Sam Gibbons: “As we all learned in basic first aid, some wounds heal faster than others. The wounds of war, of course, can be the…”

“As we all learned in basic first aid, some wounds heal faster than others. The wounds of war, of course, can be the worst of all to heal. As a representative of the Nevada Test Site, I rise in strong support of this amendment. Today, the bipartisan sponsors of this amendment and I are calling for long overdue first aid to protect and help our constituents: Those forgotten, wounded, citizen veterans of the Cold War. Their injuries and their wounds, for which no Purple Heart can ever be awarded, were received in Cold War battles waged in our laboratories and weapons plants all across America. The culmination of these atomic laborers lit the skies and ripped the grounds in the deserts of the Nevada Test Site. They left poisoned workers in their wake, poisoned with radiation from the test and with silica from the dangerous underground tunneling the test required. This amendment calls for action to address these wounds and to regain the trust and faith of these ill Cold War workers, and I call on all my colleagues to support this amendment.”