Operation Crossroads and the Atomic Bomb Test Cake

It all started with Pinterest. Pinterest is a major social media site where members pin favorite photos, infographics, articles and recipes on virtual boards. Its usage has grown significantly over the years, with businesses turning to visuals to increase brand awareness and sales. "Pinners," as they are called, pin items that appeal to them. You can discover lots of history just by perusing peoples' boards or doing a keyword search. Pinners that share your interests will follow you, and you can reciprocate.

It turns out that I pinned a photograph of a rather unusual picture of an atomic bomb test cloud cake. Yes, I said atomic bomb test cake. Marshall Islands, where my father and other Montford Point Marine members of the 51st Defense Battalion were stationed, later became an atomic bomb testing site. The Marshall Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean. Bomb testing took place after World War II on the Bikini Atoll*. For obvious reasons bomb testing sites are in isolated low population areas.  Scientists are compelled to test the effectiveness of weapons in warfare, and atomic bombs were no exception. Specifically, US President Harry S. Truman wanted to test the effects of atomic bombs on war ships.



From Bikini Atoll.com:

In February of 1946 Commodore Ben H.Wyatt, the military governor of the Marshalls, traveled to Bikini. On a Sunday after church, he assembled the Bikinians to ask if they would be willing to leave their atoll temporarily so that the United States could begin testing atomic bombs for "the good of mankind and to end all world wars." King Juda, then the leader of the Bikinian people, stood up after much confused and sorrowful deliberation among his people, and announced, "We will go believing that everything is in the hands of God."

While the 167 Bikinians were getting ready for their exodus, preparations for the U.S. nuclear testing program advanced rapidly. Some 242 naval ships, 156 aircraft, 25,000 radiation recording devices and the Navy's 5,400 experimental rats, goats and pigs soon began to arrive for the tests. Over 42,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel were involved in the testing program at Bikini.

When bombs were detonated, a thick cloud immediately appeared, pumping dangerous radioactive chemicals into the atmosphere. The US government allowed the Bikinians to return to their island in 1968, after declaring the island safe. However, many islanders were exposed to chemicals in their food supply and developed health problems such as thyroid cancer. Residents left their island again. (japantimes.co)




 But the picture in question was celebratory in nature.

Infamous Cakes: In November 1946 the Joint Army-Navy Task Force Number One was celebrating the successful Operation Crossroads nuclear test at the Bikini atoll with a mushroom-cloud shaped cake. The photo, showing Vice Admiral William H.P. Blandy (commander of the task force), his wife and Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry, was published in the Washington Post. 

Conelradblogspot.com

 A cake designer saw the photo and was amazed that an elaborate baked good was created resembling an an atomic bomb cloud. I thought the idea was  "interesting" which is why I posted it. But the cake designer happened to live in the San Francisco Area. She read some of my posts via Pinterest since there is a Montford Point Marines and Honor Blogspot Pinterest page. Her candid comment was:

I am a cake designer and I wouldn't make a cake like this, ever! Reading about the Montford Point Marines brings to mind the black sailors who served in..... 

I replied that I never heard of them but I would look into it, and write about the incident.So my next story will be the controversial story about an incident involving African American Sailors.  Many theories and questions remain and it took decades to resolve. We have cake designer Shirley Wilson to thank for the post.  Follow the "Montford Point Marines and Honor Blogspot" board on Pinterest. Some of the photos you might find in future posts...

What are your thoughts about the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb test cake? Do any of my readers know about the incident that cake designer Shirley Wilson was referencing? (I omitted the rest of her remarks deliberately.)

Bikini Atoll Evacuation, 1946 on left.
Modern day Marshall Islanders on right.
In 2010 Bikini Atoll was designated a World Heritage Site.
bikiniatoll.com

                                                                         




Note: The above cake photo was denounced by a minister named Arthur Powell Davies. Davies wrote a scathing letter on how insensitive the celebration was, especially in lieu of the fact that hundreds of thousands died as a result of the atomic bombing of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagaski. (August, 1945)



See also:

 Indigenous People of the Pacific.
Why the 51st Defense Battalion Were Sent to the Marshall Islands



*Atoll- An island made of of coral reef encircling a lagoon.
Bikini-The minimalist two piece bathing suit was named after the island in 1947 by a French designer.
  .

Why the 51st Defense Battalion Were Sent to the Marshall Islands to Fight

"There were these guys from Chicago...they dated the young women from the islands. They had wigs and high heels sent in for these women to wear," my father explained when I was older. "All you could see were these women trying to walk around in those high heels, because they weren't used to wearing them."

Source:  http://miraimages.photoshelter.com

I pictured these young ladies teetering awkwardly in platform sandals in the sand. No nylons because nylons were rationed, the materials were needed for the war effort.  Some of American women's hosiery back then had seams on the back of their legs. Resourceful females would take eyebrow pencils, brown gravy, charcoal, etc. and draw makeshift lines on the back of their legs to give the allusion of seams. Special flesh colored make up was applied to look like nylon.

