How Military Jet Fuel Leaked Into Hawaii's Drinking Water
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 04. 2022
- After a leak at a Navy fuel facility poisoned the water in November, thousands got sick. Now families are dealing with unexplainable health problems. VICE News investigates how the Navy let this happen, and the Department of Defense’s toxic legacy in Hawaii and other communities near military installations.
Help keep VICE News’ fearless reporting free for millions by making a one time or ongoing contribution here. - vice.com/contribute
Subscribe to VICE News here: bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News
Check out VICE News for more: vicenews.com
Follow VICE News here:
Facebook: / vicenews
Twitter: / vicenews
Tumblr: / vicenews
Instagram: / vicenews
More videos from the VICE network: www. vicevideo
#VICENews #News
As a drinking water engineer, this absolutely infuriates me. Providing clean drinking water is a sacred obligation, and people deserve to not worry about their drinking water. Those who covered this up deserve to be in prison.
We fight wars partly so people can have the right to clean drinking water and healthy lives. When the military itself is the one putting those people at risk we have to re evaluate something. Something is very wrong with the way these problems are managed. If fuel is leaking it's a waste of fuel for a start, you'd think they'd be more bothered about their bottom lines at least if not for peoples safety. If those tanks were built in world war 2 or before then it's a miracle they can still hold any fuel at all in my opinion. Build brand new tanks away from any ground water that won't leak but if they do it can be easily contained and drain the old tanks and destroy them and clean up the whole area. Then apologize and pay for the healthcare of any victims. Most of all make sure anything like this never happens again.
Yeah well how infuriated would you be to know the Naval officer charged with the cleanup was fired for failing his mission. So now there is currently a leak that is going unreported again. Imagine how infuriated you would be if you were here drinking the water in ignorance without bliss? The US knew people were being poisoned and covered it up. It seems they are repeating a cover up but it is too soon to tell. Oahu's main aquaphor is at risk of being contaminated and may be contaminated as I type this. Government operations like this being a factual occurrence in our nations past and present is why many people are skeptical of the .gov in regards to Covid19
@Jajajaja Jajajaja Stupid comment.
Thanks for your work. I don't think people fully understand how much effort it takes to provide clean drinking water to homes.
I don't believe they covered it up out of malice. They want to protect. But certainly neglect and indifference can lead to such undesirable outcomes to say the least. How tired must people be. I pray for us all.
Imagine what our military does in other countries if they can do this to our own citizens
It should be obvious to everyone by now that "THEIR" intentions are not in the best interests of 'the people" but only in power, and money, and covering up ANYTHING that might lead to accountability or reflect badly on the narrative.
Yeah, the US military should just stay out of other countries. It doesn’t make America great to bully their way into other peoples lives & places nothing to do with them. Try fixing problems at home before you send young adults to die for something nobody knows anything about. I’m sure Putin is having a good old belly laugh about America poisoning themselves without any help from him. Good one America,go tell everybody how amazing you are.
Boom boom. Pew pew.
@@suzipaloozie8242 yea we serve and protect the rich, all for their benefit…. Not the regular labour people
Imagine if their safe and effective vaccines became contaminated due to proper storage. Do you think they would reveal that certain batches of Covid vaccines were contaminated?
The commanders who dismissed those civilians should be court marshalled. They knowingly destroyed thousands of lives, and for what? So they could save money on repairs? Hearing them dismiss those families' concerns is just infuriating and heartbreaking.
What would court martial do?
@Anthony Rubio I get all my blades from them
Maybe those that covered this up should be donating Both their kidneys to the victims…./lifetime of Dialysis at best for the perpetrators of this horrid coverup.
@@samueldavis5895 set a precedence in place
@@samueldavis5895put the guilty one in jail
She's right she should have taken more notice when the cat wouldn't drink the water. Animals are very good at picking up when things are off.
We sadly learnt that the hard way when my service dog suddenly didn't want to eat her expensive dog food. Being very well trained she would after being told to twice. I NEVER have to give her a command twice.
That dog food had a brand recall on it & we only learned that when she had to go on for surgery.
So sorry to hear about your dog? Hope she is better now
Happened to my cat. He refused a batch of his normal food, no recall but I didn’t feed him any of the rest. Animals do know
Why demand it to eat when it clearly doesn’t want to? You basically poisoned her because of her loyalty to your commands . Animals are smarter than we think when will people realize that lol
@@BenDover-de7tf no they’re not. Name one animal that can multiply
@@doubiegaming9577 How do you know they can’t multiply? Do you talk to them?
She feels like a bad mother for something that’s completely not her fault
The Navy was gaslighting everybody
Crisp pun, mate. Very nice
Indeed
Brings a deeper meaning to gaslighting!
