| http://www.rense.com/general24/40.htm 40 Years Of Government Sponsored Ecological Terrorism By Joyce Riley vonKleist, RN BSN Captain, USAF, inactive reserve 4-13-2 When beginning an investigation of any kind, one must accept the inevitability that when going through the process of "leaving no stone unturned", the resulting scatter of insects lead to other stones. Such is the case when it comes to the investigation of nuclear, chemical and biological exposures and the research and development of these insidious weapons of mass destruction. While researching the history behind the Gulf War experiments, I have been stunned almost on a daily basis by the revelations of other experiments conducted by the Department of Defense and the CIA on the American civilian and military population. Our most recent discovery is the that the Department of the Army was conducting biological, chemical and nuclear experiments at Ft. Greeley, Alaska and the town of Delta Junction, Alaska. The documentation for the information that follows was taken from a 60-page report that included maps, photos and charts I received in a brown manila envelope entitled: INSTALLATION ASSESSMENT OF GERSTLE RIVER TEST SITE: RECORDS EVALUATION REPORT NO. 105, VOLUME 1 December 1976 Department of the Army Office of the Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Do not think that the date of 1976 automatically relegates this information to a place in the past. This document merely reports the military activities and involvement up to that time. Information received recently from the Ft. Greely area leads us to believe that the experiments conducted in the past have continued to the present and that they are now affecting the health and welfare of not only the military and indigenous peoples who reside in that geographical area, but also the animals who migrate through the test site. We have received reports from both the U.S. and Canadian authorities claiming there are dramatically increased incidences of cancer, thyroid conditions and other illnesses and are investigating the relationship to the U.S. initiated testing. The questions we're asking are: "Why are troops rotated in and out of Ft. Greely on a six to nine month basis? Why are we getting reports of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and thyroid, spinal and brain cancers? Why are the Canadian people becoming sick after eating caribou and buffalo that migrate through the Ft. Greely area?" EXECUTIVE SUMMARY During August 1976, a Records Research study was conducted at Fort Greely to estimate possible contamination at the Gerstle River Test Site by chemical, biological, and radiological material, and to assess the possibility of contaminants migrating beyond the boundaries of the installation. As a result of the records search survey, it was discovered that the same organization, which conducted the chemical agent tests at the Gerstle River area, also conducted biological agent tests at the Delta Creek area of Fort Greely, Alaska. Those in charge of this project were Captain James Verney and Captain David Moss of the U.S.A. Cold Regions Test Center. They served as points of contact for the assessment. Also, Mr. Bert Johns of Dugway Proving Ground was in charge of test operations for Dessert Test Center from 1962 to 1967. He possessed intimate knowledge of test and surveillance operations conducted at the Gerstle River Test Site during this period. There were only five copies of this official report that were to be disseminated to the Commander of the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center, Ft. Greely and Office of the Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The American Gulf War Veterans Association is grateful to an unknown concerned citizen who provided these documents anonymously. Summary Description of Ft. Greely, Alaska and U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC) Ft. Greely contains 661,814 acres and lies in the southeastern portion of interior Alaska known as the Tanana Lowlands. Its location if 64 degrees North latitude and 145 degrees, 43 minutes West longitude. The city in closest proximity is Delta Junction, which is five miles north. The nearest city of major population is Fairbanks, which is 100 miles to the northwest. The Alaska Highway and the Richardson Highway pass Fort Greely and join at Delta Junction. At the time of the Gerstle River Project (1962-1974), the U.S. Army Cold Region Test Center was a tenant activity at Fort Greely and had operational control. Quoting from the report: "The Delta Creek area, adjacent to the USAF bombing range, was used for biological agent testing from 1963 through 1967." HISTORY Fort Greely, Alaska Wing, Air Transport Command, Big Delta, Alaska, was first occupied by Army Troops in 1942. It served as a staging area for aircraft being ferried to Russia under the lend-lease agreement. It was later designated as the Army Arctic Training Center and in 1953 a permanent post was constructed. In 1964, the U.S Arctic Test Board was re-designated the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center. During 1966, the General Equipment Test Branch, which was located at