美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Atomic Vet' Uses Federal Compensation To Finish Music Degree

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Hank Bolden is an 83-year-old undergraduate at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. He's also an atomic vet¹ - one of thousands of soldiers exposed his secret nuclear weapons test during the Cold War. Connecticut Public Radio's Diane Orson has the story of one man's remarkable² journey.

DIANE ORSON, BYLINE³: In 1955, Hank Bolden was in his late teens and stationed in California. One day the young musician was told he'd been chosen to participate in a special military exercise.

HANK BOLDEN: I had no idea what I was selected for.

ORSON: He was flown to Desert Rock, Nev., where he joined hundreds of other soldiers from across the country. He didn't know anyone else there. A day later, they were marched out to trenches⁵.

BOLDEN: And the trench⁴ that I was in, there was nothing but soldiers look like me - all black faces.

ORSON: A countdown began.

BOLDEN: When it got down to zero, that's when the big flash went off. That big flash was the dropping of the atomic bomb for the testing. And they had us placed 2.8 miles from ground zero - not only in the path of the fallout but in the predicted path of the fallout.

ORSON: Then came a wave of heat and dust.

BOLDEN: And there weren't any goggles⁶ that we had to place over our eyes, just had a helmet - and our arms supposedly to protect your eyes. And you visibly see your bones. And you visibly see other folks' skeletons. You know, that's what I saw. Yes.

ORSON: After the tests, Bolden and the other soldiers had to swear an oath of secrecy⁷ never to talk about what had happened - not to family, doctors or to each other. Violation⁸ of the oath was punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Bolden says for decades, he never talked. But as years went on, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, multiple myeloma and subcapsular cataracts⁹. He began to worry that his health problems might be connected to what he'd seen.

ALEX WELLERSTEIN: There were a lot of tests in this period.

ORSON: Alex Wellerstein is an historian of nuclear weapons at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He's speaking by Skype.

WELLERSTEIN: These are really tests to see what happens to soldiers if they see a live nuclear weapon go off. Can they still be commanded? Do they become hysterical¹⁰ and no longer take orders? Do they become so overcome with fear that they can't do anything?

ORSON: At the same time, military commanders were not fully¹¹ aware of the risks of exposing soldiers to ionizing radiation, says Wellerstein. Slowly, veterans who'd been unwittingly used as human research subjects began quietly sharing their stories. Congress lifted the oath of secrecy in 1996. Today, those who can demonstrate they're atomic veterans and have developed one of several specific medical conditions are eligible¹² for compensation.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

ORSON: Last year, after receiving his compensation, Hank Bolden decided¹³ to go back to college. When he got out of the Army back in the '50s, he'd enrolled¹⁴ at the Hartt School of Music but never got a degree.

BOLDEN: I dropped out of college to go on the road playing music. And I like to complete what I've started.

ORSON: So the 83-year-old auditioned¹⁵ for renowned¹⁶ saxophonist Javon Jackson, director of Hartt's jazz studies division.

JAVON JACKSON: It was apparent to me that he is a practitioner¹⁷, I like to say, a musician who can do it, but he wants to come in and learn a little bit more about the nuts and bolts of music, which I think is something to be in awe¹⁸ of.

ORSON: Bolden was accepted and awarded a scholarship. He says he's come to terms with what happened decades ago, when he was a young soldier.

BOLDEN: I have no regrets about being involuntarily volunteered because actually has played a part into my being here now - where I'm at.

ORSON: As for sitting in classes alongside students 1/4 his age, Bolden says, well, music will keep you young. For NPR News, I'm Diane Orson in New Haven¹⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

5 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

6 goggles   

n.护目镜

参考例句：

• Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
• My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾，所以我看不见。

7 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

8 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

9 cataracts   

n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障

参考例句：

• The rotor cataracts water over the top of the machines. 回转轮将水从机器顶上注入。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Cataracts of rain flooded the streets. 倾盆大雨弄得街道淹水。 来自辞典例句

10 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 auditioned   

vi.试听（audition的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• None of the actresses we have auditioned is suitable. 我们试听的这些女演员都不合适。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• What is that, from some script you auditioned for in the '40s? 什么玩意儿是你40年代试的那些剧本吗？ 来自电影对白

16 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

17 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

18 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

19 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。