ZERO HOUR: ATOMIC DETONATION Background Perhaps it was autumn of 1954.

A year and a half earlier I had declined the Fontana Unified School District administrations offer to certify my performance of essential work to support an extension of my military draft deferment. I felt I should serve. The experienced World War II veterans who had been called initially to fight in the Korean conflict were beginning to be rotated home, and time had now permitted training their replacements. Accordingly, I was called in July 1953, offered a medical deferment when the examining physician discovered I was suffering from an asthmatic attack on the day of my reporting for induction (I had visited a dusty used-book store the day before), declined, and completed a week of office service in the induction center in Los Angeles, a week of basic training, and eight weeks of leadership school (NCO training) at Fort Ord, California, near Monterrey. During this training period, the Korean War ended. (The Fort has recently been closed down.) Thelma had stayed in an apartment at 106 East San Luis Street in Salinas near the base while I was in leaders course. After a scheduled leave of absence of a week or two, the army had assigned me to office duty (I believe it was operations sergeant, although I was not a sergeant) with an antiaircraft recruit training unit (AAA RTC) at Fort Bliss, Texas, near El Paso. I must have arrived around the beginning of March, 1954, and Thelma came some weeks later, near the end of the month. Diana must have been conceived soon after that. Some months later the army decided that its sergeants should be somewhat knowledgeable about the risks, precautions, and likely effects of the use of atomic weapons, and arranged a demonstration in uninhabited desert in southern Nevada (the State, not the Drive). Propaganda and new-media hype to that point had emphasized the destructive power of the atom to such an extent that the army brass was becoming concerned that troops would feel so hopeless in the face of an atomic attack (or so overconfident over the prospect of atomic-weapon support) that they would be paralyzed by panic (or complacency) and take no action to deal with the problem. (I do not recall off-hand the exact sequence of events, but I think it was around this time that Russia developed its own atomic bomb.) Since I was assigned to the operations officer (S-3) of the AAA RTC staff*, our office played some role in arrangements at Fort Bliss, and staff discussions. I expressed great curiosity about the project and the experience. Being only a corporal in autumn 1954, I had not been scheduled to attend the exercise. Although I do not recall hearing anyone say so, I gained the impression that some reluctance was felt by some of the participants chosen, or at least some was expected by the leadership. Whether merely to accommodate me, or to leaven the mix with someone interested in attending, one officer on staff suggested that I could go as a clerk of a young lieutenant in the office who was attending, as did a few other officers. So that is how I came to participate in the exercise.

(* Central staff of AAA RTC and the Army generally at that time consisted of S-1 (personnel), S-2 (intelligence), S-3 (planning and operations), S-4 (quartermaster: property procurement, care, management, and distribution), adjutant (which also made important personnel decisions, may have included the judge advocates office to administer and advise on military justice, and perhaps other functions that were never clear to me.) Preparation At the scheduled time, the army transported us (the attendees or participants) to Camp Desert Rock in southern Nevada. The permanent camp consisted, as nearly as I can recall, of a mess hall, an administration building, a latrine, and rows of rocks marking out the boundaries of otherwise imaginary roads and walkways. I saw no living vegetation, and little soil. The officers were accommodated in buildings, either the mess hall, administration building, or small barrack which I have otherwise forgotten. Sergeants were assigned to tents, all of which blew away in a wind storm one evening when most of the troops were visiting Las Vegas, maybe 70 miles away. I was in a tent up to that time. The desert was very cold at night without a tent. Preparation consisted of lectures and instruction on effects of an atomic explosion (alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, visible light, radiant heat, and impact), their effective radii and duration, the significance of the mushroom cloud, and the means of defense, as well as specific direction on performing the exercise, and a preliminary view of the demonstration site. Because literally blinding light and potentially lethal radiant heat would be propagated fastest and (among immediate effects) farthest, the primary emphasis was on these. Since these propagate in essentially straight lines in the demonstration and in the usual military situation, any fully opaque objects could provide some shielding (at sufficient distance). Other forms of radiation according to their instruction, do not reach as far, but continue to be emitted by dust from the cloud and metal objects near the explosion site.) To allay concerns of the soldiers about being sterilized by the other forms of radiation, the lectures emphasized the view that this was an unrealistic concern, because anyone close enough to receive any significant dose of ionizing radiation would be well within the area of total burn from radiant heat, and not survive for that reason, because of the different effective radii of effect. Sound and impulse or impact arrive after the initial light and radiant heat emission, by an amount of time depending on the distance from the explosion. They gave us more detail than that, but these are the main features I recall. The demonstration itself included some other details which were probably mentioned in the preparation. I cannot recall what was said about sound, but of course it travels about 1100 feet per second. Instruction did include a description of the test site and procedure there. The device used was not exactly a bomb to be dropped, but a stationary device placed on a tower which looked rather like an oil derrick, in size, and structure. It was located some distance from the camp perhaps 15-20 miles, maybe, but I am not sure about that; it could have been farther. The site was quite flat and fairly smooth. A very few cacti were visible. Before any detonations were scheduled, we were instructed in

