Press Release

Contact: Sabrina Siddiqui 202-226-6476

Washington, Oct 28 - Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) honored America’s former nuclear workers and uranium miners, millers, and haulers, supporting a House Resolution that recognized the newly designated Cold War Patriots National Day of Remembrance. The day of remembrance will be this Friday, October 30th. In a statement read before the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Loebsack thanked the Iowans who worked on Line 1 of the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission Plant.  The Congressman’s full statement, as prepared for delivery, is below:

For decades during the Cold War, hundreds of thousands of Atomic Energy Commission employees, including thousands of workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in my District, labored in hazardous conditions at our nation’s nuclear weapons facilities.

In the end, many of these workers sacrificed their health for the security of our nation, working with beryllium, asbestos, uranium, and radiation without knowing the impact these materials would later have on their health.    

But for far too long, their service and sacrifice have not been properly honored.  They are truly the unheralded heroes of the Cold War.

That will begin to change on October 30th, which marks the first national day of remembrance for our country’s nuclear workers.  

On this day, our country will pause to pay tribute to our Cold War heroes, many of whom have paid a high price for their service.

The Resolution that we are considering today urges all Americans to recognize the men and women who have served our country selflessly and with great dedication in its nuclear facilities.

I have had the distinct honor of meeting some of the Iowans who worked on Line 1 of the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission Plant.  These are the workers who assembled, disassembled, modified, and tested weapons in Iowa between 1949 and 1975.  

They are true patriots, and their service was critical to our country’s security throughout the uncertain decades of the Cold War.

On behalf of my constituents, I would like to thank the nuclear weapons workers who have served our country in Iowa and across the nation.

I urge all Americans to reflect upon their work and their sacrifices, and I urge my colleagues to support this critical Resolution.