50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Bravo Blast
Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, Monday, March 1, 2004, 7 p.m.
Welcome this evening, on the 50th anniversary of the Bravo Hydrogen Bomb test by the
United States Government on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. We are here to remember, to
lament, to confess, and commit ourselves to a future free of nuclear fallout. This test of a bomb
with over 1,000 times the destructive force of the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima,
destroyed a peoples’ way of living, destroyed forever the land on which they lived and the water
that gave them sustainance, has caused excruciating pain and personal hardship of an entire
culture, and decimated two generations of a people. And this was only one of 67 atomic and
hydrogen bombings in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958, a land against whom we
were not at war.
“God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale,” UMC Hymnal #122
Let me tell you a story told by Eldon Note, Mayor of the Bikini Atoll Local Government, to
the 2001 World Conference against A & H Bombs, Hiroshima, and edited for this occasion.
Greetings from me to you and also from the Marshallese people. Now I will tell you a true
story of what happened on the first Day of March 1954.
I saw the flash all over the horizon and after, the strong wind. It was Monday in Rongelap
and we went to school. After school my sister, three other girls, a boy and me went to Jabuaan to
find some coconuts. When we came back we had something on our eyes, the powder of the
bombs. By evening we were itching all over our bodies and we could not sleep. The next
morning we had vomiting and we did not want to eat. That same day a plane came. The men in
the plane went straight to the well, examined the well and didn’t say anything but they went to
Kwajalein, another atoll. And early the next day there was a plane and the big battleship that
came and picked up all the people and went to Aelenae to take the people there. We went to
Kwajalein. Every day in Kwajalein we would go to the beach to soak ourselves until noon.
After lunch we would go again to the beach until five o’clock. After Kwajalein we got to Ejit
and spent two years there and went back to Rongelap. When we were there, they tested some
more bombs. That is why we have more cancers. We have brain cancers, thyroid cancers,
stomach cancers and leukemia. Many of our babies died after being born worse than deformed,
looking more like jellyfish than humans. People called them jellyfish babies.
Now I will come to how the U.S. Government helped the Marshallese people with money.
They gave me 25,000 dollars when they removed my thyroid. As for now under the Compact of
Free Association, we are paid quarterly, if we are lucky, $108 for each. But sometimes $85 for
each person. Now our doctors are almost all Marshallese with only 3-4 American doctors.
In 1985 we were forced to move from our ancestral home islands because serious medical
problems among my people began appearing. Nearly one third of the people on Rongelap had
their thyroid glands surgically removed. As a result to these continuing medical problems, we
moved to Mejatto island in 1985.
Mejatto is a small, isolated , but uncontaminated island on the northern tip of Kwajalein
Atoll. Although it is not contaminated with radiation. Mejatto is not a good place to live. On
Mejatto, the conditions, supplies, and the resources are sparse. It is here, on Mejatto that we are
far away from doctors and hospitals. It is here, on Mejatto island that we are not at home.
Although this is the 50th year for us since March 1, 1954, the, Enewetak, Rongelap, Utrik
and Bikini legacy continues.
50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Bravo Blast
Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, Monday, March 1, 2004, 7 p.m.
Greeting
“God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale,” UMC Hymnal #122
God of the sparrow, God of the whale, God of the swirling stars,
How does the creature say Awe? How does the creature say Praise?
God of the earthquake, God of the storm, God of the trumpet blast,
How does the creature cry Woe? How does the creature cry Save?
God of the rainbow, God of the storm, God of the empty grave,
How does the creature say Grace? How does the creature say Thanks?
God of the hungry, God of the sick, God of the prodigal,
How does the creature say Care? How does the creature say Life?
God of the neighbor, God of the foe, God of the pruning hook,
How does the creature Love? How does the creature say Peace?
God of the ages, God near at hand, Go of the loving heart,
How do your children say Joy? How do your children say…Home?
Mayor of Bikini’s Address
Psalm 13: Responsively, UMC Hymnal #746
Gospel Reading: Luke 16.10-12: "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in
much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you
have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what
is your own?
