That time Jimmy Carter walked into a nuclear reactor

[muriel_volestrangler]

Granted, Jimmy Carter isn’t generally described as “badass.” That’s a shame because building thousands of houses for Habitat should be thought of that way. And negotiating a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt involved high levels of bad-assery. Also, too, eradicating the Guinea worm? That’s so badass that Samuel Jackson should play Carter in the movie version of the story.
...
In December 1952, there was an explosion in the reactor of the Chalk River nuclear site in Ontario. The reactor was in partial meltdown and it was flooded with radioactive water. This was Very Bad. Even worse, it was going to have to be dismantled and shut down by hand.
...
Here’s where the story turns into something like an epic Hollywood heist movie. The radiation level was such that, even with the best 1950s-era protective gear, no one could enter Chalk River for more than 90 seconds at a time. So it would have to be like a relay race — wade in, get as much done as possible in 89 seconds, then get out of there while the next guy in line took his turn.

When it was our time to work, a team of three of us practiced several times on the mock-up, to be sure we had the correct tools and knew exactly how to use them. Finally, outfitted with white protective clothes, we descended into the reactor and worked frantically for our allotted time. … Each time our men managed to remove a bolt or fitting from the core, the equivalent piece was removed on the mock-up.

For several months afterwards, we saved our feces and urine to have them monitored for radioactivity. We had absorbed a year’s maximum allowance of radiation in one minute and twenty-nine seconds. There were no apparent after-effects from this exposure — just a lot of doubtful jokes among ourselves about death versus sterility.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2015/08/27/that-time-jimmy-carter-walked-into-a-nuclear-reactor/

America should have brought him back for a 2nd term, even if they had chosen Reagan earlier.

[LiberalArkie]

1. Amen

[Make7]

2. He also went to Three Mile Island when there were fears of a hydrogen explosion. ( n/t )

[TexasProgresive]

3. The last line

Jimmy Carter is a quiet, gentle man who teaches Sunday school. But don’t forget that he’s also a quiet, gentle, Sunday-school teaching badass.

[lostnfound]

4. I was proud and pleased to shake his hand twice

Once when he spoke at my alma mater Georgia Tech. He was a student there himself once.
And once at a Habitat for Humanity function.

Jimmy rocks. I liked him as president and afterward, as human being.

[locks]

5. Great article

Thanks and heartfelt tribute to Jimmy Carter for showing the world what a real American can be.

[gratuitous]

6. I heard this story first on a Paul Harvey radio show

I think it was "The Rest of the Story." I find more than a little significance in the fact that if you know about this story, you probably didn't hear it from Jimmy Carter. Compare and contrast, class, with, oh, let's say, Scott "Unintimidated" Walker. Pencils up. You have five minutes. Starting . . . now!

[NightWatcher]

7. I thought that was just an SNL skit

[Hekate]

8. Wow. I always knew he was a good man; now I know he's incredible. nt