the procedure, and walked over the ground of the site to see the tower and other objects which had been placed to show what the effect of the detonation would be. Some small buildings had been constructed nearby. They looked rather like a village, but I do not think they were full-sized houses. They may have been perhaps playhouse size, maybe 1200 to 1500 yards from ground zero (the point on the ground directly below the nuclear device). Some armored tanks (treaded vehicles) were placed between 500 and 1000 yards from ground zero in a slightly different direction. Farther away from the derrick were dummies dressed in military uniforms, both inside and outside of small, military-style tents. 2000 yards (a little over a mile) from ground zero began a series of long trenches running at right angles to the direct line from ground zero. There were several trenches, but not many, so I gather that the distance from ground zero to the front (nearest) trench would not be significantly different from the distance to the back or farthest trench. The trenches were wide enough to permit easy movement of personnel in one direction, but it would have been a tight squeeze to pass someone in them. They were deep enough to hide most of the body of a standing man, but shallow enough that everyone had a clear view in all directions when standing up, so they were probably close to five feet deep, perhaps a little closer to ground zero than toward the other side, so that we could step up to see and down to crouch, making the deeper part six feet. I do not clearly recall that, but it seems we were way down in when we crouched. Each space between trenches was several times the width of one trench, so people in the trench ahead did not meaningfully affect the view of those behind. A rather large yucca tree was located behind the trenches, i.e., beyond the trenches from the tower. It was the only vegetation visible from that location, so we had a clear, unobstructed view toward the tower, straight ahead, and the small buildings, off to our right and somewhat closer to the tower than we were. Although I do not recall the method of ingress to and egress from the trenches, I do not recall needing to scramble, so there were probably steps at each end. I do seem to recall our filing into (and later out of) each trench single file from the ends. Back at camp, in the middle of the night (i.e., about 2:00 a.m.) before a scheduled demonstration time, we were roused, fed, and loaded into a group of trucks to be transported to the demonstration site. The trucks left us at the site near the trenches, and then withdrew five or ten miles away. We were marched into the trenches to await zero hour, the scheduled time of detonation. Loudspeakers would periodically announce zero minus 2 hours, zero minus 90 minutes, zero minus 60 minutes, zero minus 45 minutes, up to zero minus five minutes, then four, three, etc., and seconds if we got that far. Zero hour was always 6:00 a.m., about dawn, apparently the stillest-air time of day. Winds, however, had to be monitored at various altitudes to make sure that the dust cloud after the explosion would not drift over Las Vegas. Winds at different altitudes might move in different

