Letter: Government must better support victims of nuclear testing

Published: Friday, Aug. 3 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

The mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb rises above Nevada's Yucca Flat April 22, 1952. Some 1,500 civilian observers, news people, ground soldiers and paratroopers in the air witnessed the blast.

Associated Press

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Thank you for publishing "Trinity: The plight of 'downwinders' " by Eve Mary Verde (July 20).

I am a downwinder and a cancer victim. Of seven siblings, five of us have had cancer — all of different types. When we count spouses, the number reaches eight.

We all had the misfortune of being born and raised in Sanpete County. That county was arbitrarily left out of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990. My sister was denied compensation when her husband died at 45 from cancer. My brother's widow struggled on without compensation after he died of cancer.

We need to make sure our government never again willfully irradiates us. Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo needs our support in pushing for expansion of RECA's boundaries. If Sen. Orrin Hatch will not support that cause, we need to elect a senator who will.

Bill Stringham

Woodland Hills

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Esquire

Springville, UT

I too have family and friends who were impacted, and time will tell if I will be. There needs to be a healthy skepticism of government / military actions, and not based on partisanship or self economic interest. There must be more effort put towards More..

7:27 a.m. Aug. 3, 2012
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one old man

Ogden, UT

What?

Is this a Utahn asking for charity? Asking for entitlement? Asking that government actually be responsible?

How will this help the GOP meet its goals of cutting taxes and boosting profits for the corporation and most

11:17 a.m. Aug. 3, 2012
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