear tests from 1966 until 1970.
-
- Project Greely Titles "Overexposure at SM-1A reactor,
Fort Greely, Alaska" "Possible high radiation exposures at the
SM-1A nuclear power plant (List of men to be subject to high exposures
during reactor refueling)" "Overexposure to ionizing radiation
at SM-1A" "Memo to file, subject: Selection of contractor for
analytical work on SM-1A" "Memo to JE Reeves, Et Al, Subject:
Interim report of offsite surveillance for Project Greely"
-
- Greely Event Titles "Memo to O.R. Placak, Subject:
Preliminary report for the Greely Event" "Information meeting
650, 11:20 a.m., Wednesday, December 21, Chairman's Conference Room, D.C.
Office (Assignment of U.S. Personnel at IAEA, Rt on 12/20 Greely Event,
Project Cabriolet, Etc)"
-
- NASA Titles "Neutron spectral considerations affecting
projected estimates of radiation embrittlement of the Army SM-1A reactor
pressure vessel" "Inspection of europium-bearing control rods
from the Army SM-1A stationary medium power reactor" "SM-1A core
4 design analysis Final report" "Postirradiation examination
of fuel elements from core 1 and core 2 of the Army SM-1A stationary medium
power reactor" "SM-1A core 4 loading and startup core physics
test report Final report" "SM-1A reactor pressure vessel surveillance
- Irradiation of follow-on capsules in the SM-1 reactor"
-
- Mayor Glenn Wright has reported speaking to a lifelong
resident of Delta Junction. As a child in elementary school she had remembered
being told that a small incident had occurred with the reactor. The school
children were asked to place cups on their desks every morning and they
were collected after the children left at night. She had always thought
that this was done to collect and measure radioactive fallout.
-
- The following information is from the EPA. Ft. Greely
has two Superfund locations. The first one is Superfund ID# AK2210890115
and there is no detailed information available from their web site about
it. The second is Superfund ID# AK8214522155. Its EPA# is AK9214522345
and it also has a Hazardous Waste Report and an AIRS report. On these
reports I found containers that have an illegal status and an operator
status that reads, "INACTIVE/CLOSING, BUT NOT YET RCRA CLOSED".
Admittedly these reports are all new to me and I am missing a great deal
of information that would be in a more detailed report, yet the "NOT
YET RCRA CLOSED" gives us quite a bit of information.
-
- The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research's
On-Line Classroom gives detailed information about the classification of
radioactive waste. "Transuranic Waste (TRU): Waste containing elements
with atomic numbers (number of protons) greater than 92, the atomic number
of uranium. (Thus the term 'transuranic,' or 'above uranium.') TRU includes
only waste material that contains transuranic elements with half-lives
greater than 20 years and concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per
gram. If the concentrations of the half-lives are below the limits, it
is possible for waste to have transurnaic elements but not be classified
as TRU waste. In both the commercial and military sectors, some of the
radioactive wastes generated are mixed with hazardous substances, such
as organic solvents or other toxic chemicals. Much of this waste (especially
the transuranic waste) contains substantial quantities of long-lived radionuclides,
such as plutonium-239 and technetium-99. The radioactive components of
mixed wastes are regulated under the Atomic Energy Act by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission for commercial sources, and by the Department of Energy for
military sources. The hazardous components, however, are subject to regulation
by the Environmental Protection Agency according to an environmental law
known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)". I am
also very interested in finding out whether RCRA is responsible for handling
chemical and biological agents as well.
-
- When discussing Alaska, the term "phenomena"
will frequently arise. Scientific phenomena take place there which take
place no where else on this earth. Has our military, which should be the
expert in this area due to their years of research, made others aware of
such phenomena? According to the "Cold Weather Decontamination Study
by Joseph C. Maloney, July 1960, Radiologic Laboratory, U.S. Army Chemical
Research and Development Laboratories, Army Chemical Center, Maryland"
it states, 'The vertical movement of deposited solid fallout into the ground
is negligible under temperate condition, and a similar circumstance would
be encountered when the ground is frozen. however, the fallout may settle
through snow and ice by a combination of gravity and thermal action. Since
the location of the fallout with respect to the surface of either snow
or ice will determine the decontamination procedure to be followed, it
is necessary to understand the phenomena associated with fallout migration.
