Voices from ground zero: Recollections and feelings of nuclear test veterans after four decades.

Abstract

A number of recent studies of veterans, frequently with World War II veterans as subjects, have indicated that veterans tend to be patriotic, and somewhat more in favor of military preparedness than non-veterans. This study, based on observation at their meetings, twenty-nine semi-structured interviews, and 185 mailed questionnaire responses, assesses the recollections and current attitudes of surviving atomic test veterans. Many of these men are concerned about the health consequences of exposure to radiation, and some raise serious questions about a lack of forthrightness and openness on the part of the government. In spite of the criticisms and misgivings, the responses of these men reinforce the findings of previous studies, to the extent that long continued exposure to military socialization overrides the impact of personal concerns. Only among those less committed to the military ethos are health concerns translated into a rejection of nuclear arms.