Voices of Marshallese survivors
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“One of my babies was born in 1955, and it did not have any bones in its body.
… my oldest son was a year old at the time of 'the bomb' and he was playing outside at the time and his hair turned red from the fallout. Now he does not grow.”
-Almira Matayoshi, 44 year old woman, living on
Rongelap at time of Castle Bravo
“On the morning of the third day [after Castle Bravo] a Navy destroyer came and told me, 'John Anjain, you have to leave this island at once or you and your people will die.' We were allowed to bring only what we were wearing--nothing else.”
From the beginning of the testing program in our islands the United States has treated us like animals in a scientific experiment for their studies. They come and study us like animals and think of us as guinea pigs. We are the [United States’] 'guinea pigs.'"
-John Anjain, Mayor of Rongelap Atoll
“It is an extremely hard time for us now because we do not have a lot of food here on Mejato Island. We do not have breadfruit or pandanus trees, nor do we have arrowroot; just coconut trees.”
- Rose Keju, 58-year old woman born on Lae Atoll
and has since lived for several decades on Rongelap.
…“following our relocation after "Bravo," I had my first baby, and it was born without any bones. Like this piece of paper (she feels the paper I am writing on), it was flimsy. The baby lived for only one-half a day.”
“After that, I had several more stillbirths and miscarriages. In 1959 I had a girl who has severe problems with her legs and feet, and she has thyroid problems also.”
- Kiosang Kios, 46-year old woman, Rongelap
“I have had many problems with childbearing. My first baby lived for a very short time--several minutes--but was not healthy and did not move around much when it was born. I was very sad and confused because I was healthy then, and then when I thought about it I remembered that I had 'poison' in my body and that is why the baby died.”
“Now I am always afraid when I am pregnant, and this fear is shared by all of the women on Utirik and Rongelap.”
-Unnamed woman from Rongelap/Utrōk Atolls
“We are moving because we have a real problem with poison on our atoll, and people are really afraid to stay on this contaminated island.”
…
“I don't know if this is just a temporary move, or if we will have to permanently abandon our home.”
- Aisen Tima, 31 year old man, Rongelap
“They did not care about the people in the Marshalls--they think they are something to use for testing. It is just like what the French are doing to the people of Tahiti, and some of those people were put into prison for protesting.”
-Almira Matayoshi
Quotes curated by Ms. Corrine Salter