The NCEL has reported that sand, deposited on snow, migrated a maximum
vertical distance of 1-1/2 inches until solar radiation no longer had an
effect. Little else is known of this phenomena and consequently further
information is required'. Might other phenomena might take place there
in relation to nuclear, chemical and biological contamination? Former U.S.
Senator Frank H. Murkowski in his 1993 speech, "The Environmental
Legacy of the Cold War", states, 'More recently the Department of
Defense issued an interim report listing sites at Fort Greely, Fort Wainwright,
Adak, Dutch Harbor and Attu where chemical weapons were or may have been
tested, stored or discarded'.
-
- I have also learned that Army dosimeters were specifically
designed to pick up any form of ionizing radiation, not only the kind used
in x-rays, but also ionizing radiation emitted from reactors. John's and
Jason's dosimeter results always came back o.k., but if they were the only
two people on base wearing dosimeters, how else was the leak discovered
if the tanks were buried underground. If their dosimeter results were truly
all right then the Army's only other clue that radiation was leaking had
to come from the number of people coming down with cancer on base.
-
- And now I turn to an article entitled, "B-2 successfully
drops improved bunker buster bomb", written by Senior Airman Adam
Stump of the 354th Fighter Wings, Public Affairs, released March 26, 1998.
The article boasts "A B-2 Spirit bomber dropped two B61-11 bomb shells
to test their improved ground penetration capability March 17 at the Stuart
Creek Impact Area, 35 miles southeast of Fairbanks". It goes on to
say "The B61-11 is a new modification to a nuclear weapon that has
been in the Air Force inventory since the 1960's". "The bomb
cases contained simulated nuclear components made of depleted uranium...".
The writer of the article goes on to explain the scientific experiment
and attempts to assure the public that no danger exists. Did Eielson drop
depleted uranium bombs on a Ft. Greely range during Operation Desert Storm
and later attempt to test our lungs to ascertain whether or not the radioactive
material we inhaled impaired our lung capacity? How long have they been
testing depleted uranium on Ft. Greely?
-
- The Mayor of Delta Junction, Mr. Glenn Wright, told me
that aviation tanks located on Ft. Greely and Delta Junction were removed
due to radioactive contamination. Certainly it is logical to deduce that
these tanks took part in depleted uranium exercises out on the range. In
a Newsletter of the Military Toxics Project, First Quarter-1997, called
Touching Bases, there appears a letter from Mary Grisco, Chair, Military
Accountability Committee, Sierra Club, Alaska Chapter--January 8, 1996
which states, "Ft. Greeley, outside of Fairbanks, contains many unexploded
ordinance as well as storage areas of unidentified weapons. Neighbors complain
of headaches and nausea and wildlife (their subsistence) tasting 'funny'.
Ft. Greely continues training while issuing statements that public health
is not being threatened".
-
- According to a Central Intelligence Agency document entitled,
"Radiation Sickness or Death Caused by Surreptitious Administration
of Ionizing Radiation to an Individual", it states, 'In 1954, a Soviet
Secret Agent, Mikolai Khokhlov, gave himself up to U.S. authorities rather
than carry out an assassination in West Germany. He subsequently joined
the emigrant Russian revolutionary movement centered in West Germany. In
1957, while attending a Frankfurt conference, he became sick with nausea,
vomiting and fainting.' It goes on to say, 'Thallium poisoning was suspected.
On review of his activities on the day he became sick, he recalled a bad-tasting
cup of coffee after his speech; he thought this coffee may have been poisoned'.
This is exactly what residents of Ft. Greely and Delta Junction have been
complaining about for a very long time. The date of this document is 1969,
so it is quite obvious that our government has been fully aware of the
situation and has refused to act responsibly in this regard.
-
- At the DOE Openness: Human Radiation Experiments website,
located at tis-nt.eh.doe.gov/ohre/, I searched the archives, performed
a fielded search, and typed in the terms "Greely" and then "Gerstle".
Our own government has already admitted to nuclear testing that occurred
on Ft. Greely that had resulted in fallout. They have admitted to chemical
testing performed on soldiers at Ft. Greely without their knowledge. It
is here that you will find the admission from our government that these
tests occurred at the expense of residents of Ft. Greely and Delta Junction
and that our government simply did not care. They placed the importance
of these tests above the safety and welfare of the very citizens it professed
to protect.
-
- And lastly, the most striking evidence to date has come
from Mrs. Joyce Riley, head of the American Gulf War Veterans Association.
