Air Force veterans who served at the top-secret nuclear testing site known as Area 52 in Nevada are claiming they are being denied healthcare for serious health issues, including tumors and other ailments, which they attribute to their time at the base. These veterans argue that their service at the Tonopah Test Range, commonly referred to as Area 52, has left them with debilitating conditions, but they face obstacles in securing the necessary healthcare and benefits.

Mark Ely, 63, shared his harrowing experience with CBS News, revealing that he has been grappling with a litany of health problems since his assignment at Area 52 four decades ago. Ely’s duties involved inspecting secretly obtained Soviet fighter jets stored in hidden hangars at the base. The Tonopah Test Range, located 140 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is shrouded in secrecy and has been a focal point for various top-secret military operations.

“It scarred my lungs. I got cysts on my liver. I started having lipomas, tumors inside my body that I had to remove. My bladder lining was shed,” Ely recounted. His extensive list of health issues paints a dire picture of the impact his service at the site has had on his life.

Despite a 1975 federal environmental assessment confirming the presence of toxic radioactive material at the site, Ely has been unable to secure health coverage. His time at Area 52, conducted under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), is not reflected in his official service record, complicating his efforts to receive compensation and care. “There’s a slogan that people say: ‘Deny deny until you die.’ Kind of true here,” Ely said. “Upholding the national interest was more important than my own life.”

Dave Crete, another veteran who served at Area 52 with the Air Force’s security police squadron, is also suffering from severe health issues. Crete struggles with chronic bronchitis and has developed a tumor in his back. He has spent eight years searching for other veterans who served at the site and has discovered numerous cases of cancer among them.

“The government said they secured the area so there would be no more spread of the contamination,” Crete said. “The way they secured it was with a barbed wire fence. Now I don’t have a PhD in physics, but a barbed wire fence isn’t going to do that.” Crete’s skepticism about the adequacy of the measures taken to contain the contamination underscores the veterans’ concerns about their exposure to hazardous materials.

While other government employees stationed at the site, primarily from the Department of Energy, have received $25.7 billion in federal assistance, Air Force veterans like Ely and Crete do not qualify for this aid. Their service at the base is not documented, and they cannot prove they were there, leaving them ineligible for the compensation and benefits provided to others.

Last fall, Crete and another Area 52 veteran, Pomp Braswell, filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an effort to obtain benefits for their health issues. “The thing is, we were all handpicked to be up there and get that clearance,” Braswell said. “With that being said, we were all at the top of our game, always.” The lawsuit highlights the veterans’ frustration and the challenges they face in securing recognition and support for their service-related health problems.

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, leaving the veterans’ claims unaddressed. The ongoing struggle of these Air Force veterans sheds light on the broader issue of how service members exposed to hazardous conditions are treated and the bureaucratic hurdles they must overcome to receive the care and compensation they deserve.

The Tonopah Test Range, established in the 1950s, has been a site for various classified projects, including the testing of nuclear weapons and advanced aircraft. The secrecy surrounding the activities at Area 52 has made it difficult for veterans to obtain records and prove their exposure to harmful substances. The veterans' plight underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability in addressing the health impacts of service members exposed to dangerous conditions in classified environments.