Laughlin resident Ozzie Martin, a 96-year-old veteran of both atomic bomb tests and the Korean War, is embarking on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., this weekend. Martin is one of several local Korean and Vietnam War veterans participating in Honor Flight Southern Nevada's trip to the nation's capital. The group is scheduled to depart Friday morning for a three-day visit, touring various war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery.
During the journey, the veterans will visit significant national landmarks, including the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Women's Vietnam Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and the Air Force Memorial. The group will also tour Arlington National Cemetery, FOX5 Vegas reported. The station plans to travel with the veterans to document their experience.
Years before his Korean War service, Martin's ship, the USS Walker, carried him into a different kind of combat zone. He observed U.S. atomic bomb blast tests in the Marshall Islands at Enewetak Atoll, witnessing four separate detonations. Positions for these observations ranged from four miles as far as seven miles from the blasts, according to FOX5 Vegas. He prepared for each event by taking cover and turning his back, experiencing the bright flash followed by a delayed wave of heat rolling over the ship.
Enewetak Atoll and Bikini Atoll were among the primary U.S. nuclear testing sites in the Pacific, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation. The tests Martin witnessed were almost certainly part of Operation Greenhouse, a series of four detonations at Enewetak in the spring of 1951, designed to reduce weapon size and weight while increasing yield, paving the way for the hydrogen bomb, the Atomic Archive stated. The USS Walker served as an escort vessel during this test series before deploying to the western Pacific for United Nations naval operations in the Korean War, according to Wikipedia. Martin, then a young sailor, was not informed about his exposure to radiation, he has said. It was only later, when reading his service record, that he discovered a documented measurement of radiation exposure in roentgens, FOX5 Vegas reported. He states he has experienced no ill effects from the exposure.
As a sonar man aboard the USS Walker, Martin scanned the deep for enemy submarines in the Pacific. He learned to distinguish a whale's "mushy echo" from a submarine's "sharp ping" by ear alone, the station reported. During the Korean War, Martin and his crew worked to destroy a railway North Korean forces were building to move supplies. They fired five-inch shells from about a mile offshore, while the USS Iowa's 16-inch shells targeted the same railway from overhead, the report stated. The railway was ultimately destroyed.
Martin's inability to freely discuss what he saw was not unusual. Between 1945 and 1962, an estimated 235,000 to 550,000 U.S. service members participated in atmospheric nuclear testing, according to the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Congress repealed the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act in 1996, allowing atomic veterans to share their stories. For more than four decades prior, these veterans could not discuss radiation doses with their doctors or families. The generation of atomic veterans is now dwindling, with the National Association of Atomic Veterans estimating only around 400 military personnel who witnessed atmospheric tests remain alive nationwide as of 2025, per WVOW. National Atomic Veterans Day is observed each July 16, marking the anniversary of the 1945 Trinity test, a designation established by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, according to the VA Minneapolis Health Care system.
Compensation for atomic veterans has a complex legal history. Congress established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990, authorizing tax-free lump-sum payments of up to $75,000 for military personnel who developed covered radiogenic cancers after participating in atmospheric testing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, that program lapsed in mid-2024, leaving future claims in legislative uncertainty. Away from his service, Martin stays active by bowling, having rolled a perfect game at age 70 and another two weeks later, FOX5 Vegas reported.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada is facilitating the three-day trip for these veterans. The public is invited to welcome the veterans home on Sunday around 3 p.m. at Harry Reid Airport. A gathering is planned near the shops above baggage claim, FOX5 Vegas reports.