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  National Association of
Atomic Veterans, Inc.
N.A.A.V., Inc.
A tax exempt organization
National Association of Atomic Veterans, Inc.
( A Non-profit Veteran’s Assistance Organization )
The NAAV Mission Purpose
NAAV was founded in August, 1979 by the late Orville E. Kelly (
of Burlington, Iowa ) for the purposes of allowing the American Atomic Veteran community to speak, with a single voice, to their inability to get a fair hearing related to their developing
health issues that may have been precipitated by their exposure to ionizing radiation while serving their country. It took seven
years of Kelly’s life, and most of his life’s savings, to prove to the Veterans Administration that his disability was caused by his
exposure to ionizing radiation while participating in atomic weapons tests. Seven month’s after winning his argument with the Veteran’s Board of Appeals, and being awarded 100%
service connected disability benefits, Kelly succumbed to the life threatening effects of lymphoma caused by his radiation exposure. And so the purpose of NAAV, since 1979, has been
to insure that other veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation would not have to fight the same bureaucratic battles that he encountered.
Who is an Atomic Veteran
Atomic Veterans were members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in atmospheric and underwater nuclear
weapons tests from 16 July, 1945 to 30 October 1962. They also include veterans who were assigned to post test duties,
such as “ground zero” nuclear warfare maneuvers & exercises, removing radiation cloud samples from aircraft wing pods, working in close proximity to radiated test animals,
decontamination of aircraft and field test equipment, retrieval and transport of test instruments & devices, and a host of other duty assignments that provided an opportunity for a radiation
exposure & contamination event.
Also included as Atomic Veterans are military personnel who were a part of the Occupation Forces assigned to Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, Japan soon after the detonation of Atomic Bombs over those respective cities, and those American prisoners of war who were housed in close proximity to those cities. These
Veterans fit the VA’s “official” description of an Atomic Veteran.
There is a second group of veterans who may have been involved in radiation exposure events. These include post test
events related to nuclear weapon devices detonated underground or in shafts ( after 1962 ) that may have provided a radiation exposure event, or those who’s duties involved
regular use of radiation producing equipment or processes, such as power plant technicians aboard nuclear powered Aircraft Carriers and Submarines, X-ray technicians, and those veterans
assigned to the Enewetak Atoll radiation clean-up projects. These veterans fit the VA’s “official” description as Occupational radiation exposed veterans.
The U. S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program
There were more than one million U.S. Armed Forces personnel, civilian scientists and engineering technicians involved in the
detonation of nuclear & thermonuclear weapon devices, from 16 July 1945 ( the “Trinity” test at Alamogordo, NM. ) to 23
September, 1992 ( the last test in the “Julin” series at the Nevada Test Site ). The United States has sponsored a total of 1,054 nuclear weapons tests, and detonated two of these
weapons over enemy soil during an act of war. During this period of time there were 1,147 actual nuclear ( aka “bomb” )
tests. Some of these nuclear and thermonuclear detonations failed to produce any noticeable explosion, either by design, or
due to mechanical or electrical faults. Several of these tests, by official definition, were actually multiple detonations, two or
more at the same time, designed for gathering specific data & information or for instrument calibration purposes.
Nuclear Testing and Health
Even since nuclear testing began, it has been very difficult to get a useful accounting of the effects of human exposure to the
radiation particle fallout from these tests. This was largely motivated partly by military secrecy, partly by a desire to allay public fears ( i.e. public relations reasons ), and partly by a fear
of possible legal actions by actual ( or potential ) radiation exposed victims. Some exposure related incidents have been revealed due to the impossibility of hiding them, namely the high
radiation exposures of the Marshallese and Japanese fisherman after the 1954 Castle “Bravo” disaster in the Marshall Islands.
But most information on this subject has been largely withheld, either deliberately buried in obscure reports, or never collected at all. This was commonly known as the principle of being careful
not to learn what you don’t want to know. However; this information has slowly come to light, in bits and pieces, over the last 25 years.
