National Atomic Veterans Day

Who Are the “Atomic Veterans”? — A Historical Snapshot

“Atomic Veterans” is a term that broadly refers to U.S. military personnel who:

• Participated directly in nuclear weapons tests — mainly between 1945 and 1962 during the Cold War era.

• Served post-attack occupation duties in Hiroshima and Nagasaki just after the atomic bombings in 1945.

• Were prisoners of war held in or near those bombed cities during or after detonation.

• Some were also present during clean-up operations or in nuclear accident zones later on.

These veterans were:

• Test subjects: Many were ordered to observe atomic detonations at close distances to study radiation effects and “battlefield survivability.”

• Uninformed: In many cases, they were not fully briefed on the health risks of ionizing radiation.

• Silenced: Strict secrecy laws (like the Atomic Energy Act) made it illegal for them to speak publicly about what they witnessed or about radiation sickness symptoms — many faced threats of prison for breaking secrecy oaths.

The Cold War Nuclear Test Era

From 1945 (Trinity Test) to 1962, the U.S. conducted over 200 atmospheric nuclear tests, mainly at:

• Nevada Test Site (continental U.S.)

• Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands)

• Johnston Island

• Pacific Proving Grounds

Tens of thousands of military personnel — Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force — were rotated through these sites as:

• Test observers,

• Ground zero recovery teams,

• Decontamination crews,

• Crews on ships used in blast experiments,

• Pilots flying through radioactive clouds to collect data.

The government’s aim was to understand nuclear blast effects, fallout behavior, and troop resilience in nuclear war conditions.

The Secrecy & Denial

After WWII, atomic testing was classified under the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which restricted all nuclear info as “born secret.”
This:

• Prohibited atomic veterans from disclosing what they’d done or seen.

• Blocked them from telling doctors about potential radiation exposure.

• Prevented them from filing claims for radiation-linked cancers or illnesses — since they couldn’t prove exposure without declassified test records.

Many suffered radiation-linked cancers (leukemia, multiple myeloma, thyroid cancer, etc.) but had no legal path to care or compensation for decades.

Early Push for Recognition

In the 1970s–1980s, atomic veterans themselves began:

• Organizing in informal networks to share stories and medical struggles.

• Advocating for declassification of test records.

• Demanding health care and compensation for radiation-related illnesses.

Major milestones included:

• National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV): Founded in 1979 to unify veterans and push for recognition.

• 1983: President Ronald Reagan, responding to these veterans’ lobbying, issued Proclamation 5072, which for the first time declared July 16, 1983, as National Atomic Veterans’ Day — but only for that year.

  • Reagan’s message thanked atomic veterans for their role in national security but did not yet guarantee benefits or full recognition.

Slow Progress Toward Formal Support

After Reagan’s one-time proclamation, recognition faded:

• 1980s–1990s: Decades of lawsuits, congressional hearings, and research.

• 1996: Congress passed the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Repeal Act, finally allowing veterans to talk about their exposure without penalty.

• Still, many faced bureaucratic hurdles when filing VA claims.

Reviving National Atomic Veterans Day

While the day was recognized once under Reagan, it wasn’t made annual at the time.
Years later:

• Veterans groups and bipartisan lawmakers pushed for it to be revived permanently.

• In 2021, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and others introduced a bill to make July 16 an annual national day of recognition for atomic veterans.

• President Joe Biden signed the bill into law — now, each president must issue a proclamation every year to honor atomic veterans’ unique sacrifice and service.

The Symbolic Date: July 16

The date — July 16 — was chosen because:

• On July 16, 1945, at 5:29 a.m., the Trinity Test took place in the New Mexico desert — the world’s first-ever atomic bomb detonation.

• The Trinity blast marked the beginning of the atomic age and foreshadowed the military nuclear testing era.

• By aligning the day with the Trinity anniversary, the nation symbolically ties atomic veterans’ sacrifices to the dawn of nuclear weapons.

What It Represents Now

Today, the day:

• Honors the ~200,000–250,000 atomic veterans and their families.

• Raises awareness of the health consequences many still live with.

• Reminds Americans of the moral complexities of nuclear testing and the need for robust veteran healthcare and transparency.

• Symbolizes how Cold War secrecy and power projection often came at the cost of individual servicemembers’ health.

Summary of Its Deep Origin

National Atomic Veterans Day is not just about the past — it’s a hard-won recognition for servicemen who did dangerous duty under a veil of secrecy, were long denied acknowledgment, and fought decades for their voices to be heard.
Its origin story reveals how Cold War security priorities clashed with basic veterans’ rights — and how grassroots veteran advocacy forced change.

Key Dates in the Origin Timeline

Year	Milestone
1945–1962	Major era of atmospheric nuclear tests
1946	Atomic Energy Act imposes secrecy
1979	National Association of Atomic Veterans founded
1983	Reagan issues one-time National Atomic Veterans’ Day
1996	Nuclear secrecy ban repealed
2021	Law passed requiring annual observance