Yeap. Ad ppsyclogical damage to it
Keeping on all those pharmaceutical drugs for sick care isn't helping... The medicinal industry is also gaslighting and has been for a long time...
This needs to spread like wild fire! Get it on major news outlets. We can’t demand better from other countries if we first don’t start holding ourselves more accountable for our own wrong doings. So messed up.
Yeah Frankie I agree this is worse than any of the stuff you and your frogie friends put in the water.
@@theveganrancor3678 eeew
Nobody cares. Everyone is too busy just trying to make ends meet. We are fucked. We have greedy idiots running everything.
Ok well think about the fact that the Unites states has HUNDREDS of military bases across the globe. Hundreds more than the 2nd most behind them. THIS IS HAPPENIG LITERALLY EVERYWEHERE.
True for all nations
The most sickening part of stories like this is always the cover ups. It wouldn't make things right, but if those responsible just came clean from the start people would come together and do as much as they can to solve the problem, even if there is no easy/immediate solution. The cover ups not only exacerbate the potential health risks to people, but it's these type of lies that make it so nobody trusts the government or military.
you have to be insane to trust the government or the military...they never tell the truth...ever.
I was in the Marine Corps for 8 years...I swear every base we went they told us not to drink the water... im glad my unit was forth coming with that
I was born and raised here and the military has always shown a complete disregard for the needs and desires of Oahu residence when its inconvenient. They opened a live-fire ammunition training ground in Waimanalo, and old part of the town with a huge Hawaiian community that doesn't want to hear guns firing, they refused to return Makua valley, a sacred place to the Indigenous community that they promised to return in the 70's and just never have. They tested tons of bombs on Kaho'olawe making it uninhabitable and aren't even part of the clean up solution that will take generations. Honestly, the needs of the community seem completely secondary to whatever it is the military want to do here.
they will return it when it's all demolished
Absolutely atrocious. Taking the natives paradise and turning it into a toxic waste dump. I feel sorry for the native Hawaiians. They never asked or wanted to be a part of the United States, they had their own royalty and way of life, and now they are living like second/third class citizens in their own land and seeing their beautiful ancient home destroyed. Although I am American I am ashamed to say that to the American government indigenous people have ALWAYS been a burden to them. They do not care about any of them or the promises they made/make to them.
@@meticulous_pickulous30 happens to all us natives :) australia is the same. theirs white australia and black australia (real Australia) we even have two seperate flags.
Y military so much power like dictator
The money is Climate Change
Coming from someone who currently lives on Oahu, was born and raised here. It is disappointing to see what Hawaii has come to in such a short amount of time. This devastating leak has caused many of us locals distress and it’s ridiculous how we couldn’t even trust our own drinking water. Due to this, we are now millions of gallons short of water and it will definitely take years for it to recover. It is also very disappointing how anyone refuses to take the blame as to how the leak was caused in the first place. Thank you Vice for spreading the news about this significantly oppressed topic.
This is so upsetting. Especially if the forces want to play in the south China sea They need the Federal Government to make an upgraded storage somewhere new. Sri to hear this. 💔
The country with the highest military budget in the world can't come up with money to clean up their mess
What are they going to do about the water?
This reminds me when the Navy was here in Vieques PR. To this day residents including children have malformations, tumors and cancer. After a long protest they left.
We've been warned how bad the water shortage could be in the summer but won't know full impact of shutting down the aquifier until that time comes. Stocking up on water till then.
Jerome Ensminger, the guy whose daughter died of cancer, he himself passed away in the last year.
[No links allowed. Please see: "Democracy Now - Shows featuring Jerome Ensminger"]
We need to keep this man's fight alive. May this brave hero rest in peace.
I am an Environmental Science student in University and early in the last semester we were tasked to find current events related to environmental issues and my group found this one. We did so much research and still found so little, this barely got traction to those not in the area. I am glad this has come out and this is piss poor acts by the Navy.
I lived in Hawaii my whole life and finally this is getting some national attention. Not only did they steal our native land but poison the people who been living there for generations.
Hawaii was conquered. Happens all the time. US was stolen from natives. The way the world has always been.
@@bdubb5390 and that makes it okay?
To not only steal the land but then destroy it and poison it’s inhabitants.
Such a shame you literally can't help but slip that antiwhite remark in your comment with this "native land" crap. Here's a message to the Hawaiian Injuns who hate White people and all those who have a stick up their rectum about my people:
Our military (which I am not a fan of at all) defended you from being killed off by the imperial army, and we pumped immense wealth into your nation you never could have built on your own. Your people were not meant to be independent if you cannot develop the means to defend your land. There never will be a functioning, sustainable, and secure "independent Hawaii".
You disgust me with this blame shifting and "Whitey bad" BS. Accept your fate and treat the only people who protected you from genocide, built you clean hospitals and infrastructure, provided you with endless resources, and keep your streets safe with respect, even reverence.
