A group of U.S. Air Force veterans who once guarded America’s most classified military projects have come forward to reveal that their work at Area 51 may have cost them their health—and in many cases, their lives.
Former Air Force Sgt. David Crete, who served at the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR)—home to the infamous Area 51—told Congress that hundreds of fellow airmen have died or fallen seriously ill due to radiation exposure on the classified base.
“I have brain atrophy… I’m one of the healthy ones,” Crete testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee in April.
INVISIBLE ILLNESS
Area 51 veterans plagued by ‘invisible illness’ after working on top-secret projects pic.twitter.com/yQWoNn55Ub— Simo Saadi🇺🇸🇲🇦 (@Simo7809957085) July 18, 2025
Radiation Exposure Kept Secret
Crete and others served from the 1970s through the late 1980s guarding projects like the F-117A Nighthawk, America’s first stealth bomber.
But the site was also built on land previously contaminated by nuclear testing, a fact revealed in a 1975 federal report—which concluded that halting operations would be “against the national interest.”
Records of what the airmen did remain classified, making it nearly impossible to prove their exposure, and as a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs has denied them care.
“All records of our activities are marked as ‘data masked,’” Crete said.
Families Suffering Too
The long-term, low-dose radiation exposure may have done more than harm the veterans. Crete shared devastating stories of how the effects spread to their families:
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His wife had three miscarriages
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One fellow veteran’s wife had seven
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All four of Crete’s children were born with birth defects or serious health issues
“It was my DNA that was permanently altered,” Crete told lawmakers.
“A Matter of Betrayal”
Veterans say the government knew the risks and kept them in the dark.
“These folks knew, and they purposefully kept it quiet because it was more beneficial to them not to tell us,” said veteran Mike Nemcic.
They have now asked Congress to extend the same health protections granted in 2000 to nuclear workers and civilian employees—something they’ve been excluded from due to the classified nature of their work.
Two bipartisan bills—The Protect Act and The Forgotten Veterans Act—have been introduced to correct that.
Mission Still Classified
Most of what these men did is still top secret, and they’ve never been allowed to speak about their work—not even to their own families.
“My mom knew absolutely zero about what I was doing,” said veteran Pomp Braswell.
Crete recalled the only time their unit’s efforts were acknowledged came from the late Senator John McCain, who told him:
“Your unit ended the Cold War.”
