[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 168 (Monday, September 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6694-S6695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       TRIBUTE TO ATOMIC VETERANS

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I draw attention to and recognize the 
immense service and commitment to our country of our Nation's Atomic 
Veterans. I also extend special recognition and gratitude to Idahoan 
and Atomic Veteran Noelan ``Mac'' McCormack for his service to our 
country and his efforts to ensure his fellow veterans receive 
appreciation and recognition for their service and sacrifices.
  Mac McCormack of Coeur d'Alene, ID, served in the U.S. Marine Corps 
Test Unit #1, a unit active from 1954-1957 involved in specialized 
tactics, including warfare as it related to nuclear weapons. An Atomic 
Veteran is a veteran who, as part of his or her military service, 
participated in nuclear testing between 1945 and 1962, served in the 
U.S. military forces in or around Hiroshima and Nagasaki through mid-
1946, or was held a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
  Earlier this year, when designating July 16, 2021, as National Atomic 
Veterans Day, President Biden noted the considerable challenges Atomic 
Veterans have faced, ``Atomic Veterans

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served our Nation with distinction, but their service came at a great 
cost. Many developed health conditions due to radiation exposure, yet 
because they were not able to discuss the nature of their service, they 
were unable to seek medical care or disability compensation from the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for their illnesses.'' Decades after 
their service, in 1996, Congress repealed the Nuclear Radiation and 
Secrecy Agreement Act, which enabled Atomic Veterans to seek services 
and share their experiences. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
provides information to connect Atomic Veterans with medical services 
and compensation. However, the National Association of Atomic Veterans, 
Inc., notes, ``Currently, there are approximately 195,000 Atomic 
Veterans across America who either do not know their oath-of-secrecy 
has been rescinded, and who are not aware of the potential monetary 
benefits due them for (service connected) radiation induced 
illnesses.''
  While the best healthcare and other services in the world can never 
reverse what many Atomic Veterans and their families have endured, we 
owe it to America's servicemembers who have answered the call to duty 
to ensure access to high-quality services and resources to support 
their commitment to our country. As part of this effort, I cosponsored 
S.565, the Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, which 
would reclassify veterans who participated in the cleanup of the 
Enewetak Atoll as radiation-exposed veterans, making them eligible for 
the same benefits afforded to those covered by Radiation Exposure 
Compensation Act, RECA. Work also continues on bipartisan legislation 
to extend and expand RECA eligibility to those in Idaho and other 
States who have suffered from cancers related to fallout from nuclear 
weapons testing during the Cold War period of the 1950s and 1960s. As 
work continues on these and other efforts to support veterans, I join 
in honoring Atomic Veterans whose service has been a central part of 
our national defense. I hope recognition can also draw attention to 
available services and resources for Atomic Veterans.
  In 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan urged fellow citizens to join 
him in appreciation of the service of Atomic Veterans he characterized 
as, ``those patriotic Americans who through their participation in 
these tests helped lead the United States to the forefront of 
technology in defense of our great Nation and the freedoms we as 
Americans hold so dear.''
  Thank you, Mac McCormack, and your fellow Atomic Veterans, for your 
immeasurable and in many ways unrepayable service. I hope you know how 
deeply grateful we as a nation are for your patriotism.

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