Johnston Island - Working Inside JCADS in 1990

PODCAST INTERVIEW #2

TRANSCRIPT

**Interviewer**: Thank you, Ron, for joining me today.

**Ron**: Sure, thank you.

**Interviewer**: I know you have experience with Johnston Atoll, and I’ve been collecting stories from people who’ve been there to share their experiences in their own words. You’re familiar with my episode on the island’s history—nuclear tests, Agent Orange storage, and other activities. So, I’d like to hear your experience from start to finish.

**Ron**: I arrived in 1990 from Fort Jackson as a clerk. I was supposed to stay for 12 months but extended for a second year, so two years total. I started working in security plans and operations, called SPOC-3, in the JACADS building—a big yellow structure. I didn’t know much about the island’s history back then, only learning more after I left. I knew chemical weapons were stored there, and we saw a cordoned-off area for Agent Orange. I didn’t learn about the Thor missile incidents until a couple of years ago when I got cancer and started researching. I believe I emailed you a document about the 1962 Thor missile misfires that caused explosions and dumped plutonium. I can’t find it online anymore, but it discussed how those incidents spread radiation.

**Interviewer**: That’s significant. Can you talk about your daily life there?

**Ron**: There wasn’t much to do, so we went snorkeling, fishing, and diving in the lagoon. We didn’t know about the contaminants—Agent Orange, plutonium—in the water. People were more focused on the chemical weapons and disarmament work. I didn’t work in the Red Hat area, where the 54 Bravos handled munitions, but I visited for tours. They dealt with leakers in butyl rubber suits, sweating buckets in the heat. I once stood in front of a bunker with a leaker, no mask, which made me nervous. The job was high-stress, six or seven days a week, but we had activities like snorkeling, windsurfing, fishing, and DoD shows to unwind.

**Interviewer**: Sounds like a unique environment, despite the hazards.

**Ron**: Yeah, dignitaries like the King of Samoa and Senator Inouye visited, giving their blessing to the chemical weapons disposal. The King shaved his 20-year beard to wear a mask in case of a leaker. But the lagoon was a focal point for contaminants. In 1976, about 350,000 gallons of Agent Orange leaked, seeping into the water table. Rain washed it into the ocean, and the Thor missile explosions pushed debris there too. We swam in it, unaware, like it was normal. I later learned plutonium’s 24,000-year half-life makes it toxic when inhaled as dust, especially with the island’s constant 15-knot winds.

**Interviewer**: That’s alarming, especially with your health concerns.

**Ron**: Exactly. I got nasal pharyngeal cancer, which prompted my research. The island handled 200,000 munitions from Germany, shipped via a naval vessel that faced storms and leakers. Everyone carried masks, but we weren’t overly worried. On the Johnston Atoll Health Issues Facebook page, I see others with health problems, though causes are unclear. I turned down a trip to Vanuatu, but my friend Stephen Turner went to retrieve WWII munitions from the Solomon Islands. Greenpeace even tried to storm the island once, protesting the operations.

**Interviewer**: Those are incredible stories. Any other notable events?

**Ron**: A Russian nuclear sub broke down nearby, and they were dry-docked but not allowed off. Micronesian flights refueled there, but civilians stayed on planes without masks. A heavy downpour once blew out an engine, so civilians wandered the island for a week. Life there was isolating—two miles long, one mile wide. Some coped with heavy drinking, but ocean activities helped. I snorkeled four or five times a week, unaware of the contaminated coral and lagoon. Sand Island, where a Thor missile accident happened, was accessible, but we avoided frigate bird nesting areas.

**Interviewer**: It sounds like paradise, minus the hazardous waste.

**Ron**: Exactly. I’d love to live somewhere like Grand Cayman with clear water. Ocean life draws you in, but the contaminants ruin it. I’m in the Midwest now, far from that. Studies say water improves happiness, but not when it’s toxic.

**Interviewer**: You mentioned the munitions disposal process. Can you elaborate?

**Ron**: They said they hydrolyzed munitions—diluting with water, heating to 1,000 degrees, crystallizing, cutting into pieces, and burying 1,000 feet deep in California. I’m skeptical, with California’s fault lines. I’d love to confirm that with someone knowledgeable, like Major General John C. Doesburg, who was the Army commander there. He’d know everything about the chemical operations.

**Interviewer**: That’s a great lead. How was your transition out of the military?

**Ron**: Exciting but challenging. I got married three weeks after leaving, so it was a whirlwind. I considered staying in, but my wife wasn’t keen on a military career. I liked the structure but not the abuse of power. Civilian life has less of that. I went to SIU but didn’t finish my degree due to costs. I wish I’d done more, like airborne training or Special Forces. Transitioning was fun, but I regret not completing school.

**Interviewer**: Any advice for those leaving the military today?

**Ron**: Think twice before exiting. Ensure it’s the right choice. Get a technical trade or degree. Don’t dwell on past horrors or regrets—move forward. Depression is real, so seek help fast, ideally through faith. Be proud of your service, regardless of others’ opinions. Don’t let negativity hold you back.

**Interviewer**: That’s solid advice. Thank you for sharing your story, Ron. I’m collecting veterans’ experiences to help others, and your insights are invaluable.

**Ron**: I appreciate that. I hope I didn’t sound corny—it’s my first interview. If anyone’s interested, check out the Johnston Atoll Health Issues Facebook page. I’m a moderator there. We’re trying to get our issues heard by Congress and the Senate. Just let me know if you want to join.

**Interviewer**: I’ll link that page in the show notes. Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

**Ron**: You too. Thank you!