- Born
- Died
- John Smitherman was born on July 30, 1928 in Tennessee, USA. He died on September 11, 1983 in Mulberry, Tennessee, USA.
- I was serving in the U.S. Navy as a fire-fighter. In July 1946, I took part in the atomic bomb tests carried out at Bikini Atoll. I observed an explosion about 30 km from the blast center. Ten hours later I was engaged in a work on the island where the bomb detonated. One month after the test, edema developed on both legs. I had to have my left leg amputated. One year later, I lost my right leg. My disease was diagnosed as "malignant lymphoma". Four years later, edema developed on my left arm. In two years, I was told that my left arm must be amputated. There are hundreds of thousands of atomic soldiers like me still suffering.
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