Letter to Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, Ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Jack Reed, Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Emmer and McGovern Push for Recognition for Atomic Veterans

Letter

Dear Chairmen Adam Smith and James Inhofe and Ranking Members Mac Thornberry and Jack
Reed,
As you finalize the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we urge you
to include Section 581 of H.R. 6395, the House-passed version of the FY 2021 NDAA, which
would create, issue, and distribute a service medal to honor our nation's Atomic Veterans.
Between 1945 and 1962, about 225,000 members of our Armed Forces participated in hundreds
of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. These GIs became known as the Atomic Veterans. They
were placed in extremely dangerous areas and constantly exposed to radiation in performance of
their duties. Sworn to secrecy, they could not even speak of their service to their doctors.
Atomic Veterans have been recognized, identified and acknowledged as a discrete cohort of
American veterans. In section 1112(c)(3) of title 38, U.S. code defines Atomic Veterans as
members of our Armed Forces who participated in above-ground nuclear weapons testing; were
part of the U.S. military occupation forces in or around Hiroshima and Nagasaki before 1946; or
were held as POWs in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
We know that there is a concern that providing such a service medal might establish an unwelcome
precedent. We emphasize, however, that the Atomic Veterans have been recognized, identified
and acknowledged, as noted above, under U.S. law as a discrete cohort of American veterans who
cannot be compared to any other grouping of servicemembers. In fact, President Ronald Reagan
designated July 16, 1983 as National Atomic Veterans' Day. Moreover, the Atomic Veterans have
been identified by the Department of Justice for compensation under the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act of 1990; recognized as eligible for specialized testing and treatment by the
Department of Veterans' Affairs; had a chapter dedicated to them describing their service and its
lifetime effects in the landmark Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE)
report; and were publicly acknowledged in the apology issued by President Clinton in October 3,
1995 upon release of the ACHRE final report.
In 2007, our allies Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia enacted their versions of the Atomic
Veterans Medal Act, in which a special medal was authorized to honor their Atomic Veterans who
served with the United States. Russia and Canada have followed suit, recognizing their Atomic
Veterans. Regrettably, the Pentagon has remained silent on honoring their service, saying that to
do so would require the DOD to issue similar medals to any and all military personnel who
undertake hazardous duties, including first responders, medical personnel and firemen, even
though our allies conferred service medals with no negative consequences. Therefore, it is in the
hands of Congress to ensure this honorable recognition and not legitimize such a disrespectful
excuse and inaccurate comparison.
The creation of an Atomic Veterans Service Medal has received overwhelming, unanimous
bipartisan support in the House for years and this year the provision is included in the base text of
the House FY 2021 NDAA.
Tragically, more than 80 percent of Atomic Veterans have already passed away before the
COVID-19 pandemic, never having received this recognition. We are fearful of how many more
we might lose to the pandemic because of their age and vulnerability. These veterans served
honorably and kept a code of silence that most certainly led to many of them passing away all too
soon. Past Administrations and Congresses have dealt with the thornier issues of legality and
compensation. What remains is recognizing these veterans' duty, honor, sacrifice and faithful and
selfless service to our nation.
Before it's too late, we urge you to include Section 581 of the House-passed NDAA to honor our
nation's Atomic Veterans.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this urgent request.

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