I wonder if MSGT Queen would have ever cheerfully and willingly volunteered to leave his nice clean MDW assignment to go into the field at the Nevada Test Site to stand by while someone lit a nuke off in-front of him, so the Army could determine what the safe conditions, distances, CONOPS, and TTP's would be for troops operating in/around the nuclear battlefield? Seriously, it would be interesting to see the VA compensation rates for, the mobility and mortality rates, and the number of each type of Cancer's on the guys who had to take part in these tests.
There's only two reactions you can have while watching this training film. You'll either burst out laughing or cry at the sheer arrogant and optimistic insanity of it all.
There was no other way back then. The US needed to remain militarily invulnerable and no amount and no amount of conventional military would've accomplished that purpose. The nuclear option was the only option. Although I do agree that the Army's efforts to "fight and win" nuclear war by still maintaining that component of conventional warfare "land grabbing and holding" was pathetic. In a nuclear war, land grabbing or land seizing means nothing. A nuclear war is only about destroying the enemy's forces and that's it. There's no land to grab there anymore as all of it is highly radioactuve.
Fun fact folks: we as a society actually had a better understanding of the capabilities of nuclear power and weaponry back when this film was produced. Now the world is so filled with anti-nuclear marketing campaigns by big oil and coal that we find it unintelligible that they treated these nuclear weapons as they had; even though their reaction is closer to the truth than ours.
That's actually not fact at all. I personally knew Bob Costello, Manhattan Project scientist. I also work with the veterans who were actually there at Desert Rock and other nuclear weapons testing events around the world. There is documented generational genetic anomalies from ionizing radiation exposure.
What I want to know is how many of you who are watching this video now in 2020 are still eating fish out of the Pacific Ocean, since the nuclear meltdown that followed the earthquake/Tsunami that hit Japan some years ago. That left a plume of radiation that moved across the ocean. Sure that kind of radiation has a short half life. It’s 35 years in the future. So in approximately 90 years the amount of radiation in the Pacific Ocean will be about 25% of what it is today. Personally I like fish out of the Great Lakes, or the streams in America, I don’t eat Salmon anymore.
![Downwinders and the Radioactive West [FULL DOCUMENTARY]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/77gJtV13ouo/mqdefault.jpg)
Test Equipment = The Soldiers.
Yup, I'd buy tickets to watch one of these go off.. It's on my bucket list!
Back in the '50 all you had to do was live in Vegas. The show was free and many times could easily be seen right from the hotel you stayed at.
"eyes melt...skin explodes...everybody dead" - J Frank Parnell
This is from an era when doctor's said smoking was good for you :-)
22:15. "Let's smoke a cigarette before we inhale some radioactive dust..."
The briefer is obviously indoors but the troops are sitting out in the open!
6:57 "like running cross wise to the wind to avoid as much fall-out as possible"
Part of this was used in "The Atomic Cafe."
One flash…. you’re ASH!
kinda kool how we got that footage
yup
I wonder if MSGT Queen would have ever cheerfully and willingly volunteered to leave his nice clean MDW assignment to go into the field at the Nevada Test Site to stand by while someone lit a nuke off in-front of him, so the Army could determine what the safe conditions, distances, CONOPS, and TTP's would be for troops operating in/around the nuclear battlefield? Seriously, it would be interesting to see the VA compensation rates for, the mobility and mortality rates, and the number of each type of Cancer's on the guys who had to take part in these tests.
Were they not radiated when approaching ground zero afterwards?
"You can live through an atomic attack... just not very long"
wonder how many died of radiation 10 to 20 years later...........
30 to 40 years after...
Not many. Believe it or not, most men lived well into their 70’s & 80’s.
Watching this to get ready for when Russia starts launching nukes.
There's only two reactions you can have while watching this training film. You'll either burst out laughing or cry at the sheer arrogant and optimistic insanity of it all.
There was no other way back then. The US needed to remain militarily invulnerable and no amount and no amount of conventional military would've accomplished that purpose. The nuclear option was the only option. Although I do agree that the Army's efforts to "fight and win" nuclear war by still maintaining that component of conventional warfare "land grabbing and holding" was pathetic. In a nuclear war, land grabbing or land seizing means nothing. A nuclear war is only about destroying the enemy's forces and that's it. There's no land to grab there anymore as all of it is highly radioactuve.
😀👏👏👏👏
Fun fact folks: we as a society actually had a better understanding of the capabilities of nuclear power and weaponry back when this film was produced. Now the world is so filled with anti-nuclear marketing campaigns by big oil and coal that we find it unintelligible that they treated these nuclear weapons as they had; even though their reaction is closer to the truth than ours.
That's actually not fact at all. I personally knew Bob Costello, Manhattan Project scientist. I also work with the veterans who were actually there at Desert Rock and other nuclear weapons testing events around the world. There is documented generational genetic anomalies from ionizing radiation exposure.
😁👏👏👏👏
What I want to know is how many of you who are watching this video now in 2020 are still eating fish out of the Pacific Ocean, since the nuclear meltdown that followed the earthquake/Tsunami that hit Japan some years ago. That left a plume of radiation that moved across the ocean. Sure that kind of radiation has a short half life. It’s 35 years in the future. So in approximately 90 years the amount of radiation in the Pacific Ocean will be about 25% of what it is today. Personally I like fish out of the Great Lakes, or the streams in America, I don’t eat Salmon anymore.
More Nukes!
Thanks, once again! :)