Nevada veteran exposes the hidden dangers of a secret military base in a new documentary

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A Nevada veteran spent years serving shrouded in secrecy. So much so that he is denied access to benefits after being exposed to dangerous chemicals.

Dave Crete, a former Air Force veteran, spent much of the 1980s working at a base called the Nevada Test and Training Range, which stretches from north of Vegas to just outside Tonopah. We might call it an Area 51-esque place, but Crete says the work there was much more serious than Contact ET

“The government is conducting covert operations for the development of various weapon systems,” Crete said.

Crete’s job was so top secret that as far as the government was concerned, he and his troops did not exist.

“Because the place where we officially worked is not there, we have never been there. That’s why we were never exposed and that’s why we don’t qualify for our veterans benefits,” Crete said. “We’re going to make them admit we were there.”

About a decade ago, Crete used the power of Facebook to contact other veterans who worked at the same base and decided to hold a reunion. There a vet asked if anyone else had a tumor.

“Six of the eight boys in my backyard had tumors. I have 20 to 25 tumors myself,” Crete said.

Crete realizes this can’t be a coincidence and starts doing some research. What he discovered is that not only was the base contaminated with plutonium 239 and six other radioactive isotopes, but the government knew it and did nothing to prevent it.

“This environmental assessment of the valley where my base was was done in 1975 and says the site is contaminated with plutonium. My base was built in 1979,” Crete explained.

Now Crete, along with other military members on the same base, is not only getting sick, but their children and spouses as well. None of them receive benefits due to their secret status. Crete’s eldest son was born with neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow in the nerves, brain and spinal cord. When his son was diagnosed, doctors said the chance of that genetic mutation was 1 in 50,000.

“We were always in the mud doing exercises,” Crete remembers. “Then we found out the women had cancer because we brought the contaminated dirt home. It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy. When you think it can’t get any worse. It gets worse.”

To draw people’s attention to these issues, Crete created a short documentary that was shown at this year’s Cordillera Film Festival, called ‘The Invisible Enemy’. The film has the same name as that of Crete advocacy groupof which he is chairman of the board of directors. As part of his work, Crete has created a memorial page. It started last June and today he says he added the 362nd name to that list. Crete, who is 59, says the average name on the list is 65. Because he has his own tumors and brain cysts, Crete says these diagnoses are not normal.

“We’ve done the most amazing things and changed history. We are proud of that. People will never know what we’ve done, and they don’t need to. But people need to know what happened to us,” Crete said.

The short film is just the beginning. In addition to a feature-length documentary in the works, Crete is now taking the issue to Washington with the help of Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei, to pass legislation HR 9511. That bill would officially recognize veterans who were exposed to dangerous chemicals while serving in the military. Nevada Test and Training Range.

“It’s one thing not to know your mistake and find out later. It’s another thing to know and say I don’t care,” Crete said.

To this day, service members are still stationed at the Nevada Test and Training Range.