Still, it has failed to do the same for the men who cleaned up the toxic debris 20 years later. For two years, the Enewetak veterans have been trying, without success, to win medical benefits from Congress through a proposed Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act. In 1988, Congress passed a law providing automatic medical care to any troops involved in the original atomic testing. A 1950 Supreme Court ruling bars troops and their families from suing for injuries arising from military service. “A lot of guys can’t survive anymore, financially,” said Jeff Dean, 60, who piloted boats loaded with contaminated soil.

Source: New York Times January 28, 2017 16:40 UTC