Old Testament Reading: Numbers 5.5-7: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to
the Israelites: When a man or a woman wrongs another, breaking faith with the LORD,
that person incurs guilt and shall confess the sin that has been committed. The person
shall make full restitution for the wrong, adding one fifth to it, and giving it to the one
who was wronged.
The Response:
Every part of this earth is sacred.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore,
Every mist in the dark woods,
Every clearing and humming insect is holy.
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The rocky crest, the meadow, the beasts and all the people,
All belong to the same family.
Teach your children that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.
We are part of the earth, and the earth is a part of us.
The rivers are our brothers; they quench our thirst.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the air is precious.
For all of us share the same breath.
The wind that gave our grandparents breath also receives their last sigh.
The wind gave our children the spirit of life.
This we know, the earth does not belong to us.
We belong to the earth.
This we know, all things are connected.
Like the blood, which unites one family, all things are connected.
Our God is the same God, whose compassion is equal to all.
For we did not weave the web of life.
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.
Let us give thanks for the web and the circle that connects us.
Thanks be to God, the God of all.
“The Summons,” verses 1-4, The Faith We Sing #2130
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,
Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should you life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?
Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean, and do such as this unseen,
And admit to what I mean in you and you in me?
Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?
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Our Confession:
All Embracing God, We praise your holy name, hear our prayer.
We confess for generations before us
who acted in ignorance and fear,
without thought to our mother earth,
or our brothers and sisters of the south pacific.
We confess for ourselves ignorance,
our indifference to those hearts like ours
that beat in other lands,
our lack of foresight to the consequences of our actions
or lack of action,
our self-righteous self-interest
far above our attention to those we affect around the world,
our lack of faith in ourselves,
thinking that we are so small that we cannot stand for justice,
for using the name of our Lord in vain
calling ourselves his followers
and forgetting his summon to us,
to let your love be shown.
For we are followers of Jesus Christ.
And I am committed to bear his name faithfully
To love you with all my heart, soul, strength, mind
And my neighbors as much as myself.
And this Lord, I will do
As I live to follow you.
“The Summons,” verse 5, The Faith We Sing # 2130
Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
Pardon:
In the name of Jesus Christ, and the God of Creation, by that Holy Spirit that is with us
this night, you are forgiven. Justified by God’s grace let us begin now our paths of love
and reconciliation. There are two actions we can take here and now. In your bulletins are
sample letters to Congress. You can rewrite them in your own words and send them to
your senators and representative, whose addresses are included, asking them to issue an
official apology to all those affected by our nuclear testing programs, and commit
themselves to full redress and all necessary funding to that end.
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Secondly, I invite you to write a letter of apology from your heart to a people who have
lost much of what they have held dear in the search to protect you from harm. And, let
them know that you have written to Congress. There is a blank sheet of paper on which
you can write your apology to the people of the Marshall Islands and mail it to the
address listed in this bulletin.
Please join with me now, as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, as those who do the will
of his father, in the prayer he gave us. “The Lord’s Prayer.”
“This Is My Song,” UMC Hymnal #437.
This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true as mine.
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover; and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations a song of peace for their land and for mine.
This is my prayer, O lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him, and hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations; myself I give thee; let thy will be done.
Benediction
ACTION OPPORTUNITIES
1. Sample letter to members of Congress:
Dear____________:
I am a member of the United Methodist Church ( or your faith community).
We remember the people of the Marshall Islands who 50 years ago lived through the
destruction and devastation of the Bravo Hydrogen Bomb blast. Although, the U.S.
Government provided full compensation to American citizens living downwind of the
Nevada test site, the Marshallese have not received more than sixty-one (61) percent of
their total awards.
The United Methodist Church and its members urge the U.S. Government to
bring about an official apology and full redress including all necessary funding.
