In 1951, the Army, working with the Atomic Energy Commission,
carried out the Desert Rock Exercises, an experiment to "dispel
much of the fear and uncertainty surrounding atomic radiation and
the effects of gamma and x-rays."
A tent encampment was set up about 27 miles from where the atomic
explosions were detonated on the Nevada Proving Grounds. The encampment
housed about 5,000 Army soldiers, civilian observers and technicians.
Troops spent hours in classes receiving training in radiation and
nuclear weapons effects.
The following is a recorded interview between a sergeant and a
training officer prior to a blast:
Q. "How many of your men would volunteer to go up and be in
the foxholes?" (one-half mile from ground zero)
A. "I guess about half a dozen."
Q. "It's quite a loud noise when that bomb goes off. . .would
it do them any harm?"
A. "No sir, not the noise, no."
Q. "How about the radiation? Do you think there is much danger?"
A. "Radiation is the least of their worries that the men are
thinking about."
Q. "I think most thought radiation was the greatest danger,
didn't they? Where did they learn differently?"
A. "They were, prior to our instructions here. We received
a very thorough briefing."
For the Desert Rock I Exercise, the weapon was fired as an airburst.
The majority of the troops were out in the open about seven miles
away. The soldiers were told to crouch down and face away from the
blast. The bomb flash blanked out the troops from view, and the
flash was followed by blast winds and the noise of the explosion.
Interviews with soldiers were conducted after the test.
Following the test, the troops were trucked toward the stationary
military equipment used for experiments. The experiments were set
up one-half mile and also at three miles from the blast. At three
miles, the gun emplacements and military vehicles were undamaged,
but at on-half mile damage was moderate to heavy.
The run time of this DVD is 27 minutes.
Here are some sample clips from the DVD
 
 
 
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