directions. Night after night we got up in the dark, rode to the site, marched into the trenches, awaited the countdown, and heard the loudspeaker say, zero minus 20 minutes (pause); zero minus 15 minutes (pause); zero minus 10 minutes (pause); zero minus 5 minutes (pause); zero minus 24 hours. The last announcement meant that winds were unfavorable at some altitude, and the detonation was therefore postponed to the following day, when we would go through the whole thing again. Once we even got down to a minute or less in the count before being informed that the night had been wasted. We would then file back out of the trenches, and the trucks would return and take us back to camp. When this process stretched into weeks and we passed payday, I became concerned that Thelma would not have sufficient money, and after talking with an officer from AAA RTC, our S-3 (the colonel who was my immediate supervisor in the office) contacted her and confirmed that there was no problem. I cant recall the numbers involved, but there must have been at least several hundred, and probably a few thousand soldiers involved in this expedition say battalion to regiment size, most of them experienced top sergeants. On night a younger buck (ordinary or lowest-grade) sergeant who had adopted me as his buddy for the period of our assignment there got drunk and informed me that he had seen atomic bombs, and that they were about the size of a fire extinguisher which happened to catch his eye during his report. Not a good security risk. In 1997 I noticed that a recent television fiction episode showed an object about that size and shape which was supposed to be such a device in the story line of the show. Now, of course, one can get plans for such a device from various public sources, or so I have heard. Zero Hour Finally, one dark, cold dawn the loudspeaker completed the count to zero. As instructed, we were already all crouched down in the trenches, facing away from ground zero (our back to it), well below the rims of the trenches (at least a foot or two below), with our eyes closed, an arm covering the eyes and pressed against the back of the trench (away from the blast site). Nevertheless, I saw, through all of those obstacles and protections, a sudden, bright light filling my whole field of vision. It did not last long, certainly not longer than a second or two. I did not immediately move. Protected by the earth surrounding the trench, though, I felt no heat, and at first no other effect. As directed, we remained crouched. I do not remember clearly, for some reason, anything said or experienced about the sound, but it seems to me that the sound was not a single clap, but rose

gradually and continued for some time, like rolling thunder. Yet this may not be accurate; I do not know why that part seems to have left little confident memory. It should have taken over five seconds for the first sound to reach me, and that sounds reasonably consistent with what I seem to recall. After a further lapse of time which seemed somewhat prolonged because of anticipation, but was probably not more than another 10 or 15 seconds, dirt, pebbles, and litter fell in lightly on us from the trench top, and the ground itself seemed to shake, like a very slight earthquake. This was the shock wave. (Logically, I suppose ground-borne and airborne shock waves should travel at different velocities, and perhaps they did, but the litter down the neck is mostly what I recall between the time of the light and the order to stand.) We then were allowed to stand and look around. Behind us (beyond our trench from ground zero), a yucca tree was aflame, lit by the flash. (This was both a forceful warning of what would have happened if anyone had peered out of the trench too soon, and convincing proof of the efficacy of ordinary dirt (and rock) to protect against the initial radiation blast, but no official comment was made on it.) In front, at some distance, was a wall of smoke and dust. Above, the sky, totally clear each day until them, was no longer visible, obscured totally by dust and smoke, which I suppose was the bottom of the mushroom cloud, but we could see no edge and therefore no shape it covered the whole visible sky. Drivers from the trucks several miles away could see the typical mushroom cloud. As directed, we then filed out of the trenches and walked forward toward ground zero. Bits of former plant life (which I had not noticed on our earlier walk, and thus must have been dead already and not green), small birds, and mice that happened to be passing at the wrong time were visible on the ground, burnt to a crisp. (Thelma says that, at the time, I recounted the antics of one soldier who, on seeing one of these unfortunate little animals she recalled it was a jack-rabbit called out Medic! I do not independently recall that item.) The steel derrick or tower on which the device had rested was no longer present. All that remained of it were small bits of twisted metal a few inches long, visible on the ground at various points, hundreds of yards from its original location. We were advised to steer clear of these, because of radiation risk. The small wooden buildings that had been to our right were no longer visible. The flash heat that had only set fire to the yucca tree at 2000 yards had vaporized these buildings some hundreds of yards closer to the blast. Dummies that had been outside (in uniform) were badly burnt, and the only remnants of the small tents were thin rectangular charcoal outlines of their bases left on the ground by the flash heat. Dummies inside these tents, although knocked about, showed no heat effects at all: just the tent cloth had protected them from that. (Of course, I do not know how hot they became. Human skin might feel heat that would not necessarily leave any visible effect on wood, paint, and cloth. I did not feel them for residual heat.)

