Honoring Atomic Veterans: Alice P. Broudy Papers

November 11 is a day to honor the veterans who have served our nation.  UNLV archivist Joyce Moore has just completed the description of material focused on veteran Major Charles A. Broudy, USMC, who served in World War II, the Korean War, and at the Nevada Test Site. Major Broudy died of cancer in 1977 and, as a result, his wife, Alice Patricia “Pat” Broudy, has dedicated much of her life to the cause of “atomic veterans,” a term used to describe United States veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation during their military service.

The Alice P. Broudy Papers on Broudy v United States (MS-00097) document the landmark legal case and subsequent appeals attempting to demonstrate that the U.S. Government was negligent in warning servicemen of the health risks associated with radiation exposure. In addition to legal files and Pat Broudy’s extensive research on radiation and nuclear testing, the collection also includes Major Broudy’s military service records and several striking color photographs of atomic bomb detonations at government test sites.  View a detailed description of the collection's contents.

Pat Broudy generously gave these materials to UNLV, saying, “I donated the materials I collected for more than thirty-four years because I wanted to make my work available to researchers and I wanted to raise public awareness about atomic veterans, downwinders, and their families. Even though I have never lived in Nevada I entrusted UNLV Special Collections with my materials because I wanted them housed in an academic repository that honors and respects all sides of the nuclear testing debate.”

Ask Us