Trinity fireball at .016 seconds, July 16, 1945

On July 16, 1945, the world’s first detonation of a nuclear bomb was conducted by the United States on the plains of the Alamogordo Bombing Range 210 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Code name: TRINITY.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated July 16 as National Atomic Veterans’ Day, “a day dedicated to those patriotic Americans who through their participation in these tests helped lead the United States to the forefront of technology in defense of our great Nation and the freedoms we as Americans hold so dear.” However, Reagan’s designation was only for 1983. In 2015, during President Barack Obama’s term, July 16 was officially designated as National Atomic Veterans’ Day for each successive year.

I am the widow of an Atomic Veteran from Operation Crossroads in July 1946 and wish to thank the National Association of Atomic Veterans, Labrats International, and Veterans’ Services Officers across the country for their tireless work on behalf of Atomic Veterans or their spouses and offspring, who are today receiving the medical care and, in some cases, the monetary compensation they need and deserve.

– Sandra V. McGee, co-author of Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! An Atomic Veteran’s Eyewitness Account