In spite of advice which counseled me never to volunteer for anything, I once almost volunteered for a special assignment. Actually, I did volunteer and then withdrew because of the special consequences. Here is the story.

The United States was preparing for testing an atomic bomb on the atoll of Enewetok. There was a very old Japanese battleship, the Nagato, anchored at the Navy base of Yokosuka. It was still seaworthy, but just barely. It last saw action in the final big gun action in WWII. That action occurred when the Japanese counter attacked the American invasion fleet in the Philippines.

The Navy was ordered to sail the Nagato to the testing ground and anchor it in the picture perfect atoll in order to measure the effect an exploding atomic bomb would have. They needed a prize crew to sail it there. I volunteered, thinking that it sounded like a great adventure.

So one spring day I went to the Port Director’s office. I met with a young officer. He had the papers ready. Then he said, almost casually, that in order to assure the completion of the project and because the whole time line had not been finalized, it would be necessary that I agree to sign on for an additional six months in the Navy.

I had, by then, decided to start college at the University of Oregon in September, which was about four or five months away, so I, respectfully, did not sign.

The plan was to anchor the ship in the middle of the atoll, along with other vessels. The crew would disembark and be dispersed to other ships that would take up positions a safe distance from the exploding bomb and observe the event. It should be added that in 1946, nobody knew what a safe distance was.

Just think. I might have become one of the few Americans in the world to have observed an atomic bomb explosion.
Then, I ask, “and with what consequences?”