Testing
Fred Hagstrom, Printmaker and Artist
Fred Hagstrom (1954—) is an artist from Minnesota best known for his printmaking. He attended Hamline University where he received his Bachelor of Arts and received his masters from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He contributes his time to printmaking and constructing books of art.
Here is the link to his some images in his book Testing!
Summary
Testing by Fred Hagstrom is a collection of images and testimonials from American vets who were impacted by and responsible for carrying out various tasks related to nuclear testing. Hagstrom uses testimonies from the soldiers to explain their experiences and accompanies them with images to provide a visual representation of what the experiences of the U.S. soldiers were like. Many soldiers were forced to endure the health and mental consequences that came with working under such conditions. Many of them ended up having serious health conditions such as tumors, physical injuries, and even post-traumatic stress disorder after setting off the bomb. The images in the text also offer a different perspective showing the real-time images of soldiers directly in front of the bombs as they are being detonated. During the 1940s, the U.S. government began testing many different nuclear weapons during World War II. As a result, many soldiers were forced to endure the hardships and the consequences from the testing. Using both mediums, Hagstrom delivers a powerful message about nuclear testing.Analysis
Using print-making, images, and real-life accounts, Fred Hagstrom successfully conveys the message that nuclear testing, in the fashion of the United States, was absolutely brutal, dangerous, and nothing less than excessive. In one portion of the text, the author states, “It was the last of the 1,032 nuclear tests carried out by the United States since the Trinity test 47 years earlier” (Hagstrom 9). By mentioning the number, the author points out the rate at which the United States carried out such tests demonstrating that it was excessive. Seeing such a high number of nuclear tests being done in less than 50 years demonstrates the excessiveness to which it was carried out. Not only does this point to all the consequences that such has led to but it also indicates how excessive the U.S. was in such a war strategy. Due to the mere fact that these nuclear tests not only harmed the environment but also civilians and soldiers, it would have been best to limit them to what was necessary. According to the History of Nuclear Explosive Testing, “Increasing the knowledge and data associated with nuclear physics and weapon design was the main purpose” (History of Nuclear 1 and 2) but that was not necessary with over 1,000 tests. Throughout the text, Hagstrom continuously portrays images of the mushroom clouds from the bombings in a repetitive fashion. This highlights the excessiveness in which these tests were done and by doing this Hagstrom replicates that.Furthermore, by recounting soldiers’ experiences at the testing sites, the author evokes pathos in the reader using examples from the lives of the vets to paint an image of what they went through. In another image, five soldiers are seen standing relatively close to a bomb as it is being tested (Hagstrom 11, 12). The bomb forms a mushroom cloud in the air with some of the vets closer to it while others stand far away. However, even with these differences, each soldier seems stationery, indicating the unlikeliness of attempting to flee. Although one may look at the image and feel a sense of honor and amazement at the bravery of the soldiers. Soldiers were not allowed to run away during such testing, only further indicating that the nuclear testing process was brutal to say the least. Hagstrom backs this up with a soldier’s statement: Lincoln Gralfs states, “Your natural instincts would be to run away, but that’s not what we were told to do” (Hagstrom 13). The prohibition of running away from a nuclear weapon being detonated highlights the cruelty in the strategy of nuclear testing. Running away as the bomb is set off serves as a way of protection from the harm of it, however not being able to do so exposes one to the danger of such a catastrophe. As a result, the soldiers are harmed as they stand by and absorb all the radiation and heat from the bomb.
The danger of the atomic bombs were further displayed with what it led to for the soldiers. Many soldiers’ accounts include the terrible health consequences that came with interacting and being forced to clean up after the nuclear tests. Health impacts such as cancer, early death, embedded glass in one’s body parts, nodules in the body are only the beginning of what these American vets experienced. After the biggest kiloton bomb was detonated, one soldier mentioned, “Things were dangling, like they had padded clothes or something . . . I think it was their flesh” (Hagstrom 20). This quote shows the direct impact of the bombing, leaving soldiers with their skin dangling from their own bodies. The impacts of these tests were not just found later on with illnesses such as cancer but even led to instant harms as mentioned. Such a quote demonstrates the power and the danger associated with the bombing. Hagstrom includes this quotations from this soldier and by doing this exposes the hidden and untold traumatic experiences endured by the soldiers.
Link: Health consequences of radiation from nuclear weapons
Although nuclear testing was necessary, the United States took it to the extreme. Nuclear testing may be helpful in ensuring that the weapon is functioning correctly and properly. However, although this is the case, the United States carried it out the wrong way. Soldiers were in no way shape or form protected whilst carrying out such tests, and Hagstrom clarifies this through the quotes he provides in his book. Ronald Benoit mentions, “And for protection we just had our utility jackets, our weapons, helmets, and a gas mask” (Hagstrom 19) demonstrating the added danger involved in nuclear testing was the lack of equipment provided to the soldiers whilst carrying out such tests.
Conclusion
The book Testing successfully displays the horrific experiences endured by American soldiers proving that the strategy of nuclear testing within the United States was excessive and produced more harm than benefit. This text serves as a stark reminder of the harsh and terrifying reality of nuclear testing in the United States. The excessiveness of nuclear testing not only destroys our environment and impacts it today but also affects soldiers, civilians, and even communities living in those areas as well. This book makes one think about the tragedy and danger regarding nuclear power when it is in the wrong hands and makes one think about the immeasurable impact that it has on all those involved.Bibliography
Hagstrom, Fred. Testing. Albuquerque, Strong Silent Type Press, 2023“Fred Hagstrom – Groveland Gallery.” Groveland Gallery, https://grovelandgallery.com/artist/fred-hagstrom/. Accessed 28 July 2024.
“NMHB 2020 [Revised].” NMHB 2020 [Revised], https://www.acq.osd.mil/ncbdp/nm/NMHB2020rev/chapters/chapter14.html. Accessed 2 August 2024.
“Radiation Health Effects | US EPA.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 21 May 2024, https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-health-effects. Accessed 28 July 2024.
Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Plumbbob_Hood_001.jpg.
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