An “invisible enemy” is being blamed for the deaths of several former Area 51 personnel — and now, one veteran has come forward with a chilling claim: a classified government project permanently altered his DNA.
Long shrouded in mystery, the top-secret facility in Nevada is often linked to unidentified flying objects and theories of extraterrestrial life. Officially known as the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), the site hosts one of the most highly classified U.S. Air Force bases — a place the public knows little about.
But now, a number of former workers are speaking out. They say the government exposed them to unknown substances and experiments without their consent — and they’re calling it a death sentence they never agreed to serve.
Former Air Force Sergeant David Crete spent four years stationed at the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), home to the famously secretive Area 51. Decades later, he’s leading a battle not on the front lines—but against the very government he once served.
Crete now heads The Invisible Enemy, a nonprofit demanding answers and justice. The group advocates for government transparency and is pushing for legislation to secure medical care and compensation for service members and families exposed to toxic contamination at the NTTR.
According to Crete, over 490 veterans who served at the facility have since died from serious, often unexplained illnesses.
Speaking at the House Veterans Affairs Committee earlier this year, Crete made a disturbing declaration:
“My time at the base permanently altered my DNA.”
He recounted heartbreaking consequences:
“My wife had three miscarriages. One of the guys I worked with—his wife had seven. All four of my children were born with birth defects or significant health problems.”
Crete believes prolonged exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation at the base silently rewrote his genetic code—damage he unknowingly carried home.
“It’s not their fault. I’m not saying it’s mine, but I brought it home.”
Crete isn’t alone. Many other veterans from the site have experienced similar tragedies, and medical experts suspect radiation exposure is a common thread.
In 2016, Crete hosted a reunion barbecue at his Las Vegas home. Old Air Force friends gathered—and what was meant to be a lighthearted catch-up turned into a grim realization: far too many were either sick, dying, or already gone.
Now, Crete and his fellow veterans are no longer staying silent. They’re naming the “invisible enemy” and demanding the government face accountability for what happened behind Area 51’s locked gates.
After having a grapefruit-sized tumor removed from his back, David Crete opened up about his own health struggles during a reunion with fellow veterans. When veteran Randy Groves mentioned a lump on his back, Crete revealed that lump was just one of over 20 lipomas scattered across his body.
Shockingly, it’s believed that eight of the veterans at that very table were battling tumors.
Adding to their plight, Crete and many other Area 51 veterans are being denied access to critical Veterans Affairs healthcare. Their medical records are reportedly “Data Masked,” effectively blocking them from receiving the care and support they desperately need.