Who’s Who Among Oklahoma Veterans
Clifford Lewis was born in Eufaula, OK, on October 2, 1937. After graduating from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, Clifford Lewis enlisted in the United States Air Force at the end of the Korean War and before the escalation of the Vietnam War. His service was quite extraordinary, since he was among the few service members chosen to witness and be subjected to atomic bomb tests by the United States government.
During his service, Clifford was an Airman 2nd Class, and served as a Crash Rescue and Recovery Firefighter. Many times, he was chosen to travel to Johnson Island where he was subjected to be present during the actual detonations of these great bombs over the island. These tests were called Operation Dominic.
He was originally stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ, but was called up on TDY assignments for 120 Days to serve on Johnson Island where they did many of the tests. While on Johnson Island he was taken over to Sand Island for another detonation. After his time on Johnson Island, they sent him back to Tucson until he was called up on another TDY assignment to go to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, North Africa. After he returned to Tripoli, he was called up on another “TDY” to Osan, Korea.
“His stories will give you chills,” said Tammy Ross, Daughters of the American Revolution, representative who nominated Clifford. “In his interview with me, he stated that each time ‘They put us on the center of an island, and we had to bend over and put our head between our legs. They gave us dark goggles and earplugs. We knew they were doing something, but we didn’t really know what was going on. There was a countdown then a detonating bomb above and a bright flash.'”
In 1962, Lewis witnessed an atomic bomb dropped in the Pacific Ocean. He commented that when detonated “there was an explosion of colors with a mushroom cloud.”
Because these tests were top secret, Clifford and his unit were sworn to secrecy and he remained under orders of secrecy until Defense Secretary William Perry lifted the orders in 1996.
“Many atomic veterans are still hesitant to talk about these tests and Clifford speaks of it in such a humble manner,” said Ross, adding, “Later, he was transferred to Wheelus AFB in Tripoli, Libya, North Africa and then onto Osan Air Base in South Korea where he spent the remainder of his service time.”
The medals he earned were the Korea Defense Medal, the Longevity Medal, Good Conduct award, Atomic Veterans Service Medal, Outstanding Unit Medal, and the National Defense Medal. After he was discharged, Clifford returned home to Oklahoma where he became an Oklahoma City Fire Fighter serving 27 years, concluding his remaining 15 years with OKFD as a Major Arson Investigator.
He earned a Degree in English at the University of Central Oklahoma. Clifford is a member of the Muscogee-Creek Nation and served for a decade on the Muscogee-Creek Nation Honor Guard with his brother and brother-in-law as they participated in Veterans funerals, parades, and presenting the Colors at various ceremonies across the State of Oklahoma. He is the Oklahoma State Commander of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV) and an Advocate for Atomic Veterans for which he has taken part in several legislative opportunities. He is a member of the American Legion Post 111 and the VFW Post 4938 both in Edmond, OK. He is also a member of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, OK.