I cant recall exactly how far we reached toward ground zero. In preparation, I think we had gone within about 500 yards. I believe our closest approach after the blast was perhaps somewhere around 800 or so yards from ground zero. We did reach the vicinity of some tanks (armored and tracked vehicles) which were knocked on their sides by the shock of the blast (I believe they would have weighed about 14 tons each), but I do not recall seeing obvious heat damage to them. The tanks, however, were monitored with Geiger counters as radiating, so we were not allowed to get close to them. I recall on re-reading this that small areas around each tank were marked as off-limits, and guards were there to assure compliance. By that time, the air-borne (and radioactive) dust was approaching, so we were walked back to where the trucks had left us. They had returned, so we boarded, one at a time, as each of us was broomed off, monitored for radiation (assumed to be from dust), and cleaned further if needed according to the radiation readings (and of course the official interpretation of them, but I do not know the levels that they considered not dangerous). One sergeant with a thick mustache was repeatedly monitored, brushed, and remonitored for some time before being allowed to board the bus. We then rode back to camp, received some final post-briefing, and were soon shipped back to our various stations. I am unaware of any health effects the experience had, and evidently it did not sterilize. Four children born after that appear to be as healthy as any Heyers have been. I am a little frustrated by the imprecision of my recollection. I once knew these numbers better. At least one anomaly occurs in my memory of these events. It seems we advanced substantially farther toward ground zero before th explosion than we were allowed to go afterward, yet the tanks are the closest thing to the tower that I recall seeing in the before picture, and yet I distinctly recall seeing them I can still see them in my minds eye in the after picture. On mentioning this discrepancy to Thelma, she suggested that the blast force had not only knocked them over but perhaps moved them farther from ground zero. That is possible, but does not seem likely to me, on the scale of the discrepancy. I cannot reconcile this defect in my mental file so long afterward. I hope the rest is more accurate. At any rate, this is what memory provides, 43 years after the event, which was interesting, but not a subject on which I have often thought, so not much memory refreshment has occurred, which might have kept it sharper. Love, Dad/Grandad Notes from Dina (6/18/97): When he first told John and me about this about 5 years ago, he mentioned that the fellow with the mustache finally had to shave it off before theyd let him back on the bus. I also recall that Dad described the flash of light the bomb gave off in vivid terms the soldiers were crouching down in the trenches, facing away from ground zero, eyes closed, and an arm over their eyes and he could see his arm bones!

Brief letter attached to the write-up, dated 5/21/97: Dear Family, You have asked about my experience in observing an atomic detonation. I am not sure which aspects are of interest, but Ill cover what I can remember, and you can skip over the chaff. To facilitate skipping, parts are separated by subheadings. By the way, before starting on that story, I want to mention that Ive just been reminded of Eileen by using the T-Shirt you decorated for me during our current unusually hot weather, and of Ethan, because I cant remember whether I specified my last chess move, after drawing out a scheme of the board. In case I did not specify the move, it is kings pawn to kings pawn 3. Also, Diana, could you read my summary of Persian loan words in Uzbeki? I apologize for using my terrible handwriting instead of typing. I followed the lazy way. Incidentally, much to my surprise a former resident of Kirghizstan who has visited relatives in Uzbekistan several times came to my door the other day selling those silvery pictures that are popular now. (She called it KR-ghiz-stan.) I did not think to ask whether she was Uzbek, Kirghiz, or Tadjik (Iranian) ethnically. She had the epicanthic fold. Now, on to the report.