3" x 2-1/2"
Photo refrigerator magnet of nuclear cloud over Nevada desert as troops look on.

The 1951 atom bomb testing program took place from Oct. 22 to Nov. 29 and was named "Operation Buster-Jangle." Three blasts were named Exercise Desert Rock. This photo is from the first, Exercise Desert Rock I, that took place on Nov 1 at 7:30 am. The exercise was originally planned for Oct. 29 but was rescheduled.

Approximately 3,700 soldiers were brought to the Yucca Flats site, code named "Shot DOG," to be guinea pigs. Radiation levels were carefully controlled and a majority of the troops received very minimal rem* levels of 0 to 0.1, well below danger.

Gathered 7 miles away from the blast site, they were commanded to sit with their backs to the blast area until detonation, then to count to 3 and turn toward the blast. The air-dropped bomb detonated at 1,417 feet.

Soldiers later described the event. The surrounding mountains briefly became more visible. The earth shook. There was a wave of heat and a huge red and churning fire ball. A "whoomp" sound echoed off mountain walls. The cloud grew and blossomed into a mushroom shape. There was the smell of burned cacti & Joshua trees.

Army, navy, air force, marine and civilian units participated, representing the following groups:

• 1st Battalion, 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division Camp Campbell, KY

• 3rd Medical Platoon, 188th Airborne Medical Company Camp Campbell, KY

• Platoon, Company A, 127th Engineer Battalion Camp Campbell, KY

• Battery C, 546th Field Artillery Battalion Fort Lewis, Wash.

Afterward, troops were tested for radiation exposure, and psychological response.

Detailed description of operation Buster-Jangle.

* A rem is a unit with which to measure the biological effect of iodizing radiation on humans. Ionizing radiation can produce ions by displacing electrons in atoms or molecules.
On average, Americans receive about .36 REM annually from such sources as radon, cosmic rays, x-rays, rocks, etc. A standard chest x-ray, for example, produces a dose of about .02 REM.