What is probably the most important study of the health effects
of testing were announced by the National Cancer Institute in August of 1997, and released in October of that same year. The basic finding of the report is that internal exposures to
Radioiodine ( I-131 ) in fallout from continental nuclear weapons testing was the most serious of all health consequences. Radioiodine concentrates in milk, when consumed by grazing
cows, then concentrates in human thyroid glands after contaminated milk has been ingested into the body. This concentration effect is especially strong in children. The NCI
study estimates that the average American, alive at the time, received a thyroid radiation exposure of ( at least ) 2 rads, with some people receiving up to ( or more than ) 300 rads. The
effect of these exposures is to boost the chance of contracting thyroid cancer, sometime in the lifetime, of those effected.
No efforts were made to systematically study the nationwide effects of atmospheric nuclear weapon testing until Congress
ordered such a study, which was finally released 15 years after the order. Bruce Wacholz ( in Sept., 1998 ), then Chief of the
Radiation Effects Branch of the National Cancer Institute, told a Senate hearing that the basic results were known as early as 1989 and a final draft report was completed in 1992, yet none
of the information was made public until five years later. It is this kind of inattention to the root causes of radiogenic health issues, resulting from the entire period of U.S. nuclear weapons
testing, that has prevented America’s Atomic Veterans from seeking and receiving adequate compensation and disability awards from the same U.S. Government they took an oath to
protect and defend. The “Oath of Secrecy” that has prevented Atomic Veterans from discussing the apparent relationship between their radiation exposure events, and their ( apparently
related ) health issues was finally rescinded in 1993. This was 48 years after the detonation of the world’s first Atomic Bomb,
and after several thousands of America’s Atomic Veterans had since died from radiation induced illnesses. These “Cold War
Hero’s” carried their “Oath of Secrecy” with them to their grave markers, without proper recognition, without proper
compensation, and without………..
Currently, there are approximately 150,000 Atomic Veterans across America who either do not know their Oath of Secrecy
has been rescinded, and who are not aware of the potential monetary benefits due them for ( service connected ) radiation induced illnesses. The VA is offering them ( no cost ) Ionizing
Radiation Register examinations, including complete blood and urine testing. Additionally, as an Atomic Veteran, they qualify for
VA prescription drugs ( for a minor co-pay fee ) which, in most cases, is a meaningful benefit of itself.
The Directors, Officers and members of NAAV will always salute the memory of those veterans who suffered and died from the
after effects of radiation exposure, in the interest of U.S. National Security, and who’s conditions and suffering were totally ignored by their own Government, their Congressional
leaders and a host of D.O.D. “Contract Consultants”. We hope you will join us in that salute to honor, duty and dedication to serving their country.
Qualifications for NAAV Membership
NAAV offers membership to any veteran who was assigned to
participate in a nuclear device detonation event or who may have been involved in post event assignments associated with the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program from 16 July, 1945
to 23 September, 1992, or any veteran who’s assigned duties included association with nuclear reactors on Aircraft Carriers and Submarines, or the assembly, storage and deployment of
nuclear weapon devices, or who may have been involved with Depleted Uranium ( DU ) munitions events during and after the first Gulf War, or the surviving ( spouse, or child ) of a deceased
Atomic Veteran. The spouse may be entitled to “survivor” benefits that could amount to more than $2,000 / month.
NAAV Operating Funds
The Directors and Officers of NAAV are non-paid volunteers who have devote much of their free time to assisting Atomic
Veterans, and their survivors, in gaining access to those VA benefits they may be entitled to, since 1979. Given this, we have depended solely upon our annual membership dues and (
good Samaritan ) contributions from sympathetic & patriotic ( non-member ) individuals and small businesses. All donations,
contributions and / or sponsorships are tax exempt, and are 100% dedicated to assisting Atomic Veterans in these important areas. Your monetary participation would be most welcome
and appreciated. We also welcome Newsletter Sponsorships, as well. For additional information about “Atomic Veteran Sponsor
Certificates” and / or “Newsletter Sponsor” participation, please e-mail your inquiry to: cmdr@naav.com
You can help us ( and honor an Atomic Veteran ) by sending your contributions to:
NAAV
11214 Sageland
Houston, Tx. 77089
or you can contribute via credit card on this website.
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