President Biden declared this Sunday as National Atomic Veterans Day.

The day is set aside to honor America's veterans who worked on the testing of nuclear weapons and led our country to the forefront of the technology.

One Kentucky man was honored earlier this year for his time working at an atomic weapon site, and 93 year old Jerry Will Brandt says he was honored to serve and receive the recognition.

As a mechanic.

But Jerry Will Brandt is more than just a mechanic.

He's an atomic veteran.

Atomic Veterans are military members who participated in nuclear related activities after World War Two through 1962.

These vets participated in nuclear weapons tests, remove radiation from equipment, or were exposed to it like veterans assigned to serve in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After the United States detonated the bombs, Fat man and little boy at the end of World War Two attacked the US nuclear weapons program conducted over 200 test, earning that time with more than 400,000 servicemembers playing a role.

Many of the members didn't know the risks of being involved, and some suffered health issues because of their work.

Young 2118 We didn't worry about nothing.

It was like an anywhere else we went.

Arabia is interesting, you know, the fact that we're doing it.

Other than that, we didn't really much care, I guess.

Serving in Sacramento during the Korean War.

Jerry took to the skies and a B 29 after atomic weapons tests.

And our B-29 would fly around the crowd and he had a plane.

So flying through it.

They ensured no one else was exposed to the cloud and the dangerous radiation inside.

But Jerry says at the time he didn't think much about the tests.

Instead, he says something else was on his mind.

Not much of anything else.

Is this girls?

Despite the joking, Jerry knows what some of his fellow atomic veterans went through.

Many face medical issues because of their exposure to radiation and were denied help from the government.

You know, it's a I think it was a school doctor again and a picture of terminal cancer, but they were all guinea pigs.

Jerry lived a life doing things most people only read about, like chasing hurricanes or exploring the Bermuda Triangle.

But even with his list of adventures, the detonation of the atomic bomb stuck with him.

All right.

An air bottle and there were S.M.

L.A. Watch a bar on the moon.

You see all of that?

That's pretty impressive.

Though his hope, I never have to use them.

His orders to report to the now shuttered McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento are still in pristine condition.

There he, along with other soldiers, would fly from that base to Indian Springs, Nevada, where nuclear tests were conducted.

He has photos from a test he witnessed at the site, photos of an event many hope to never see again.

Most people you know, I don't want to hear movies, you know, on the power that they're telling me that, you know, an alien to power or, you know, if what happened afterwards is what makes a lot of damage.

They are to be highly appreciated, highly glorified.

Danny Glover is commander of American Legion Post 38.

Jerry has been a member of the American Legion for 67 years.

He says all veterans need to be respected for their role, but noted the unique challenges atomic veterans faced during and after their service.

They've sacrificed so much.

A lot of them are no longer with us.

A lot of them didn't live to the ripe old age that Jerry is, and certainly not in the condition he's in.

Jerry Will Brandt was honored for his time as an atomic veteran.

He was given a plaque and a challenge coin inscribed with the Atomic Veterans label.

But even as I tried to get Jerry to talk about his time seeing one of man's most powerful creations.

I like to talk about.

Jerry sat down for an interview.

He spent time talking about the good old days, seeing wonders and sharing it with his fellow soldiers.

Servicemen doing their job.

I guess I enjoyed it.

We had a good time in the service.

It was some rough spots, but you traveled around a lot and but just we put up with it and seen things that we never would have seen before.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm K.C.

Parker, Belle.

Thank you, Casey, for that.

The last nuclear test carried out by the US was in 1992.

The U.S. has conducted more than 1000 nuclear tests with more than 1 million people involved in the process.

America remains the only country to use nuclear weapons during armed conflicts.