Niamh Shackleton
Former Area 51 staffers say that they're suffering with life-threatening health conditions as a result of working at the top secret base.
Area 51 is a highly classified US Air Force base that's located in Nevada within the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), which is sometimes referred to as Area 52.
Nobody really knows what goes on at the base as members of the public are urged to stay away from the site and it's illegal to fly over Area 51.
Adding to its confidentially, those who work and have worked at the military base are sworn to secrecy.
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It's this secrecy that's been a topic of debate in recent years in light of several former Area 51 staff members, who worked at the site in the 1980s and 1990s, alleging that working at the site has left them with deadly health conditions.
However, because their records are 'Data Masked', they claim they cannot get the government-provided medical treatment and compensation they say they deserve.
David Crete, a former Air Force Sergeant who'd worked at NTTR from 1983 through 1987, runs a group called The Invisible Enemy.
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As per NewsNation, this is 'a nonprofit fighting for government transparency, pushing for legislation that would provide medical treatment and compensation for military personnel and their families who were exposed to contamination at the Nevada Test and Training Range'.
Back in 2016, Crete hosted a reunion BBQ and invited his fellow Air Force friends to his Las Vegas home.
Fellow veteran Randy Groves said that he had a lump on his back, sparking Crete to share his own experiences after having a 'grapefruit-sized tumor' removed from his back.
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The large lump was just one of more than 20 lipomas on his body. Crete also has something called brain atrophy, which causes a loss of neurons and connections between neurons, Cleveland Clinic says.
Discussing their ailments further, it went on to be revealed that eight people around the table had reportedly developed tumors.
Groves said of this: "It just kind of confirmed it. There was an issue where we were. That’s the one common denominator. We were all there."
Mike Nemcic is another veteran said to have developed tumors and has faced four bouts of cancer: throat, salivary gland, bladder and colon. Additionally Robert Krouse has had cancer twice, one of which resulted in him needing 80 percent of his tongue removed, NewsNation further reports.
It's believed that their illnesses are a result of being exposed to nuclear radiation while working at Area 51.
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But the US Department of Defense are said to have denied that these veterans were ever at Area 51 as their records are 'Data Masked' meaning they cannot get access to Veterans Affairs — which provides healthcare to eligible military veterans.
Veterans Affairs has previously addressed this. Per a spokesperson from the Air Force who spoke to UNILAD, the statement read: "The VA works hard to provide veterans with benefits connected to their service. They attempt to gather a veteran’s records, including medical and service, and medical evidence from the Veterans Health Administration and private providers as warranted. If the records don’t contain sufficient medical evidence to decide the claim, the VA will also request a medical examination at no cost to the claimant. They also look at statements from the veteran and/or buddy statements.
"Veterans can visit VA.gov or call us at 1-800-MYVA411. Additionally, individuals can request their records from the National Personnel Records Center. Please let me know if I can help with anything else."