U.S. Navy seeks interviews with Grumman's Calverton retirees

When Grumman closed its Calverton weapons plant in 1996, some 3,000 employees lost their jobs.

Now, the U.S. Navy is hoping to connect with those former employees — or family members — as officials search for missing puzzle pieces in the probe of contamination at the sprawling 6,000-acre site.

Navy officials say they want to interview people who worked at the facility from 1954 to 1996, according to a news release announcing the initiative. “Your firsthand experience is vital to supporting our ongoing environmental cleanup efforts at the site,” the department said in the release.

The government-owned, contractor-operated site in Calverton was used to develop and test Navy jets. Fueling areas, paint shops, waste disposal sites and fire training areas were also part of the campus, accord