Remembering the History of NDR and Our Fallen Heroes

Did you know in 2009 the first Official Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance™ was held? But the journey for nuclear weapons and uranium worker recognition began decades before this.

In the late 1990s, groups of sick workers traveled to Washington, D.C., to educate Congress on the need for a federal program to compensate workers who developed serious illnesses through their exposure to radiation and other toxic substances at (U.S. DOE) nuclear weapons facilities and the uranium mining and processing industry.

Their advocacy, along with national media coverage and support of the workers’ unions, resulted in the congressional passage of EEOICPA, which President Clinton signed into law on Oct. 30, 2000.

One of the worker advocates, the late Janine Anderson, who worked at the K-25 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, wanted the country to honor these civilian workers. She gathered petitions from across the country, asking the Senate to designate October 30 as a National Day of Remembrance for nuclear weapons and uranium workers.

In 2009, the United States Senate passed a resolution for the first National Day of Remembrance. Anderson didn’t live to see it happen. She died earlier that year from illnesses caused by her work at K-25. The Cold War Patriots (CWP) community is grateful for the efforts of Janine Anderson, a former nuclear weapons worker, who led the effort to create the first National Day of Remembrance for Nuclear Weapons Program Workers. Click here to learn more about Janine’s efforts and her last interview before her passing.

We hope you can join us this year in honoring our fallen heroes and living legends at this year’s Official Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance™. Click on the link below to register for the event. Registrants will receive a commemorative 3×5’ Made in America, United States flag.

CLICK TO REGISTER

Photos from Cold War Patriots over the years: trips to Washington D.C., advocating at the Colorado State Capitol, and the first National Day of Remembrance.