Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeBy the Herald editorial staff
The Cold War was a long, tedious and scary time for the world at large and, particularly, inside the fence at Hanford.
Today marks a special time of remembrance for nuclear workers of the Cold War era.
There'll be a ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Drive.
Take it in.
Department of Energy Richland Manager Dave Brockman and state Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, will speak.
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution in May designating a national day of remembrance for Cold War nuclear workers.
The Cold War Patriots, a nonprofit group, plans to create time capsules with material from Hanford and other weapons sites.
A good place to spend a part of this special day is online at www.coldwarhanford.com. In addition to digital versions of the articles in today's special section, the website includes more than 700 historic photos from Hanford's Cold War era.
Or schedule a visit to the CREHST (Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology) Museum in Richland. There you will encounter artifacts from the workaday lives of early Hanford workers and the difficult conditions under which they lived.
There's even one of the original trailers sitting outside the museum. It will no doubt strike you as pretty small, pretty primitive and, since it was not air-conditioned, a pretty hot way to spend a summer in the desert.
The early days of Hanford as a government site were rough and tumble and filled with tension. The most careful judgment was needed and exhibited in loading the B Reactor, now designated a National Historic Landmark, recognizing the role it played in shaping 50 years of U.S. and world history.
There are many heroes of the Cold War, from presidents who stood up to the Soviet menace to those in the service who were at greatest risk.
It's appropriate to have a special day for those who toiled in nuclear plants around the country.
Hanford played a noble part in ending one war and preventing another.
Thus today is long overdue.
Editorials are the consensus of the Tri-City Herald editorial board.
Editorial board members are Rufus Friday, publisher; Chris Sivula, editorial page editor; Ken Robertson, executive editor; Matt Taylor, contributing editor; Lori Lancaster, editorial writer; Shelly Norman, editorial writer and Jack Briggs, retired publisher
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