Ignored Heroes of World War II: The Manhattan Project workers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee

by Richard Cook

It’s one of the great untold epic stories of American history. The Manhattan Project was the largest industrial project ever undertaken by mankind. Americans have no concept of the speed or the audacious scale of this endeavor to make enriched fuel for a weapon. Over 75,000 Americans worked 24/7 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for almost three years, in the largest secret scientific/industrial complex ever built in human history. When finished, the uranium needed was the size of volleyball. Over 75,000 workers work 24//7 for almost three years…for a volleyball. What drove this massive effort? Two Adolf Hitler and the slaughter of war. Hitler had an atomic bomb program too. If he got the bomb first, London would be gone. This was a race, with millions of lives hanging in the balance. Every second counted. The breakneck pace of the project also happened because of American soldiers dying in distant lands. The loss of American life during World War II would equal a 9/11 attack every five days for three and a half years. The slaughter had to stop. Ignored Heroes of World War II, is an oral history with quotes from these workers who were eye-witnesses to the most important event of the 20th century. Over 100 photographs from Oak Ridge compliment the oral histories. Never before has there been a narrative told from the perspective of the workers who came to this top secret industrial plant to help end the deadliest conflict ever seen by mankind. Modest by nature, optimistic by the demands of war, these workers, mostly young, mostly women and mostly single, weave their tales of work, love, marriage and the stresses of war and isolation. It is unlike any narrative from our nation’s history. The story line is a hybrid of science fiction fantasia, patriotic inspired drama and romantic intrigue. Their determination, their humor and their pluck can inspire and humble us today. When called upon, Americans are capable of great sacrifice, resilience and devotion; which all flows from a love of country and, ultimately, from a love of family. These ignored heroes did everything asked of them to get their boys back home safely. It is time for these heroes to tell their stories. We can ignore them no longer.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2015

Reviews

[Barbara Beitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atomic City secrets revealed

I came of age in Oak Ridge; my family moved there from Chicago in 1946, when I was seven years old. My father was a theoretical physicist, and my mother was a portrait photographer. This book filled in many gaps for me, especially from the secret city’s birth and first few years before before we moved there. The early photographs were well coordinated with the story, as told through interviews with early Oak Ridgers. The book brought back memories of paranoia, secrecy, and fear that many of us felt in those years.

[Danyelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very glossy book. Glossy pictures, and it glosses over a lot of the horrible parts of oak ridge. While segregation is addressed, it is done so in a very.. glossy way. Other accounts of oak ridge give a more detailed account of the horrible living conditions of black people in oak ridge that doesn't align well with this one. Mental health of the community is also painted in a very light manor, and the stresses of living in a secret community where no one knows what they are doing, cannot openly discuss their everyday lives, and the implications of the work that they did after the bombs were dropped. Was still worth the read, but definitely doesn't feel genuine.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating reading. To have first hand info about that secret project is wonderful, just glad he did not wait too long for that. Thanks for the informative read. Sad that many today do not realize the danger these went through for our freedom which we enjoy today. All need to take the road less traveled to the time this occurred and they will understand the necessity of what this meant to the world.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history. I had no idea this was the way the bomb was produced.

[Elizabeth Soldano · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alternative view of Oak Ridge, Tn. during the Manhattan Project

I have read a few books on this subject, but what I enjoyed the most was reading the narrations of the people who were there, several who I know (or knew) personally. I came to Oak Ridge at the age of 9, and now in my 60's. Some are still living. I also love looking at the photos and trying to figure out where they were made. It was an amazing adventure for these young people!

[Ricky Kimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oak Ridge

This is account of the work done in Oak Ridge,Tennessee for the Manhattan Project. You get a sense from the interviews what life was like in this secret colony from the secrecy to how cut off from the rest of the world everyone was.

[Maryroseanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insight about the attitude of Americans during WWII.