Carter Roy

I know, it's terrible.

And what's even worse is doctors tell Betty she can't treat her cancer with radiation.

That her skin is too paper thin and damaged already.

But she's able to undergo surgery to remove her right breast based on reports that seems to keep her cancer at bay.

That's good news, sure.

But imagine being Betty, facing a cancer diagnosis and not knowing if it's linked to what happened that night.

and not knowing who or what to blame, every health problem becomes just another mystery that plagues her mind from time to time in between fighting for survival.

It's exhausting and cripplingly expensive.

In 1983, Betty and the Landrums decide to do something about it.

They want answers.

They want to know what happened to them, and they want the people responsible to pay.

They follow the advice of John and their lawyers and file a civil lawsuit against the government for their medical expenses plus pain and suffering.

$15 million for Vicki and Betty, plus another $5 million for Colby.

And when you know it, the government changes its tune.

They tap Lieutenant Colonel George Saran of the Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation.

And according to the government, he does just that.

He leaves no stone unturned and hands over his findings to the court.

His conclusion?

Oh, the government did no wrong.

Now, a lot of time passes between the filing of the lawsuit and the judge's final decision, about three years, which is to be expected.