Bill Quick: I saw an ad in the Los Angeles newspaper. MEN NEEDED FOR SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS. I had an interview with the company doing the hiring. They were hiring men for concrete work and they had to have 5 years' experience. I think I was 20 years old at the time. The interviewer said I didn't look old enough to have had 5 years' experience. I said, "You are right but if you need men with 5 years' experience ? they must need helpers". He said, "they sure do, would you like to go as a helper"? I said I would. The necessary papers were filled out and I was told it might take up to 8 weeks to get my temp. Papers, (P Clearance).

I spent 8 months at the Eniwetok Atoll, building all kinds of buildings to test the A-Bombs on. They had a saying that was on signs all over the atolls to remind you that what you were doing was top secret. "What you do here, what you see here when you leave here let it stay here? I started on the job driving V I P's to various locations on the main island. From there I was transferred to a heavy equipment job as an oiler. I had to keep a crane oiled and always ready to go. The crane operator was a nice guy who's last name was Swift. My last name being Quick was quite a coincidence and was talked about all over the atoll. "Quick and Swift", haha.

The crane I worked on was moved many times to different islands in this Eniwetok atoll. I soon learned to run the crane as good as Mr. Swift did. Several months later when his Q clearance didn't come through he was sent back to another island to work on not top secret jobs. This left me with the crane and its operation. Time went fast and we were ready for the BIG ONE-the world's first H-Bomb test. The Atomic Scientists were moved to the island along with the world's first H-Bomb. Bill Quick is an honorary member of the US Nuclear Energy Foundation Advisory Board.