Atomic Veterans talk after 50 Years (video)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a short documentary titled "The Atomic Soldiers," which features interviews with American soldiers exposed to nuclear detonations during the 1950s. Participants reflect on the emotional impact of the soldiers' experiences and the ethical implications of using human subjects in military experiments related to nuclear testing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express that the documentary is powerful and highlights the terrifying experiences of the soldiers.
  • Others note the sadness in the soldiers' eyes and discuss the broader implications of national security interests infringing on individual rights.
  • A participant questions the rationale behind exposing soldiers to nuclear detonations, suggesting that the destructive power was already known from previous events in Japan.
  • There is a mention of the potential military interest in understanding how soldiers could survive in such conditions, possibly to improve protective gear.
  • One participant draws a parallel to a fictional movie, "Project X," to illustrate the ethical dilemmas faced by scientists in conducting experiments on human subjects for military purposes.
  • Another participant reflects on the long-term effects of radiation exposure on the soldiers, emphasizing the emotional weight of their stories and the lasting impact on their lives.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the emotional and ethical weight of the soldiers' experiences, but there are differing views on the justification and rationale behind the military's actions during the nuclear tests. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the ethical implications of such experiments.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference historical instances of unethical experiments conducted during wartime, indicating a broader context of ethical concerns in military research. However, the specifics of these historical references are not fully explored within the discussion.

DennisN
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This is one of the most powerful and incredible short movies I have ever seen.
(I got the link to it from a friend today.)

It contains clips of interviews of American soldiers who were exposed to real nuclear detonations.
What they have to say is terrifying, intense and important.

That's all I can say at the moment, so I let the people in the video speak for themselves:

Atomic Veterans Were Silenced for 50 Years. Now, They're Talking.
(from The Atlantic, published on May 27, 2019)

"After more than four decades of forced silence, some of the last surviving atomic soldiers share their unfathomable experiences of the atomic bomb tests in the 1950s.

"The Atomic Soldiers" was directed by Morgan Knibbe. It is a part of The Atlantic Selects, an online showcase of short documentaries from independent creators, curated by The Atlantic. "


An article about it:
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/590299/atomic-soldiers/
 
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This is very hard to watch. I could feel the sadness in these soldiers eyes. It reminded me that there are so many stories where national security interests trample an individual's health or privacy rights.

Apparently to some, being in the military means you give up all rights of being a human being.
 
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What did they hope to learn from putting men that close? They already new the destructive power and the effect on the body from Japan.
Horrific.
 
pinball1970 said:
What did they hope to learn from putting men that close? They already new the destructive power and the effect on the body from Japan.
Horrific.

They wanted to see how the troops would hold up in that kind of situation protected by a trench and perhaps later they could engineer better clothing protection.

There was a fictional movie with Mathew Broderick called Project X where he is made into a chimp pilot trainer. Later he discovers that the project is to see how long a chimp can pilot an aircraft when exposed to large doses of radiation To get an curate idea of how long a human will pilot a bomber in a second strike scenario.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_X_(1987_film)
While fictional, it’s believable that some scientists might try to do this and further believable why earlier scientists might use human subjects to further their research in an ends justify the means argument ala losing a few lives here to save many lives there.

There were other terrible science experiments during the world wars in testing the efficacy of gas masks and use of bio agents in warfare on all sides. In one case, Black American soldiers were used to test the dispersal of viral agents using a non lethal but debilitating virus on unsuspecting subjects.

 
jedishrfu said:
They wanted to see how the troops would hold up in that kind of situation protected by a trench and perhaps later they could engineer better clothing protection.

There was a fictional movie with Mathew Broderick called Project X where he is made into a chimp pilot trainer. Later he discovers that the project is to see how long a chimp can pilot an aircraft when exposed to large doses of radiation To get an curate idea of how long a human will pilot a bomber in a second strike scenario.
I've seen some footage of troops that have were given LSD then given basic drills to do but this something else.
Exposure to that much radiation and heat undoubtedly shortened their lives and 50 years on they can barely articulate what happened to them.
Very moving and shocking.