Part 5/9:
Bud Meers, one of the last surviving Piute extras, shared his tragic experience of losing family members to cancer. Such devastation was not confined to cast members; Claudia Peterson, who grew up near the testing sites, recounted the alarming health issues affecting her community. The early excitement surrounding nuclear tests often overshadowed their catastrophic implications. Families would gather for picnics to watch the explosions, blissfully unaware that they were living in the shadow of danger.