@@liambyrne5285 Yes. We all know Hawaiians have their own language, but Hawaiian isn't a "mauri" language. It's a Polynesian language and it is distantly related to Maōri.
That poor girl. What makes it even worse is that her dad works for the people who caused the pain to his family.
Oh please.
It's not his fault it's never the lower ranking ones it's always the higher-ups
@@Thegenderfluiddinosaur This was a top down issue navy was not doing inspections at a basic Level and nobody held them accountable up to the commanding officers level. This is the second time the navy in the last 5 years in a 5 year period the navy has leaked 100000 gallons or more on a 5 year period for not following procedures.
He in the air force not the navy his bosses are different. Hickems a joint base with the navy.
@@Thegenderfluiddinosaur They didn't say it was his fault. It's just sad that his "job" called him out there to potentially kill his kid.
When your cat stops eating/drinking something it is a super red flag. If the cat refuses to eat/drink something as essential as water stop drinking and buy bottled water.
This is not a joke
"an occupation" my heart bleeds for that poor man and his daughter. Tragic and avoidable.
Speaking as a military spouse on Oahu, who lives literally 5 minutes away from one of the clips shown in this video, they did a great job encapsulating what is going on here. It is worse if you can imagine. This doesn't even include all the pets who have died of which there have been MANY because of this Red Hill leak. An elementary school's water supply was contaminated-- Red Hill Elementary, and even people who don't live in base housing.
I've been trying to share this & apparently I've only been able to share 1×.
#FuckeryIsHappening
Here!!!
milItarY spoUSe
yeah like the hawaiian natives? who would have guessed
Weirdly enough, I have animals; birds, dog, cat, and fish. The fish are the only animals exposed to tap water and have died. They get these cancer looking tumors, then die. The other animals get alcoline water and seem to do way better. I didn't notice it had happened roughly every 3-6 months where we would have to replace the fish. Then the water issue came up and it got me thinking.
Yet like an idiot, you still live there. If everyone knows yet continues to live there, don’t complain. I would have been on the next plane out of there.
There are multiple generations of kids that grew up on multiple bases who are now adults with chronic or terminal illnesses because of their loose handling of industrial chemicals. It's absolutely disgusting. The government has admitted the things happened, but even really strong and well funded cases against them for the lifelong damage they're dishing out has resulted in absolutely nothing. These people have been fighting for multiple decades to get some help with their health or compensation for the damages and nothing is going to happen.
Beautifully articulated. You just feel absolutely defeated, angry, heartbroken. It feels like this will go on forever. Nothing will change. No one will be held accountable or go to prison. It just feels so… endless. 💔
@@sabrina.natalie is this not what your gun laws were designed for? For when the whole system becomes so corrupt there is no alternative?
Yes, my children ,my husband and I all have a lot of chronic illnesses most is autoimmune. Our parents don't understand how we developed them because our family is mostly healthy.
And what about PFAS in🧯?!
🧯is used by military bases,
airports, fire fighters, and by
you? The foam is killing the
environment, and it doesn't
make an exception for ppl!!
spouses and children are sick ..and its not the water..Get Your Blood checked ..Thyroid
and Ammonia Levels
This is heartbreaking. Thank you for bringing awareness to this issues(s).
Yeeeppp not surprised by this, my sister had mold in her barracks and she complained for months, it was black mold, she cant smell to this day and can barley hear due to her sinuses, and the VA denied her claim for some compensation due to service connected ailments. But that isnt surprising either as some with gunshot wounds get denied.
This US military needs such a house cleaning.
Issues like this, murders, disappearances, rapes... Absolute insanity.
World issues
Wait for the draft this year. 18-30. Male and female. Since there's basically no difference.
@@bdubb5390 perfectly too old 🥱🤣
To busy being woke
The military doesn't care about any of those things, unfortunately. They only care about killing, dominating, bullying
Anyone who has been in the military in the last few years knows that a lot of service members drink only bottled water. There is a lot of distrust in on base drinking water from stuff like this, as well as poor sanitation and old plumbing.
Hell yeah don't ever drink base water. Get a better shower filter at minimum.
That's pretty dumb. Sorry if you have to go through that. I'd just get discharged.
I've heard way too many stories about sewage in base drinking water
Yep and they tried to dump that water back into the public system to clean out their mess ...
Just drink directly from plastic that will fix it LOL
I was so glad we were no longer living on base when this was happening. My heart breaks for all the families who have been living under this. It's awful.
You can tell the guilt that mother feels eats her alive everyday. Absolutely horrendous.
I lost my MOS over this because I became so sick. Spent 8 months at a Nutrition clinic, 6 months at a GI clinic, insane headaches, unexplained inflammation in my stomach, rashes, swollen eyes, etc. My senior dogs were constantly sick, blood in their stool, etc.