Fort Wainwright, was absorbed by the Nuclear Biological, Chemical and Special Projects Division at Fort Greely. In 1976, the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center was re-designated the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center. The Gerstle River Test Site, which parallels the Alaska Highway was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1952 for an indefinite period and was used by Dugway Proving Ground for chemical and high explosive testing from 1954 to 1962. In 1954, Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) initiated a comprehensive program for the surveillance testing of chemical and biological materials. From 1954 to 1962, a comprehensive Arctic Environmental/Surveillance Program on Chemical Corps material was conducted at the Gerstle River Test Site (GRTS). Limited cold weather dissemination testing of GB (sarin gas and VX, deadly nerve agents) was conducted in this area. (Note: President Clinton recently bombed a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that he stated was producing precursor of VX --this has now been proven to have been false as the plant was truly a pharmaceutical production facility.) It is indeed startling to find out that our own country was, in fact, testing these deadly nerve agents within five miles of the inhabitants of Delta Junction, Alaska. Single round, GB-filled (Sarin) munitions were tested in the winters of 1955 through 1957. Six trials of VX-filled M23 mines were conducted in the winter of 1960-61. The majority of testing at the Gerstle River Army Test Site was with single round, statically fired, chemical munitions. However, GB filled 155mm howitzer shells were dynamically fired into spruce forests. Sarin Gas, VX nerve agent, high explosives, (including mines, projectiles and rockets) as well as BLU 19/B23 bombs and bomblets, M23 Land Mines, M55 Rockets, 155mm Howitzers, and M121A-1 shells, were tested under the Codenames of: Whistle Down, Elk Hunt, Devil Hole, Swamp Oak, Sundown and Dew Point. One very embarrassing situation occurred according to the report: "Blueberry Lake became a controversial subject during the 1969/1979 period and to date is a sensitive issue. In the winter of 1965, a number of chemical munitions were stored on the ice of Blueberry Lake for ultimate disposal during the same year. For unknown reasons, the shells were neglected and finally sank to the bottom of the lake during the spring thaw. The incident became known sometime in 1969. Approximately 231 105mm Projectiles, M55 Rockets and cylinders sank to the bottom of the lake containing Sarin gas GA and HD (mustard gas) and VX nerve agent." To add insult to injury, thousands of pounds of herbicides including 2,4D (does the name Agent Orange ring a bell?) 2-4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4,5-T (Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid isooctyl ester, Alkanolamine salts, Dinitro-o-sec-1 tylphenol were utilized on the area. BIOLOGICAL TESTING Biological Testing was conducted from December 1963 through August 25th, 1967 under Codename projects Night Train, West Side I, Special Study Alaska and Rev. Cloud. The munitions utilized were; A/B 45Y Spray Tanks using F100 and F105 aircraft, bomblets, dispensers and Disseminators. During the "Special Study Alaska", biological infectious agents Serratia Marcescens, E coli, and LVS (not determined) were mixed together for trials totaling 264 liters of agent that were aerially dispersed. LEGAL CLAIMS In the early 1970's, the Gerstle River Test Site at Fort Greely became a matter of controversy for Alaskan politicians in Washington, D.C. The discovery that the U.S. Army had conducted chemical and biological tests brought about accusations that the U.S. Army was responsible for the deaths of various animals in Delta Junction, the paralysis of two children and an outbreak of Tularemia. All claims prior to 1972 should be on file at the U.S. Army Claims Service at Fort Meade, Maryland, or the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OTJAG), Litigation Division, Washington, D.C. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The wife of a serviceman who was stationed at Ft. Greely, Alaska, from 1990-92 recently contacted me. Laura Cuozzo is a 29 year old housewife and mother of four children. She has single handedly re-opened the investigation into what has been happening at Ft. Greely over the past 30 years. Her story explains the heartache the civilian and military populations have been subjected to as a result of living and working in a nuclear, biological and chemical playground. The following is her statement and testimony: Disturbing information about Ft. Greely John & Laura Cuozzo Telephone 813-969-0110 email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]@tampabay.rr.com 17409 Darby Lane Lutz, FL 33549 Today I wish to share with you events which are taking place half a world away, yet affect every American citizen. Fort Greely and the sleepy town outside of it, Delta Junction, are located in the "Middle of Nowhere", Alaska. Actually they are about 100 miles south of Fairbanks. The simple people there live in the Land of the