Paul Sparacino was born in July 1943 in Simmesport, Louisiana. His father drove a log truck. They moved to Alexandria, Louisiana where he went to the first grade. They then moved to Baton Rouge [Annotator's Note: Baton Rouge, Louisiana] where he graduated from high school in 1961. He then worked in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] at a horse racing track for one season taking care of racehorses. He returned to Baton Rouge and joined the Navy. His older brother went in two months before him. They saw each other in boot camp in San Diego, California. When Sparacino left boot camp, he received orders to the USS Princeton [Annotator's Note: USS Princeton (LPH-5)] in June 1962. They went on a WESTPAC [Annotator's Note: Western Pacific] cruise and were based at Subic Bay, Philippines. They went to Hong Kong [Annotator's Note: now Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China], Tokyo, Japan, and all through the Philippines. In the Fall of 1962, they went to Johnston Island [Annotator's Note: Johnston Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands], the Marshall Islands, and Christmas Island [Annotator's Note: now Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati]. They did not know what they were there for. They were the flagship for Operation Dominic [Annotator's Note: series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. They witnessed nine nuclear tests. Most were airdrops from a B-52 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber]. One was an underwater demolition from a submarine. Two were rocket launches from Johnston Island. One of those was successful and the other exploded on the launch pad.

There were still natives on Johnston Island [Annotator's Note: Johnston Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands] and on Christmas Island [Annotator's Note: now Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati when Paul Sparacino was aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) for nuclear tests in the Pacific in 1962]. The Princeton would evacuate the natives. Nuclear scientists would come aboard. The tests were at night. Sparacino and the crew would be put on the flight deck, sitting in rows. There were 50 to 100 of them each time. They were told they would see the B-52 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber] coming. They were within ten miles of ground zero [Annotator's Note: the point on the earth's surface directly above or below an exploding nuclear bomb]. He would see the bomb drop and was told not to look at the flash. When the explosion went off, he could see the bones in his arms like an X-ray. They were told not to look up, but they did anyway, and the colors and the mushroom cloud were beautiful. The shockwaves would just about knock them down. They were guinea pigs [Annotator's Note: a rodent that is often used as a laboratory test animal; nickname for a test animal], and he has no doubt about that. They were also forgotten guinea pigs because they check on guinea pigs in a laboratory and to this day, nobody from the VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration], the Federal Government, or anybody has checked on him or his family. There are probably a quarter-million to 500,000 guys from the mid-40s [Annotator's Note: the middle 1940s] through 1962. A lot of the atomic veterans [Annotator's Note: any veteran who, as part of his or her military service participated in an above-ground nuclear test between 1945 and 1962 or was part of the United States military occupation force around Hiroshima, Japan or Nagasaki, Japan before 1946, or was a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki] are in their 80s and 90s. Sparacino took over as the State Commander of Louisiana [Annotator's Note: of the National Association of Atomic and Nuclear Veterans] before the great flood of 2016 [Annotator's Note: 12 to 22 August 2016 in Louisiana]. There were 32 atomic veterans then and they are down to about 19. Sparacino has not had a chance to talk to a lot of them but plans to [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview]. They had to take an oath of secrecy [Annotator's Note: Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act] back then.

Paul Sparacino was ordered aboard the USS Princeton [Annotator's Note: USS Princeton (LPH-5)] as an airdale [Annotator's Note: nickname for any naval crewman involved in flight operations] on the flight deck. They did not have room for him though. A Navy Chief asked who could type. Sparacino raised his hand was taken into administration. He gave out G.E.D. tests [Annotator's Note: acronym for Tests of General Educational Development] for guys who had not graduated high school. He taught them classes. After two years on the Princeton he made PN3 Personnelman 3rd Class. Sparacino was in the three-year program [Annotator's Note: three-year term of enlistment]. His last year was spent at Coronado, California in UDT [Annotator's Note: underwater demolition team], which is now known as the SEAL Team [Annotator's Note: United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams; primary special operations force]. He took care of their service records. That was pretty good duty with tough guys. He had it easy in the Navy and he enjoyed it. He got to see the Far East. When he joined the Navy, it was the first time he left home. He turned 19 on the cruise to the Philippines in 1962. He had buddies older than him who was on the cruise the year before. They went to Hong Kong [Annotator's Note: now Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China] and Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan]. He tagged along with a friend. He enjoyed it and would do it again. His first time on an airplane was when he flew from New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] on his first-ever trip out of Louisiana. He did not want to get out [Annotator's Note: of the Navy], but he was engaged. He ended up working for Remington Rand [Annotator's Note: early American business machine manufacturer, now merged with Unisys Corporation] until he retired in 2014.

