New Mexico Stories

Howard Vigil, Gallup

(Nominated by Lisa Vigil)
May 19, 2011

My dad, Howard Vigil, is a military veteran who served in the Army during the Korean Conflict back in 1952-1953; his service for his country was dedicated and unconditional.  He was stationed in Norfolk, VA and was sent to the Yucca Flats located at the Nevada Bomb Test Site.  All the men who were at this site during this time are “unsung heroes”.  Many people do not know this occurred, nor do they know the story of the creation of the atomic/nuclear bombs.  My dad along with other men in his infantry were bussed out to the Yucca Flats and put into dirt trenches and were not given any type of protective gear. He remembers the sound and the movement of the earth from the Bomb blast.  These men were “guinea pigs” for these bombs used to protect our great country.  Today, my dad suffers from many medical ailments; we’ve also had birth defects in our family. We wonder if it is due to the radiation he was exposed to.  He is a hero and served his country faithfully and with much courage.