Midnight Sun. They are rugged individualists making their way on the Last Frontier. There is no crime rate there, for often it is too cold to venture out, yet a great crime is being committed there. No one cares because the location is remote, the population is few and virtually no one knows these places exist. This strategy had worked well for the U.S. Army so far. This discussion involves utter disregard for humanity and our environment. It is my intention to prove unequivocally that Ft. Greely has been used as a nuclear, chemical and biological weapons test site that has jeopardized the welfare and safety of its inhabitants for over 40 years. I will first relate many experiences encountered while living on Ft. Greely, their relationship to events taking place today and the results of on-going research. First of all, I will outline important events which occurred on Ft. Greely during the period of October 29, 1990 until September 30, 1992. These facts have been compiled from my own recollection, the recollection of others present at the time and a photo albums which chronicles our stay. A vast majority of the photographs are labeled with dates and places. The following events took place between December of 1990 until April of 1991: I. SPC John W. Cuozzo, my husband, and CPL Jason F. Kelly were assigned to the MEDDAC unit as x-ray technologists. One day a team of men arrived, escorted by First Sgt. Steven Stenger, to investigate rumors of leakage on the base. Each member of the team suited up in radioactive protective clothing and was assigned a dosimeter by my husband. The team explained to John that they did indeed discover a leak and would stay to build a wall casing around the tank. He was told that there was nothing to worry about and explained to me that we were to tell no one else on the base about this matter. II. During the Persian Gulf War, special readiness exercises were held at Ft. Greely. Airplanes from Eielson Air Force Base flew over all day dropping bombs out on the range. What distinguished these exercises from any others? Were they using depleted uranium? III. Also during the Persian Gulf War, a study was done at the clinic. There was a campaign to test the lung capacity of people living and working on the base. It included those not entitled to receive health care at the clinic. When I went down to have it done and casually asked Cpt. David Peterson, R.N. why they were giving away free lung capacity examinations, he explained that he did not know. He was to recruit volunteers and report the findings. When my sister, Heather Breece, came to live with us in April of 1991, I brought her over to the clinic for lung testing because she smoked cigarettes, but by then the study had ended. Why was the Army interested in testing the lungs of everyone from the area? IV. In the early months of 1991, I began experiencing extreme joint pain throughout my entire body. Every evening the pains came on strong. We deduced that the extreme arctic temperatures were wreaking havoc on my body, but no amount of warmth could subdue the pain. The next two events took place in the summer of 1991: 1. One day in August Sgt. Don Jenkins, John Vitek (a friend staying with us), John, Heather and myself decided to do some sightseeing in the area. We decided to climb Donnely's Dome located on Texas Range on Ft. Greely. We drove to the location, but did not see the path that everyone else takes to reach the summit. John Vitek and I had been climbing most of the way together until I separated from the rest of the group and moved further to the left in an effort to find the path and take the easy way up. I climbed through small bushes onto an area of open tundra. The mountain was so steep that my knees were in my chin and my hands were touching the tundra. At that point something happened. It felt as if my body had suddenly become attacked. Every lymph node on my head and neck swelled up. I experienced a strange headache and nausea. Panicking, I looked beneath me to see what had caused this. Realizing that my body's awkward position prevented this, I mistakenly moved further to the left and sat far enough away from the spot, but close enough to scope out the area. There was absolutely nothing to be detected. Unfortunately, my only choice was to retrace my steps to return to the group. I risked leaping over the area and rolling down the mountain side rather than touching the spot again. I returned to the group and watched as they went ahead to the top. That evening the pain became immense. Upon examination, John had found that the lymph nodes on my head had swelled up to the size of marbles. I remember that for two nights I could only sleep on my face which made it difficult to breathe, but I do not remember whether the incident had taken place on Saturday or Sunday. On Monday morning I was examined at the clinic. The doctor felt sure that this condition was due to a thyroid problem. He explained that he should be able to detect an infection somewhere in my body. He ran the tests, but the results came back negative. My condition perplexed him and he reran the tests, thinking that the lab had made an error, yet once again the results were negative. Eventually the lymph nodes returned to normal, yet the headaches and nausea persisted for years. They would best be described as sublime and omnipresent. 