Sincerely,
2. Write a personal letter to ERUB, an organization for the survivors.
ERUB
Elma Coleman
c/o 631 Hausten Suite 2
Honolulu, HI 96826
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Resolution 267, Atomic Testing on the Marshall Islands—A Legacy
Adopted at the 2000 General Conference of the United Methodist Church
WHEREAS, in the Old Testament the Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the Israelites:
When a man or a woman wrongs another, breaking faith with the Lord that person incurs guilt
and shall confess the sin that has been committed. The person shall make full restitution for the
wrong, adding one fifth to it, and giving it all to the one who was wronged." (Numbers 5:5-7)
And in the New Testament Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my
possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay
back four times as much." (Luke 19.8 NRSV)
WHEREAS, THE Marshall Island government has indicated that new information on the health
of its people exposed to radiation from atomic and nuclear testing by the United States in the
Marshalls requires more just compensation and expansion of medical care than the $150 million
trust fund provided in the Compact of Free Association;
WHEREAS, evidence from recently declassified U.S.. government reports and studies shows
that many more Marshall Islanders were exposed to nuclear fallout from the 67 U.S. atomic and
nuclear tests than American negotiators admitted when the compensation package in the
Compact was negotiated in the early 1980's;
WHEREAS, many questions are arising about the accuracy of medical research one by U.S.
Government labs on Marshall islanders who were exposed to fallout from atomic and nuclear
testing;
WHEREAS, although the U.S. Government provided full compensation to American citizens
living downwind of the Nevada Test Site, Marshall Islanders have not received more than sixtyone (61) percent of their total awards because the compensation level is inadequate;
WHEREAS, fully one-third of the 1,074 Marshall Islands recipients of nuclear test awards have
died without receiving full compensation;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Government provided full compensation to American citizens living in a
significantly larger area compared to the Marshall Islands, despite the fact that the total tonnage
of U.S. tests in the Marshall Islands was almost 100 times greater than the yield of tests at the
Nevada Test Site;
WHEREAS, documents now show that the people of Ailuk and other nearby islands were
exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation, yet purposely were not evacuated;
WHEREAS, the Marshall Islanders are increasingly becoming aware that Islanders were not
evacuated DESPITE information that prevailing wind would blow fallout over a number of
inhabited islands and that they were likely being used as "guinea pigs" in radiation studies;
WHEREAS, U.S. Government representatives deceived the people of Bikini Atoll by telling
that their island would be used "for the benefit of mankind";
WHEREAS, the March 1, 1954 "Bravo" hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll was detonated
despite weather reports the previous day that winds were blowing to the east toward the
inhabited atolls of Rongelap, Utrik, Ailuk and others;
WHEREAS, a 1985-1989 health survey in the Marshall Islands revealed cancer rates 2-30 times
higher among Marshall Islanders than in the U.S.;
WHEREAS, a nationwide survey of thyroid problems in the Marshall Islands in the mid-1990's
by doctors from Tohoku University in Japan confirmed a high rate of thyroid disorders among
Marshall Islanders;
WHEREAS, the economic provisions of a Compact of Free Association implemented in 1986
will expire in 2001 and are up for renegotiation in 1999;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Government has not yet apologized to the Marshallese people for the
death of Marshallese citizens and for the damage done to their homeland, waters and people;
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WHEREAS, the $150 million trust fund provided in a Compact of Free Association with the
Marshall Islands is woefully inadequate and not just compensation for the health injuries and
deaths caused by U.S. nuclear testing to the population, and the loss of the use of their atolls
because of radiation contamination since 1946; and
WHEREAS, U.S. funding for medical surveillance and treatment program is inadequate to meet
the needs of the exposed population in the Marshall Islands;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this General Conference of The United Methodist
Church call upon The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Church and
Society and the General Board of Global Ministries to work closely with the Marshallese people
and our ecumenical partners, to bring about an official apology and full redress including all
necessary funding from the U.S. Government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the
United States, U.S. Attorney General, the Secretary of the Department of Energy, the Secretary
of Defense, the Secretary of State, with copies to the Republic of the Marshall Islands Embassy
Office in Washington, D.C., and to the people in the Marshall Islands.
"I feel shame for what our country did to the people of the Marshall Islands. Now I think it is
time for us to make it right and provide first class healthcare."
Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the General Board
of Church and Society interviewed on May 2003.
A delegation is attending the 50th Anniversary of the Bravo Blast on March 1, 2004. Attending
are: General Secretary Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches USA; General Secretary Jim
Winkler, General Board of Church and Society UMC; General Secretary Randy Day, General
Board of Global Ministries UMC; and others.
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