James Ryder
Participating in "Exercise Desert Rock"
Camp Desert Rock, Nev., Oct. 15 -- Pfc. James Ryder, son of Mrs. Jackson Smith, of 248 West Washington St., Lowell, is one of the 5,000 men of the armed forces participating in "Exercise Desert Rock" near Las Vegas, Nev.He is a member of the service troops supporting Third Corps, which is headquarters for the operation, under the command of Maj. Gen. William B. Kean.
"Desert Rock" is a training exercise conducted by the army to familiarize ground troops with the tactics, organization and problems of atomic warfare. The exercise will take place at the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada test site, but is separate from the scientific developmental works at the site.
The service troops will not take part in the actual tests. A battalion of combat troops will establish a battle position, including entrenchments, barbed wire, and emplacements of weapons. Prior to the actual detonation, the combat troops will withdraw to predetermined positions of safety. General Kean has stressed that the troops will not be exposed to unnecessary danger. "The army is leaning over backward" to insure the safety of troops in the test maneuvers, the general stated.
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