Paul Sparacino's father was in the Army [Annotator's Note: during World War 2] but did not really talk about it. Sparacino saw pictures of him in uniform but does not know a lot about where he was and what he did in World War 2. His father had ten siblings in his family, and his younger brother had been in the Army and had issues. Back then they did not know what PTSD [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] was, and said he was shell-shocked [Annotator's Note: psychological disturbance caused by prolonged exposure to active warfare, especially bombardment]. He was in a mental institution two or three times. His uncle Angelo [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify] was in the Navy and did not want to talk about it. Sparacino would not push it because of his uncle Joe [Annotator's Note: the previous mentioned uncle; phonetic spelling; unable to identify]. There were five brothers and three were in the service. After Sparacino's time in the Navy, he could see why [Annotator's Note: they suffered]. Sparacino has lost buddies from the nuclear testing [Annotator's Note: Sparacino was aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. One guy lost an eye. There are numerous cancers. Larry [Annotator's Note: a friend of Sparacino's] has all kinds of health issues. Sparacino only has a few issues. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2008. He and his first wife divorced after 38 years, and he looks back now and it explains a lot of things.

Paul Sparacino [Annotator's Note: Sparacino served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962] talked to Doctor Johnny Jones [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify] at the VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration] and a counselor, Dawn Smith [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify], who helped him [Annotator's Note: with post traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed]. He recommends anyone listening to this interview who has issues to contact the mental health department of the VA. He did not want to talk about it at first. They tried drugs on him, but he could not stomach them. He deals with it on his own and talking about it is one way to deal with it. There are a lot of veteran suicides. Recently, his stepson retired from the Air Force and got Sparacino doing 20 push-ups a day. Twenty veterans a day are committing suicide. They did that for 22 days and video-taped them doing it. They posted it on Facebook [Annotator's Note: a social media application] and nominated others to do it. He was contacted by others told him he opened their eyes to some things, and they were going to seek help. He gives the contact number for the National Suicide [Annotator's Note: the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline] out. Sparacino would have mood swings, which he did not know about. They would come out of nowhere. Something would set it off. His ex-wife did not know what was going on either. He got to talk to doctors about it. It fried [Annotator's Note: slang for damaged heavily] his thyroid [Annotator's Note: an endocrine gland in the neck]. In 1993, he went on medication for that. The PTSD [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] part explained a lot about his moods. He still has issues with it but does not take anything for it.

Paul Sparacino [Annotator's Note: Sparacino served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962] did not get a lot of information back then [Annotator's Note: when learning about World War 2 in school]. He knew a lot about Andrew Higgins and his boats [Annotator's Note: Andrew Jackson Higgins; founder Higgins Industries and manufacturer of Higgins Boats - LCVP; landing craft, vehicle, personnel] that were made in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He employed 20,000 people of different races, creeds, and colors, and paid them all the same wages. They say he won the war. If was not for the Higgins boats, a lot more guys would have been lost. He knew about the Japan situation and dropping the two atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. There was not too much said about it. His last two years of high school, he went to regular school a half a day and to trade school the other half studying auto mechanics. After he got out the Navy, he did that for a couple of weeks but decided it was not for him. He does not recall a lot about the history of the atomic bombs. Once he was involved in the Navy [Annotator's Note: Sparacino was aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962], that opened his eyes. Sparacino had not much involvement with the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. Even with Desert Storm issues [Annotator's Note: Gulf War, codenamed Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, 2 August 1990 to 28 February 1991], he was just trying to raise a family. He did not get too into politics until the last 20 years [Annotator's Note: from the time of this interview]. Back then, not much was talked about with those issues. In high school, he knew about the Soviet Union and Russia. He knew where it was on a map. When he was aboard ship, and they made a pass at the coast of Russia and Russian aircraft came so close they could see the pilot and the red star on the jet when being buzzed. That was neat to see up close and personal.

The locals in the Philippines loved Paul Sparacino and the other sailors [Annotator's Note: who served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5)]. They were based in Subic Bay [Annotator's Note: Subic Bay, Philippines]. Clark Air Base [Annotator's Note: in Luzon, Philippines] was there. There was a town close by where they would take liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] off the ship. They would be taken into town in a trailer shoulder-to-shoulder. Olongapo [Annotator's Note: City of Olongapo, Luzon, Philippines] was a small town with restaurants and bars with bands. There was an EM Club [Annotator's Note: enlisted men's club] on base too. Olongapo was about 15 miles from the base. The people were very friendly. It was that way in Hong Kong [Annotator's Note: now Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China]. He and Larry [Annotator's Note: a friend; phonetic spelling; unable to identify] took about ten days with another guy from Richmond, Virginia. They wore civilian clothes. They also took a bullet train in Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan]. He went into Hawaii a few times. Cleopatra [Annotator's Note: 1963 American film] with Elizabeth Taylor [Annotator's Note: Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, British-American actor] and Richard Burton [Annotator's Note: born Richard Walter Jenkins, Junior, Welsh actor] was playing in a theater. About halfway through the movie, the Shore Patrol [Annotator's Note: naval military police] came in and took the men in uniform out. They were taken up onto Diamond Head [Annotator's Note: volcanic cone on Oahu, Hawaii] because a tidal wave was coming. The Princeton had to pick up anchor and head out to sea. It was something to see, but not what they thought it was going to be.

