USS Reagan sailors report cancers after Fukushima rescue mission

51 sailors experiencing thyroid cancer, tumors and leukemia after rescue operation file lawsuit against TEPCO.

Storified by AJAMStream· Mon, Dec 16 2013 14:49:42

US Sailors Vs.TEPCO - Attorney Charles Bonnerspecial_19

In a Reddit thread about the case, several sailors who participated in the rescue mission expressed concern that their involvement was not noted in their Navy medical records:

What concerns me is that those of us who have transferred don't have anything marked in our medical records.ankyle

I did bring it up, during my last PHA and the doc asked "are you having symptoms?" and I haven't, and didn't, and so he wasn't overly concerned.reddit.com

One member of the crew said that, despite his concerns about future health risks, he still looks back on his involvement in Operation Tomodachi with pride:

Even if I get some crazy cancer, I'll still look back on my time in TOMODACHI as one of those rare moments in my Navy career where what I do matters. I'm apart of something that is a lot bigger than myself. I helped build a water-distribution piping system---essentially a portable 24 man showering system with a garden spigot on either end--so that the displaced and now homeless victims of the typhoon could shower and get fresh water to cook their rice that we airlifted in....we brought people onboard for medical attention, airlifted in all sorts of supplies like clothing, food, water, even kids toys so the little ones could have a stuffed animal for comfort.reddit.com

What do you think about the medical findings from Operation Tomodachi? Should the affected sailors receive compensation? Leave a comment below.