The sixth of the listed NTPR tasks was to identify and notify individuals whose radiation doses exceeded current Federal guidelines and to offer veterans free medical examinations at VA hospitals. Notification and medical examination programs exist for three categories of DOD test participants: Over-25-rem* Participants, Desert Rock Volunteer Observers, and Over-5-rem Participants. In addition, free VA medical examinations are available upon request to all atomic veterans. See chapter 3 for a discussion of the VA examination process. In March 1979, the notification and veterans medical examination program was initiated for all test participants with cumulative doses from atmospheric testing in excess of 25 rem. The threshold of 25 rem was selected because it is the current recommended national guideline for a one-time, planned exposure under emergency conditions. As of 1 May 1986, the NTPR had identified 39 DOD personnel in the Over- : ‘ 25-rem group, with external doses ranging from just over 25 rem to an estimated high of 98 rem. Most of these exposures resulted from a wind shift at BRAVO, detonated on 1 March 1954 ‘at Bikini as part of Operation CASTLE (see section 4.10). Of the 37 participants who had identifiable addresses and could be contacted, 19 did and 5 ‘did not want examinations. Twelve veterans took the examinations (13). In May 1979, the DOD notification and VA examination program was expanded to include officer volunteer observers who took part in the Desert Rock troop exercises during the testing. These volunteers were closer to ground zero than any other participants at shot-time, and they received gamma doses ranging from a few millirem to about 14 rem. The volunteer observers at Shots NANCY (24 March 1953), BADGER (18 April 1953), SIMON (25 April 1953), and APPLE 2 (5 May 1955) were also exposed to neutron radiation (11). The first three of these shots were part of Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE and are discussed in section 4.9. The fourth, Shot APPLE 2, was part of Operation TEAPOT and is discussed in section 4.11. *See Appendix B, Glossary, The NTPR teams have located current for definitions of rem and other technical terms. 17