Paul Sparacino was in the Philippines [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5)] when Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975] broke out. They took the first battalion of Marines aboard the Princeton and housed them on the hangar deck. They were taking them to Vietnam. Sparacino ran into a high school buddy named Richard White [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify]. White made it back and volunteers at the VA office [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration]. They had Agent Orange [Annotator's Note: chemical defoliant used by the United States] aboard the Princeton. They got into rough weather and some of the drums toppled over, exposing Sparacino who had to help clean it up. The Princeton is now part of the Blue Water Navy [Annotator's Note: Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (PL 116-23); extends the presumption of herbicide exposure to veterans who served in the offshore waters of the Republic of Vietnam 9 January 1962 to 7 May 1975] and is listed as having been within 12 miles of Vietnam waters. The Princeton was attacked by a Vietnamese PT boat [Annotator's Note: patrol torpedo boat]. The Princeton had Navy destroyers who took the PT boat out of the water. They blew it to hell. They left there and went to Johnston Island [Annotator's Note: Johnston Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands] and Christmas Island [Annotator's Note: now Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati] for the atomic bomb testing [Annotator's Note: Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. They could not believe the PT boat attacked them. The Princeton had three-inch turrets [Annotator's Note: three-inch, .50 caliber naval gun] at the front and aft of the ship. His older brother was on the USS Oklahoma City [Annotator's Note: USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) that had 16-inch guns [Annotator's Note: 16-inch, 50 caliber naval gun]. The guns would move the ship sideways when they fired. Aircraft carriers today have smaller escorts to protect them. That was pretty much all the action he saw during Vietnam.

The USS Princeton (CV-37) could not get close to the island [Annotator's Note: Johnston Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands] and had to anchor out. Paul Sparacino and the sailors would get in liberty boats [Annotator's Note: small boats carried aboard larger ships] and go to the island to get the natives off and onto the Princeton before the test shots. They were the flagship of Operation Dominic [Annotator's Note: Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. After one of the rocket launchers blew up on the pad, they went back on the island without any kind of protection. When they witnessed explosions, they did not have any protection. Some guys had dark goggles but there were not enough to go around. When they took the natives back to the island with the scientists, they would picnic, play softball, and swim in the ocean. It was all irradiated and contaminated and nobody told them they should not do it. They were guinea pigs [Annotator's Note: a rodent that is often used as a laboratory test animal; nickname for a person used as a test animal] the whole time. They had to sign an oath of secrecy [Annotator's Note: Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act] back then. When they got out, they could not talk about it. His ex-wife did not know anything of what he went through. Bill Clinton [Annotator's Note: William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd President of the United States] in 1996 repealed that oath. A lot of guys died before that and did not know they could go to the VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration] and get medical benefits and compensation. When he signed it, he was following orders. He and the other men did not know what they were going up on the flight deck for until they were there. They told them nothing would happen to them. They were just told to watch after explosion and watch the mushroom cloud. Sparacino was afraid to talk about it when he got out. In 1996, the O.J. Simpson trial [Annotator's Note: criminal trial in which former American football player Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson was tried for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, 24 January to 3 October 1995] was happening so when the oath was repealed it was not broadcast. The trial took up all the news in that era. A lot of people have never heard of atomic veterans [Annotator's Note: any veteran who, as part of his or her military service participated in an above-ground nuclear test between 1945 and 1962 or was part of the United States military occupation force around Hiroshima, Japan or Nagasaki, Japan before 1946, or was a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki].