This previously classified document is entitled, "Installation Assessment
of Gerstle River Test Site, Records Evaluation Report No. 105, Volume 1,
December 1976, Department of the Army, Office of the Project Manager for
Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration, Aberdeen Proving
Ground, Maryland 21010, For Official Use Only". It begins with this
statement, 'During 1976, a Records Research (R/R) study was conducted at
Fort Greely to establish possible contamination at the Gerstle River Test
Site by chemical, biological, and radioactive material, and to assess the
possibility of contaminants migrating beyond the boundaries of the installation'.
At least three times it is explained that this report is incomplete because
they were unable to obtain all of the data for these tests. It states,
'Only the main post of Fort Greely is improved. The outlying test sites
- Gerstle River, Delta Creek, Bolio Lake, Beales Range, Texas Range - are
considered semi-improved, with mostly temporary structures. Although Fort
Greely is not a U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (USATECOM) installation,
the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center (a tenant activity at Fort Greely)
has operational control of Fort Greely. Chemical, biological, and dud-producing
high explosive munitions (and riot control munitions) have been employed
in these areas in recent years. The Cold Regions Test Center also uses
these ranges for environmental testing. The same area is used by the 172d
Infantry Brigade (Alaska) for training. Civilian use of the area is almost
entirely recreational'
-
- How many people have been exposed to these ranges over
the years? By shipping most of its personnel out every one or two years
and bringing in new soldiers and families, by training other companies
of soldiers from all over America and even inviting private enterprise
to train employees there, it seems that the numbers of people potentially
exposed are astounding. In reference to the Gerstle River Test Site, this
report states, 'The land is unsuitable for agricultural purposes'. In another
section it states, 'Hunting is not allowed at Fort Greely. The entire post,
with post cantonment and areas immediately adjacent to roads and recreational
lakes, is not open to general hunting and trapping'. Well, people sure
are hunting there now and these same people are getting ill because of
it. Every year, Delta Junction holds a buffalo cookout. These buffalo
roam all over Texas range, eat the groundcover prepared for them, and the
people eat the buffalo. The U.S. Army has no way of controlling moose who
might wander into those areas to graze and must be held accountable to
those who subsist off of that meat.
-
- 'In the early 1970's, the Gerstle River Test Site at
Fort Greely became a matter of controversy for Alaskan politicians in Washington,
D.C. The discovery that the U.S. Army had conducted chemical and biological
tests at Fort Greely initiated an intense investigation. Numerous articles
appeared in local papers, federal releases, and national television accusing
the U.S. Army of being responsible for the deaths of various animals in
Delta Junction, Alaska, approximately 10 miles from Fort Greely. Newspaper
articles also accused the U.S. Army of being responsible for the paralysis
of two children in Fairbanks, Alaska, and an outbreak of tularemia in Vermont
in 1968, in addition to many other accusations. There has been no evidence
or scientific proof to link the Alaska tests with any of the above accusations'.
Old habits die hard and once again people are asking for explanations.
-
- 'Earth-covered ammunition storage magazines are overgrown
with natural grasses, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Artca Red Fescue. The goal
is to camouflage the nature of the facility from aerial observation and
four or five more years of undisturbed growth will complete the program'.
And yet, '..the Team cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data'. How can
anyone be sure that all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons have been
removed from the area. They can not, nor do they care to find out. Many
of the symptoms I experience are the same symptoms experienced by the Gulf
War Veterans, yet I was never there. Before moving to Ft. Greely I was
an extremely healthy and vibrant person who never had any need to visit
a physician. Now I am a sick 29 year old housewife and mother of four.
Shall I, like a hypocrite, go with my family to church every Sunday and
turn my back on this issue? To the contrary, every stone must be overturned.
This type of knowledge requires responsibility and is an extremely delicate
matter. Before her transfer back to the lower 48, my girlfriend confided
that she had ovarian cancer. She told me that it had spread so quickly
that she had only months to live. Her face of anguish haunts me. My husband,
John, has for many years now discouraged me from trying to find out exactly
what happened on Ft. Greely. He is a veteran and the idea that the military
would do anything like this is almost like blasphemy to him. As a patriotic
American, it is not my intention to disgrace the military in any way,
rather, as a Christian woman, I feel a moral obligation to have this matter
addressed and investigated further.