2. The Army began conducting extensive radon testing of the base. Every family took turns relocating to the base motel for a period of days so that their housing could be tested. Then every soldier was asked to stay at the motel while their barracks were tested. My sister remembers our stay very well because at the time John had attended a buffalo cookout in Delta Junction. He brought back buffalo sloppy joes and buffalo steak which she simply refused to eat. Eventually an entire barracks was condemned and the soldiers were asked to cram into another building. Sgt. Jenkins, along with another soldier, asked special permission to remain and it was allowed. Why was the entire base relocated out of their quarters when a simple radon detector in our basements would have sufficed? Why was Sgt. Jenkins permitted to reside in a condemned barracks? Sometime between April of 1991 until Thanksgiving Day, 1991 the following event occurred: Heather had been experiencing chronic fatigue, sharp pains in her uterus and spotting. One evening we took her to the emergency room at the clinic. Upon our arrival, Sgt. Jenkins, who worked as a medic in the ER, asked us if we were there because we had the flu. He explained that it was a very busy time because everyone was getting ill on base. Heather was examined, tests were run, the results came back negative, the condition went undiagnosed and persisted until a few months after leaving Ft. Greely. The following events took place from the winter of 1991 until September 30, 1992: 1. Before becoming employed at the Post Exchange, I signed up as a Red Cross Volunteer. Mrs. Lewis was the head of the volunteer effort and had two small children. These children were always sick, pale and extremely thin, but the first thing everyone noticed about these children was their lack of hair. The mother and I once had a discussion about her children's health. She told me that their hair simply would not grow in some areas and in other areas would only come in silky fine. They looked like chemotherapy patients. She told me that both of her children had lived on Ft. Greely all of their little lives (her husband kept requesting extensions) and that the only meat they ever ate was the moose stored in their freezer from hunting season. They were poor and her husband hunted during the season so they could spend less money on their food bills throughout the year. She told me that the meat did not taste right to her and she suspected that it may have been the cause of her children's illness. She tried to buy beef at the commissary, but the children, not being accustomed to the taste, would not eat it and her husband had forbid her to waste any more money. She had taken them to doctors who could find nothing wrong with the children. Their father, Sgt. Lonnie Lewis, was assigned to MEDDAC, but attached to the Gerstle River Test Site (CRTC). He was becoming increasingly ill and no one could diagnose his problem. 2. While working at the Post Exchange, I began to get to know many others living on the base. It bothered me to discover that 5 people I knew had cancer. Two had ovarian, one cervical and I do not recall what types the men had. It struck me as odd that amongst such a small population at least 5 had cancer. How many more had been diagnosed? There seemed to be only one link unifying them all. All had lived on base past their original two year tour. All had asked for extensions. 3. Shortly before my family left Ft. Greely, orders came down that no one would be allowed to remain on base past their one or two year orders and that there would be absolutely no exceptions. 4. The last thing I did before leaving Fort Greely was to ensure proper health care for pregnant women on base. We were told that the OB/GYNs at Ft. Wainwright did not feel like making the monthly trip down to Ft. Greely and that we were to be examined by a M.D. on base instead. This seemed unacceptable to me and despite my husband's fears of backlash from the chain of command, I marched into the Base Commander's office on his first day-- what a welcoming committee. I demanded to know why the medical staff of Ft. Wainwright was too lazy to send one OB/GYN once a month to Ft. Greely, had asked that the women travel to Fairbanks instead and now were refusing to treat us altogether. He explained that he did not know their reasons, but that the entire group of OB/GYNs had banded together and were led by a Major. They were all determined to defy orders and there was nothing he could do. It was only when I threatened to contact every women's rights organization and the media that the Base Commander assured me that he would take care of the matter. My husband experienced no backlash from this issue and it was never mentioned again. From that point on and till this day, Ft. Wainwright sends an OB/GYN once a month to Ft. Greely. Why did the doctors really not want to come to Greely and refuse to treat us? What had they noticed about the residents of Ft. Greely? |