Source:matc.edu
Seamless hosiery. Nylons were needed to make parachutes.

The Marshallese were Micronesian in origin and migrated from Asia several thousand years ago. They were an island group that was (2,500) miles from Hawaii. Its inhabitants lived on the outer islands and atolls. The islanders survived on subsistence farming and fishing. Many had no electricity.

Source: nationsonline.org

Marine Major General Charles F.B. Price, in command of American Forces in Samoa had already warned against sending the African Americans there. He based his opinions on his interpretation of the science of genetics. The light skinned Polynesians, whom he considered "'primitively romantic" by nature, had mingled freely with Whites to produce a very high class half caste, and liaisons with Chinese had resulted in a very desirable type of offspring. *

Two Montford Point Marines Black Depot companies that were originally supposed to be sent to Samoa were sent elsewhere due to Major's genetics reasoning. The "infusion of Negro blood" was not desired.


Based on the Major's belief system, which incidentally was common during this time period, the 51st Defense Battalion were thought to be better suited in the Marshall Islands, since the darker population of Micronesians would not be intimidated by the intelligence of the African American Marines sent there. Major General Charles F.B. Price also postulated that  "the level of physical and mental standards among the Black islanders would be raised."



These considerations were similar to the displeasure of African American soldiers socializing with French women during World War I. In this case the policy was instituted to prevent liaisons with the lighter hued Polynesians in the Pacific. Hence the deployment to the Marshall Islands, where the natives had darker pigmentation.

Source: rmiembassyus.org
Residents of the Bikini Atoll during evacuation. The island became the site of Post WWII nuclear testing.

Source: http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003132-00/sec5.htm

A Time of Both Starvation and Gratitude

"I haven't heard from you in a while, where have you been?," Dad inquired.
 "The last time we spoke you had company,  I didn't want to be rude," I answered.
 "Oh yeah, that's right..."

Dad talked about the fluctuating weather and the fact that the Veterans Benefits Administration were assisting him with his eyeglasses and prescriptions. I replied that was excellent, because I have heard and seen so many reports of Veterans not receiving anything but broken promises and neglect. However, news outlets recently stated that the backlog of Veterans Disability claims has decreased.


He then shared more information on his time on the Marshall Islands during World War II. Here was a story I never heard before:

"When you saw the graves of the people that lived on the Marshall Islands you never saw anyone that lived past the age of thirty. They had a diet that was mostly fish and coconuts-- They didn't grow any crops or plants. A large ship from Britain would come to the island and fill the ship with coconuts every so often and sail off."

During World War II, American bombing effected the land's population. The Marshall Islands were a Japanese Colony;  native Marshallese suffered from lack of food and sustained various injuries. And since the Marshall Islands was a battleground with Japan, many of the trapped Japanese soldiers died of starvation. They were not willing to surrender. "We would hear them at night time looking through the garbage for food," Dad recalled.

Source: www.historynavymilitary.com

Like many people throughout the world, the story of the Montford Point Marines does not register, because it is an unknown story about who these brave African American men were. But if you were a member of the White 7th Defense Unit on the Marshall Islands in the middle of World War II, you knew who they were. The Montford Point Marines's 51st Defense Battalion had arrived to relieve them and you were glad to see them....

Source: montfordpointmarineassociation.com

90mm News for the 90 Year Old: The Return of "Lena"

"Dad, the weapons that you used in the Marshall Islands were found at an auction. The Montford Point Marine Association will be displaying it in their museum." I couldn't remember the name of the equipment and thought it was pretty exciting that it was recovered.

"Oh, you mean the 90 mm?" My Dad answered, as if we were discussing what he had for breakfast that morning.

"We used the anti-aircraft machine artillery. We were on the two big islands Eniwetok and Kwaajalein-- the rest of the islands were occupied by the Japanese. The US had a blockade and there were airstrips on both islands. There were Navy fighter planes. There was dog battery and fox battery. I was a member of dog battery. Because of the blockade the Japanese submarines could not get food or supplies to their men. I thought I told you that already," Dad chided me.

Source: montford point marine association
The machine that my dad used. Montford Point Marines
exceeded goals during WWII.

"No, I just wanted to make sure that I got it right," I answered, furiously jotting it down in my notebook. I wanted to ask more specific questions, but decided not to push it. I sensed a Western or a pressing news show competing with my father's attention. The additional questions would have to come later to the nonagenarian.*


Anti-Aircraft, as its name implies, are weapons designed to attack enemy airplanes. Dad was a member of the first African American combat unit. His 90mm was relocated a month before his 90th birthday, and almost a year after receiving his Medal of Honor.

                                                       



So, until my next interview, I have the following information from www.military.com:

The Montford Point Marines performed well in their duties at home and abroad despite the structures placed on them by society in their era. In practice these men surpassed all anti aircraft gunnery records previously set by Marines, and named their weapon "Lena", after their favorite singer, Lena Horne.

