JACKSON – It was a special night for US Army Veteran Arthur Ehrmantraut who had a remarkable service record and life.
Ehrmantraut, 93, was joined by his wife of 60 years, Judith, when he was celebrated by the Jackson/Howell American Legion Post 504, where he has been a member for 30 years.
He is known as an Atomic Veteran, one of thousands who had been ordered to participate in Pacific Island or stateside above-ground bomb tests, or served in Japan near Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Ehrmantraut served in the enlisted ranks, participating in 14 different atomic bomb tests at Yucca Flats and other locations during the Cold War.
He was presented with an official Atomic Soldier certificate and commemorative coin by the Post to honor his presence at and exposure to classified nuclear tests.
The US government has, inconsistently, compensated many Atomic Veterans as well as nuclear weapons workers but many occupational or medical experiment participants have gone unrecognized despite clear signals they were in harm’s way. It may be impossible to know exactly what harm the radiation exposure caused. Many survivors believe it to be a slow killer.
Ehrmantraut, who served in the 1950s and was part of the 50th Chemical Platoon, told The Jackson Times that many men he served with in the platoon died young and that others developed illnesses long after leaving the service.
He has endured severe health issues and has been treated for cancer that manifested over several decades. While he is now cancer free, he noted that “my memory has been affected by chemo and other medications that I have been subject to.” He was grateful to the Post and its officers for the presentation made to him. “It surprised the hell out of me. I was also appreciative that I was acknowledged.”
He said he was aware of the potential danger he was in while witnessing the atomic detonations. “We were responsible for controlling how the troops came in to be part of a simulated activity. We went through a training period of what to expect and to perform in the field. Every (photo) varied with where the troops came from. We were there for the 14 shots and we put up tapes and whatnot and to determine the extent of the exposure which was in the direction of the detonation which usually involved a 50-foot tower with an elevator in it that lifted the personnel and the bomb to that area. There, (photographic) shots from the air and shots were done on the ground and there were variations of situations.”
“I was the photographer and at first, I wasn’t allowed to have a camera for the 50th Chemical (Platoon) and I said ‘When the hell are they going to let us bring a camera in?’ I was told that when they did the one shot (of the detonation) they will allow that. I took my camera which was a 35 millimeter and took the shots at the time,” he added. “That is what I have in my own collection.”
His wife noted that beyond his military experience that put his health in peril in the 1950s her husband has led an adventurous life and has sailed to Bermuda twice in a race.
“That was a wonderful experience,” Ehrmantraut said. The couple has also visited state parks across the country in an RV. While he was in high school Ehrmantraut built his own hot rod from an old Model A. “I was always involved in engineering and architecture.”
He also worked on the World Trade Center and was involved with the scaffolding of the Twin Towers for four years.
Ehrmantraut expressed that he has had a rich life filled with many interesting and exciting experiences. “He has been very lucky,” his wife added.
“We lived in Point Pleasant for years and we lost our house to Superstorm Sandy in 2012. We didn’t have a place to live so we ventured out this way. We had friends who lived in West Lake. We rented here for a couple of years and then we decided to buy in 2014 or 2015,” Judith Ehrmantraut said. They have three children and eight grandchildren.
Ehrmantraut was celebrated by ranking officers of the American Legion, including County Commander Hector Quinones, Post Commander Christian Stark, First Vice Commander Dave Heulitt, Second Vice Commander Tim Toscano, Third Vice Commander Antonio Rosado, Past Commander and Finance Officer Dave Whelan, Adjutant Gordon Frank, and various members of the Post that meet regularly at the Howell/Jackson Columbian Club on Bartley Road.
The meeting also featured a proposed community service project that their guest Eagle scout candidate Joseph Lozada from Jackson Troop 34 presented. That project concerns a prayer garden at Saint Monica’s Church.
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