Dave Crete spent last decade locating other veterans and filed lawsuit for service-related injuries including breathing problems and tumor removal.
Exposure to toxic radioactive material from nuclear bomb tests caused debilitating health issues later in life for some veterans.
Mark Ely, a technician inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets, now faces life-threatening consequences from radiation exposure.
US government conducted nuclear bomb tests near Area 52 in the 1970s, scattering toxic radioactive material nearby.
Veterans face resistance when seeking compensation for illnesses as government refuses to acknowledge their service at the site.
Veterans served at top secret Nevada base, Area 52 or Tonopah Test Range, in the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1980s, several individuals served in the US Air Force at a top secret base in the Nevada desert, known as Area 52 or Tonopah Test Range. These veterans have come forward with claims that their service at this site left them with debilitating health issues later in life due to exposure to toxic radioactive material from nuclear bomb tests conducted by the US government.
One such veteran is Mark Ely, who served as a technician inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets in hidden hangars known as hush houses. Ely signed a non-disclosure agreement for his work and was physically fit when he was serving. However, he now faces life-threatening consequences from the radiation exposure.
Another veteran, Dave Crete, spent much of the last decade trying to locate other veterans who worked at Area 52 and filed a lawsuit for his service. He also developed health issues including breathing problems and had to remove a tumor from his back.
The US government conducted nuclear bomb tests near Area 52 in the 1970s, scattering toxic radioactive material nearby. However, when these veterans seek compensation for their illnesses, they are met with resistance as the government refuses to acknowledge their service at the site.
Despite this obstacle, these veterans continue to fight for recognition and compensation for their service-related injuries. Their stories serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by military personnel in the name of national security and the importance of acknowledging and addressing any potential health risks associated with their service.
In the mid-1980s, Air Force technician Mark Ely worked at a secret base in the Nevada desert called Tonopah Test Range, also known as Area 52.
Ely signed a non-disclosure agreement for his work inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets in hidden hangars.
The US government conducted nuclear bomb tests near Area 52 in the 1970s, scattering toxic radioactive material nearby.
Mark Ely developed health issues including cysts on his liver, lipomas and tumors inside his body, and shedding of bladder lining due to radiation exposure.
Dave Crete also worked as a military police officer at the same site and now has breathing issues and had to remove a tumor from his back.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article makes several deceptive statements and uses emotional manipulation to elicit sympathy for the veterans. The authors do not provide any evidence that the veterans' illnesses were directly caused by their work at Area 52, only that they believe it was a contributing factor. They also selectively report information, implying that the government is withholding aid from these veterans due to their work at Area 52 when in fact there are specific reasons why they are not eligible for the same benefits as other government employees. The authors do not disclose any sources for their information and make no attempt to provide peer-reviewed studies or scientific evidence to support their claims.
Veterans seek justice after they say secret base made them sick
It scarred my lungs. I got cysts on my liver. ... I started having lipomas, tumors inside my body I had to remove. My lining in my bladder was shed.
But those benefits don’t apply to Air Force veterans like Ely and Crete.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'Other government employees who were stationed in the same area, mainly from the Department of Energy, have been aided by $25.7 billion in federal assistance.' This statement implies that because other government employees received aid, Air Force veterans should also receive aid. However, this does not logically follow and there is no mention of why these two groups are comparable or why the Air Force veterans deserve the same aid.
]Other government employees who were stationed in the same area, mainly from the Department of Energy, have been aided by $25.7 billion in federal assistance.[
It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they’re supposed to have my back.
Bias
(80%)
The article presents a one-sided narrative that focuses on the experiences of two veterans who claim to have been exposed to toxic materials while working at Area 52. The author does not provide any counterarguments or perspectives from the government or military officials. The language used in the article, such as 'deny deny until you die' and 'it makes me incredibly mad', also demonstrates a biased tone.
But those benefits don’t apply to Air Force veterans like Ely and Crete.
It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they’re supposed to have my back.
Michael Cobb witnessed the detonation of more than 20 atomic bombs over Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean from 1962-1963.
Cobb later developed bladder cancer that spread to his lungs and died in 2023.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act offers an apology and monetary compensation to individuals who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases from exposure to radiation from above-ground nuclear weapons tests.
Veterans have until June 10, 2023 to submit claims for a one-time payment of $75,000 under the fund.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is less bureaucratic than going through the VA for compensation.
$2.7 billion has been paid to over 41,000 individuals filing claims under the fund.
Accuracy
Former service members who cleared debris from Eniwetok Atoll encountered low levels of radiological contamination and have a low risk of health problems.
The VA denied most claims submitted for radiation exposure from August 2022 to August 2023, but the PACT Act extended eligibility to veterans who took part in cleanups at Eniwetok Atoll and crash sites from the 1960s of Air Force B-52 bombers in Greenland and Spain.
John Wills, a Navy veteran who participated in the Eniwetok Atoll cleanup in 1978 and 1979, was medically discharged for health problems that he developed after the radiation cleanup at Eniwetok. He was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition that led to severe bone loss and deterioration in his shoulders, hips and legs.
The USS New York battleship was heavily contaminated during the Baker shot for the atomic bomb test for Operation Crossroads at the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in 1946.
Mark Ely served at Area 52 as a technician inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets and now suffers from several life-threatening health issues.
Dave Crete spent much of the last decade trying to locate other veterans who worked on the base and filed a lawsuit for his service.
Accuracy
Veterans developed health issues, including tumors and cancers, after working on the base.
The government refuses to acknowledge or compensate veterans for their service due to non-disclosure agreements.
Mark Ely developed health issues including cysts on his liver, lipomas and tumors inside his body.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position about the veterans' claims of getting sick from their service at Area 52. The author does not provide any counterarguments or evidence from the government to refute these claims. Additionally, there is emotional manipulation through quotes from veterans expressing their anger and frustration towards the government.
It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they’re supposed to have my back
Veterans like Ely (pictured during his Air Force days) who served on a top secret base referred to as ‘Area 52’ say the government won’t compensate them for getting sick from their service because the US won’t confirm they were ever there
The thing is we were all handpicked, to be up there are get that clearance. With that being said we were all at the top of our game, always
Fallacies
(85%)
The author uses an appeal to emotion by describing the veterans' debilitating illnesses and their frustration with the government. He also makes a hasty generalization by stating that 'all kinds of cancers' have been seen in the veterans. However, he does not provide any evidence or data to support this claim.
It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they’re supposed to have my back
The thing is we were all handpicked, to be up there are get that clearance
There are eight of us and six of us have tumors, like that just can’t be normal
Bias
(80%)
The author expresses anger and frustration towards the government for not acknowledging or compensating veterans who served at Area 52 and allegedly developed health issues due to their service. This could be seen as a political bias against the government.
Because we're not acknowledged as line of duty we have people dying with kids with zero benefits for those kids or that widow
It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they're supposed to have my back
Its infuriating, especially when our government and company is taking care of other countries and they won't take care of us
