Several veterans made public allegations against the U.S. military, claiming they fell ill after serving at a secret base in the 1980s, according to a CBS News report.
The veterans previously served at the Area 52 military base in the Nevada desert. They were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement due to the secrecy of the mission, according to CBS News.
Mark Ely, an Air Force technician, claims he served at the facility in the mid-1980s. His job was to inspect Soviet fighter jets that had been covertly obtained by the U.S., CBS News reported. “Upholding the national interest was more important than my own life,” he told CBS News, adding that he was a physically fit 20-year-old at the time.
Ely claims he is now facing life-threatening conditions due to being exposed to radiation. The U.S. government conducted multiple nuclear bomb tests in the area, which distributed radioactive material, according to the outlet.
Veterans seek justice after they say secret base made them sick
Mark Ely, 63, served at the base in his 20s as a technician inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets in what was known as a ‘hush house’ when he was a physically fit young man
Now he counts the several life… pic.twitter.com/SqAMjz8wrk
— Ronald Kelly (@RonK3l) May 28, 2024
The veteran claimed that the radioactive material “scarred” his lungs and gave him cysts on his liver, the outlet reported.
“I started having lipomas, tumors inside my body I had to remove,” he claimed, according to CBS News. “My lining in my bladder was shed.” (RELATED: BARR: Despite Robust VA Budgets, Many Vets Still Have Difficulty Obtaining Disability Assistance They’re Entitled To)
Despite his alleged condition, Ely claims he has been unable to receive justice because his records do not include the mission at Area 52, which means he cannot prove he served at the base, according to CBS News. “There’s a slogan that people say: Deny, deny until you die,” he told the news outlet.
Dave Crete, another veteran who claims he worked as a military police officer at the base, told CBS News that he allegedly suffers from breathing issues and chronic bronchitis. He claims he also had to get a tumor removed from his back.
Unfortunately, neither of the veterans has been reportedly able to obtain benefits because they are not available for Air Force veterans. “It makes me incredibly mad and it hurts me too because they’re supposed to have my back,” Ely told CBS News. “I had theirs and I want them to have mine.”
