Comment: Thanks to all miners and their families!
By Cindy Yurth
Tséyi' Bureau
COVE, Ariz., Nov. 5, 2009
It was a very belated thank-you, but appreciated nonetheless.
Some 300 former uranium workers and their family members braved an icy wind Oct. 30 to gather at tiny Cove Chapter and celebrate the first ever National Day of Remembrance for the nation's "Cold War patriots."
Cove was one of 13 communities selected from across the country to host the historic celebration in response to a Senate resolution in March setting aside Oct. 30 as a day to honor those who worked in the country's uranium mines and mills.
The House has yet to pass similar legislation, but is being lobbied heavily by the Cold War Patriots, an organization that advocates for uranium workers of the 1940s-70s.
From the reaction of the crowd at Cove, it was apparent the special day was needed. Widows of miners cried; strangers hugged each other.
Many of the former miners and millers who sacrificed their health working with the radioactive ore have been financially compensated under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, but it seemed they still needed to hear "thank you."
Cove, where some of the earliest uranium mines on the Navajo Nation are located, seemed a fitting venue in spite of its isolation. Flags were unfurled and a wreath laid at the chapter's tiny Veterans and Uranium Memorial Park, dignitaries spoke, a video was shown, and of course, there was mutton stew for all.
The mysterious ailment known as "Navajo neuropathy" runs strong in Nez's family. Seven of her 10 siblings died of the disease, along with her nephew. Her own daughters, she says, are afraid to have children.
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