Social events held for former Nevada Test Site workers

Former co-workers from the Nevada Test Site had a chance to mix and interact during recent social events at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas recently.

Tim Lerew, a chairman of Cold War Patriots, the organization that held the events, said that their goal was to let the members of the Cold War Patriots organization have a chance to get together with former co-workers from the Nevada Test Site to mix and mingle.

“The events were created after members said they enjoyed being able to socialize and interact with former co-workers from the site. Cold War Patriots supplies food and entertainment as well for attendees,” Lerew said.

The organization’s members have requested these types of social events to complement the informational meetings Cold War Patriots hosts to explain the ins and outs of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, Lerew said.

“The nuclear weapons industry is made up of a tight-knit group of people who enjoy getting together to reconnect with co-workers who became friends by sharing a passion and commitment for serving our country,” Lerew said in a press release. “We invite workers to grab a friend and join us for a fun afternoon.”

Lerew said that nuclear weapons workers do not need to be members of the Cold War Patriots organization in order to attend.

The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act program is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and offers monetary compensation and health care benefits to workers who participated in the nuclear weapons program from 1942 until the present day and became sick because of radiation exposure or other toxic substances.

Cold War Patriots is a Denver-based organization that connects former nuclear weapons and uranium workers with benefits.

The organization is a division of Professional Case Management, that provides specialized in-home health care services to nuclear weapons and uranium workers. The group is a community resource and advocacy organization and the nation’s strongest and most sustained voice to advocate for worker benefits. The organization helps former nuclear weapons and uranium workers get the recognition, compensation and care they have earned. Cold War Patriots, the first national organization to connect workers with benefits, does this work for free on behalf of its members.

The events, held on May 21 and May 22, attracted between 45 and 80 attendees each, organizers said. Both events were meant to bring workers out and help them socialize with one another.

“They miss the camaraderie they once had at the site, and this gives them a forum to socialize with each other and reconnect with people they may not have seen in a while,” Lerew said.

From 1951 through 1992, the U.S. government conducted 928 nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site, that has been renamed the Nevada National Security Site.

Cold War Patriots holds its annual National Day of Remembrance in October. The event honors workers of the United States nuclear complex that have passed away.