Paul Sparacino thought the explosions were unreal [Annotator's Note: Sparacino served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. There were beautiful colors. He witnessed nine nuclear test shots. What he saw in Nevada in 2016 at the NAAV [Annotator's Note: National Association of Atomic Veterans] convention. In 1962 he was one of the last [Annotator's Note: atomic veteran; any veteran who, as part of his or her military service participated in an above-ground nuclear test between 1945 and 1962 or was part of the United States military occupation force around Hiroshima, Japan or Nagasaki, Japan before 1946, or was a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki] to see above ground testing. There was underground testing in Las Vegas [Annotator's Note: Las Vegas, Nevada] after that. He went to the site [Annotator's Note: Nevada Proving Grounds, or Nevada Test Site, now called Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada] and saw the craters. The Sedan crater [Annotator's Note: created 6 July 1962 by underground detonation] is amazing in size. Being in a nuclear war would be devastating. He has seen pictures of Nagasaki, Japan after the explosions [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. Hopefully no countries will use them. It is devastating to think about and hard for him to talk about still. There was one underwater demolition from a submarine. Suddenly a rocket came from underwater and exploded. The air drops were different types of explosions. He has a list of the names of each shot. They created different mushroom clouds and colors. They followed up with a shockwave. He spoke with men from Las Vegas who witnessed those explosions from trenches. It was good they were below ground. Sparacino has buddies that looked up when they were not supposed to from the flight deck. A dental assistant lost an eye from the exposure. Others have lost limbs. Sparacino feels fortunate to not have had worse issues than he has.

When readying for nuclear test, Paul Sparacino and the crew [Annotator's Note: Sparacino served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962] would send liberty boats [Annotator's Note: small boats carried aboard larger ships] to the island to get the natives and bring them to the Princeton. There were concrete bunkers for the scientists who stayed there. There were different service branches that would come on the Princeton to get off the islands. They would have the test and then send them back to the islands with radiation everywhere. They are still fighting that today and some of the islands are uninhabited. Christmas Island [Annotator's Note: now Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati], Bikini Islands [Annotator's Note: Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands], and some of the Marshall Islands. Johnston Island [Annotator's Note: Johnston Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands] is just a piece of coral. When they played ball, if the ball hit the ground, it would knock the hide off. They were the last to do above ground, atmospheric testing. In 1975, they sent a bunch of guys over from different branches to Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Enewetok Atoll, Marshall Islands] where they created a big, concrete dome where they dumped all the irradiating equipment like 18-wheelers [Annotator's Note: nickname for tractor-trailers]. They did that through the 1980s. The VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration] does not recognize those guys as atomic veterans [Annotator's Note: any veteran who, as part of his or her military service participated in an above-ground nuclear test between 1945 and 1962 or was part of the United States military occupation force around Hiroshima, Japan or Nagasaki, Japan before 1946, or was a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki]. All of that is leaking now into the ocean. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Sparacino if he or any of the guys questioned or wondered about protective gear or their exposure when the testing was going on.] Some men had dark goggles. He did not. They had no protective clothing. He just wore dungarees and a t-shirt which was standard dress on ship. Thinking about it afterwards is why he thinks they were just guinea pigs [Annotator's Note: a rodent that is often used as a laboratory test animal; nickname for an individual used as a test animal]. They just wanted to see what would happen to them. Atomic veterans are dying at 1,600 per month. There are very few left. A lot of them do not know they can go to the VA and get help. It is sad.

Paul Sparacino found out about atomic veterans [Annotator's Note: atomic veteran; any veteran who, as part of his or her military service participated in an above-ground nuclear test between 1945 and 1962 or was part of the United States military occupation force around Hiroshima, Japan or Nagasaki, Japan before 1946, or was a prisoner of war in or near Hiroshima or Nagasaki] around 2000 [Annotator's Note: Sparacino served aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5) during Operation Dominic, series of 31 nuclear test explosions by the United States in the Pacific, April to October 1962]. He did not know about the PTSD [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] part of it until 2008. He filed a claim back in 2000 for thyroid issues [Annotator's Note: an endocrine gland in the neck], anxiety, and skin cancers, but was denied. He filed three times and was denied each time. After '08 [Annotator's Note: 2008], he filed again for PTSD, and he started receiving compensation. That is when he got involved with the NAAV group [Annotator's Note: National Association of Atomic Veterans] and helping others. American Legion [Annotator's Note: nonprofit organization of U.S. war veterans] and Disabled Veterans [Annotator's Note: Disabled American Veterans, charity] will help also for free. The American Legion helped him. He is member of each organization. Sparacino and the others are not recognized. They did not get medals. The NAAV group is trying to get them more recognition. There are two or three bills and resolutions before Congress today [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview] looking for Senators to sponsor them. Some parts of the country have highways named for atomic veterans. After 57 years, he received a certificate from the Federal Government saying he is an atomic veteran. The National Director for the NAAV group has spoken to Congress about the issues. Sparacino does not feel that it was right to treat him and others as guinea pigs [Annotator's Note: a rodent that is often used as a laboratory test animal]. Since he has been out [Annotator's Note: of the military], they have never checked on him or his family. They denied for 13 years that he had any issues. He is on medication for the rest of his life. When he was discharged, he got no physical exams. He does not know if that is done today. A lot of guys have mental issues and do not want to talk about it. Sparacino learned on his own. He wants to talk to those guys and also get the word out.