The 90 millimeter MIAI anti-aircraft weapon system was delivered to Camp Johnson** back in April 2013. It is currently being displayed in the "Greasy Spoon", which is the site of the Montford Point mess hall and home of the museum. Additionally:

 -It was used by the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions from 1942-1946.
-Weighs nearly 19,000 pounds
-16 feet in length
- Was the United States main anti-aircraft weapon system from early World War II through the 1950's.

Source: mpma.28.com

Now I must prepare to write about the Montford Point Marines' 90mm namesake, the inconic Miss Lena Horne...



*nonagenarian: someone ninety to ninety nine years old
** Camp Johnson: An area of Montford Point that was named after Sgt Major Gilbert "Hashmark"Johnson in 1974. Johnson was a drill instructor and served in WWII and Korea. He also served in other military branches.



Other:
Mess Hall: military dining room
Greasy spoon: term used to classify a cheap restaurant.

"They Don't Tell You Where They're Going To Send You, You Just Go!"

Well, the clamoring for dad's "missing" 51st Defense Battalion whereabouts, led to action. The Pittsburgh Courier's story reverberated across Black America. Members of the 51st were soon going to be deployed as a result of the story. Military officials, previously concerned about racial dissension in the ranks relented, and deployed my dad's unit.
                                                                                       **

"So dad, when you were in San Diego, did you know where they were going to send you?" I inquired. "No!"  my father answered in an irritated voice, as if I should have known better. "They don't tell you where they're going to send you, you just go!"

"They sent us to Ellice Island." I asked him how it was spelled, because it sounded like the "Ellis Island" in New York, the point of entry for myriads of immigrants into the United States. "It's an island off the coast of Australia and that is where we (The Marines) picked up and received our mail", my dad explained.

"We also ended up in Enewetok and Kwajalein." Dad pronounced these names with ease. I automatically remembered conversations from years ago that these were islands in the Marshall Islands.When I looked at a map, I saw tiny dots in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Marshall Islands were named after a British captain in 1788. They were previously explored by the Spanish in the 16th century. Germany unsuccessfully attempted to control the islands, but the islands utimately ended up in the hands of the Japanese in 1914.*

The Marshall Islands are located halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The Islands are considered a part of Oceania, and make up two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of small islets and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean.

The area is roughly the size of Washington, D.C. (181 km). Also, the Marshall Islands climate is tropical, hot and humid. Its wet season is May through November, with the islands bordering the typhoon belt. Finally, Micronesian peoples were the first inhabitants of the archipelago.**



.

Source: www. graphicmaps.com

Souce: wwwworldatlas.com

**

 June 27, 2012. It was the evening before the Medal of Honor Ceremony at the official Montford Point Marines hotel. Dad, normally a talkative character, was very nervous. I watched the older gentlemen meet and greet each other and exchange information. Some of the Marines already knew each other from their area Montford Point Marine Associations. My dad was standing in line and I watched as his doppelganger approached him. By doppelganger I meant someone of his exact stature and personality.

"Do you know who your commanding officer was?" A short, expressive man with a puffed out chest asked. My Dad could not remember his officer's name. "I don't remember his name, I'm eighty-nine years old", dad answered tersely. Both families of the men watched, amazed at the mirroring that was taking place. The two elderly men stood staring at each other for it seemed like eternity, and then sauntered on, chatting with other Marines.

 I then went to the wife of my father's "twin", and talked to her. I guessed her to be an educator, but was close. She worked with troubled female teens and her husband was a retired vocational teacher. We joked around a bit about her husband's and my dad's assertive personalities.The kind woman then set out to trail her feisty husband.  Her spouse reminded me of Adolph Ceaser, the actor that played an Army officer in A Soldier's Story, and the father of "Mister" in A Color Purple. In any event, the whole scene was indeed 'colorful.' The seriousness of the special occasion prevented a heated exchange.

Source: A 2bpblogspot.com
The late great actor, Adolph Ceaser

Some checking on my end  turned up some additional details, which I later shared with my dad: Colonel Samuel Woods, Jr., commanded the Montford Point Camp and formed the Battalion.Woods was its first commanding officer.Others in command were: Lt. Colonel William B. Onley, Lt. Col. Floyd A Stephenson, Lt. Curtis W. LeGette and Lt. Colonel Gould P. Groves. Source: Condition Red: Marine Defense Battalions in WWII Summaries, www.nps.gov.

So, from the time my dad was stationed in the Marshall Islands, he had a handful of different commanding officers. The 51st Defense Battalion, was originally supposed to be an infantry division. Their mission was to prevent the Japanese from furthering their aggressive military conquests. Thanks to the Negro Press, my dad would finally play a part in World War II.


Sources: * www.infoplease,** cia.gov