-
- It is especially important that the military be held
accountable before they pull out in the year 2001 and leave the Delta Junction
community and the state of Alaska with this mess. Up to this date they
have not been forthright in their findings concerning the human health
situation and environmental contamination. Those who passed through Fort
Greely may be suffering and dying without even realizing why.
-
- Don Jenkins recalls, "Come to think of it, that
is all we ever treated people on Greely for: headache and nausea with accompanying
flu like symptoms. Besides that, we treated soldiers for broken bones which
were the result of training exercises. For a three month period of time
we had a real problem on Greely and were very worried. Everyone was coming
in with these symptoms. We did not treat them, just ensured they did not
become dehydrated."
-
- Mr. Jenkins is extremely ill these days. He served his
nation in the Gulf and then on Greely. Don was told that he is by far the
sickest man to come out of the Fox Trot 122 Main Support Battalion and
it is no wonder. The variety of symptoms he experiences include: gastrointestinal
problems, loose bowel syndrome, headaches, chronic fatigue, swelling of
lymph nodes with those on the right side of his neck very pronounced, respiratory
problems, extreme joint pain and weakness, and stabbing pains due to noticeable
liver swelling. For his meritorious duty, he has been rewarded with slaps
in the face by our government and has no cheek left to turn.
-
- John Vitek also has the Gulf War Syndrome. His stay on
Greely had been brief. John has been consulting physicians ever since returning
from Alaska for aches in his joints, muscle spasms, headaches, memory loss,
ringing in the ears and stiff necks due to lymph node swelling . No one
has been able to diagnose him. After relaying this information to him,
he said, "Thank you. It is such a comfort to know why I am ill. Thank
you so much".
-
- Heather Breece still experiences chronic fatigue and
just feels sick all of the time.
-
- Jason Kelly said, "One thing I do recall about my
health on Ft. Greely is that I was always tired and worn down. All day
long in the clinic I felt tired and worn down. I always remember that".
After Jason left Ft. Greely, he returned to feeling healthy again.
-
- My husband, John received 12 hours of sleep a night while
on Ft. Greely and never woke up feeling refreshed. Today he is in good
health.
-
- The U.S. Army may have slowed me down by inflicting this
disease upon me, but I have not been stopped, nor will I stop until their
reckless actions of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons testing have
been stopped. How many times must the face of humanity be slapped before
he rises up and cries, "JUSTICE!"? America, we lived and worked
on a nuclear, chemical and biological weapons playground. Today many of
us are ill. It is just this simple. Our government has perpetrated The
Gulf War Illness upon this nation's people. Today I am calling for a revolution
of Truth in this country. I am calling every good American to arms. Arm
yourself with Truth. Truth is our government's greatest enemy. Truth shall
prevail every time. It is only when we are once again armed with Truth
that our nation will be great. As these words leave you now, sing to yourself
the words of "America the Beautiful" and weep.
-
- UPDATE: After contacting Laura Cuozzo and realizing that
innocent people were still being subjected to the aftereffects of nuclear,
chemical and biological testing, I was contacted by representatives of
the Canadian Parliament. They are now asking serious questions involving
the experiments, which may have a direct effect on the caribou migration
into Alaska and throughout the northwest. To satisfy my curiosity about
the health effects on the civilian residents of Delta Junction, I contacted
Delta Junction City Hall, the Public Health Nurse, the one local physician
and several others. They confirmed to me that the incidence of rare tumors
and cancers appears to be much higher than that found in the general population.
Bolio Lake no longer has any fish in it and several areas on the base are
totally off limits.
It is because of the real American Patriot's such as Laura Cuozzo and magazines
like the Free American that we are still able to disclose information vital
to the health and well being of all Liberty loving Americans. We must be
our own advocates and research these issues as if our very lives depend
upon them---BECAUSE THEY DO. We have heard ad nauseam of the experiments
conducted on unwitting American children, the mentally retarded, prisoners
and also the military. It is time the experiments be revealed, individuals
be justly compensated and prosecution be pursued with regard to those who
have perpetrated these illnesses and diseases on the very people the Constitution,
Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Nuremberg Code
was designed to protect.
If you have information on this or any other experiments regarding nuclear,
biological or chemical testing, please contact the American Gulf War Veterans
Association:
3506 Highway 6 So. #117, Sugarland, Tx. 77478-4401, 1-800-231-7631
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- There can be a million lies; there is only one truth.
We will continue to bring you the truth.
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- For God and Country,
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- Joyce Riley vonKleist & Dave vonKleist
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