Not the Hanford I knew
I worked at Hanford for a few years in the late '50s and early '60s ("The Hanford Whistleblowers," HCN, 2/3/14). Some days, as we traveled to the reactor areas, you could see Nike missiles on the ridge across the Columbia River. The missiles were there to protect the site from air attack. We would have a 20-minute warning in case of an enemy air attack; hopefully the missiles would protect us.
Things were different in those days. Hanford was a highly patriotic site, proudly operating within our best ability to support the defense of the country. Since then, all production reactors have been shut down. The Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor was built, operated, shut down, and the reactor core physically removed to a disposal area. This story is not about the Hanford I knew. It is sad to read about the current difficulties. I hope this story helps straighten out the reported problems.
Wes Allen
Grand Junction, Colorado