I was accused of malingering and constantly gaslighted by my Command. This finally came out MONTHS ago and the military has been fighting to keep it quiet. They told us we weren't affected for weeks after it came out before the DOH forced them to acknowledge it was BS.
I had 5 masses pulled out of my back a few months back.
We are SO angry and we feel so betrayed. The first thing the Navy did was flush the water out of the fire hydrants! Straight into the storm drains, straight into the ocean and the aquifer. No one is even now offering any support to the local population. The neighborhoods have been declared "safe" now but we are still seeing effects and sheen on the water. The lines are all contaminated! The Navy just doesn't want to pay out and fix it.
But let’s send $13.6 billion already possibly another $33 billion to Ukrain to protect its citizens
I'm so sorry this happened to you! Our troops deserve better!
I’m sorry this happened to you, how terrible
And yet they want us to pay and kill for other peoples wars….. these are the people who want you to kill for them….
one of my worse fears was being sent to Hawaii or korea before i joined luckily went to fort benning then drum, never drink water at base either way, such bullshit this happened to you brotha hope your back up to health, how can this have been happening to the ones who fight for this country!! wouldn't trust any base water.
I was stationed in Hawaii (Schofield Barracks) from 2014-2019 (9 months in Korea). 3 weeks before my contract ended I was diagnosed with cancer. I truly believe either the water we drank or the moldy barracks we lived in had a lot to do with it.
Jet fuel usually gives you cancer
Same thing happened to my 3yo son 6 months after we left the island after my wife was stationed at Pearl Harbor and I at Kaneohe. We stayed in navy housing just outside of the Makalapa gate.
This was 2003-2007 on island.
Did you get compensation or a “We didn’t find your illness to be service related”?
@@anfrac3700 I was medboarded and get VA benefits, but they didn’t try to figure out if the reason I got it was service related or not.
Also, the 9 months we spent in Korea was down the street from an aviation unit/landing strip. The water in the barracks would sometimes come out yellow, and we were told to let it run for 30 secs to a minute before we used the water (which would be clear after we waited said amount of time). My time there was a year before I was diagnosed.
@@KingTuck94 That sucks. I wish you well with the treatment yea
The military has been destroying the environment around Hawaii for over a hundred years. Not only did they choose to address to issue only because most of the afflicted were service members, but they also made no effort to tell the city itself when they found out and kept it secret. Additionally, the military regularly dumps hazardous waste around the waters of Oahu and has been since WW2. As recently as last year, they used the waters as a dumping site. They regularly use sacred Hawaiian land to test depleted uranium rounds in the valley beside Mauna Kea.
Born and raised on Oahu and seeing just how much changes has happened to the island breaks my heart. It takes so long for issues to be fixed. Or the issues are just pushed under a rug and forgotten.
I’m so furious that this happened. My heart aches to all the families and fur babies that went through this.
"Unscheduled fuel releases" what a freaking joke. These people are clowns, the engineers who keep building dangerous or precarious storage like this one over aquifers should be held accountable from now on . It's the future of generation that is in their hands.
That's because the military commissions engineering officers with fucking History degrees.
Absolutely
Who Tf decided to put a giant fuel and oil reserve above where ALL THE WATER IS STORED?
People that care about profit, not people's lives
The cabal
@@SuV33358 it wasn't about profit. It was about defense.
@@SuV33358 how would that be more profitable than, say, putting the tanks on the surface? It's not. The whole point of putting the tanks underground is making them hard to destroy
@@johnnyswimbait423 I thought I heard that some things were done to cut costs. That's what I was referring to. I guess I was wrong. Geesh
After forced annexation, the spread of disease, stifling Hawaiian culture, almost killing off the Hawaiian language, causing mass unemployment and houselessness, bringing in drug abuse, pricing Hawaiians out of the housing market, how much more does this chain of islands need to endure. I’m so sickened by what we’ve done to Hawaii as a whole.
Na ke akua e hoopomaikai ia Hawaii.
Who would ever authorize the storage of fuel 100ft from a water source. That is just negligence!! This is very troubling information. Good on you for making this public!!
What’s frustrating about this issue is we as locals had been saying it for years to the government. However, when military families started complaining about it, their anger finally triggered a “change”. I’m glad, but frustrated.
Berna The government says and does what the military brass tells it to. And believe me, no change has been triggered. It's a continuation of the lie.
Uh not really. We are dismissed just as much, and the military has power over us to retaliate for speaking out. Locals are pretty much free from reprisal. I can tell by your comment that you’ve never been in the military or left island. If you know, you know.
What was the change, the before and after.
Lol no I'm pretty sure your limited world view makes it feel like it's just you but trust me from NY, they're trying to kill us all. They don't fucking care about the military families more and if anything else it's probably more terrifying to be in their positions than anything.
preach to em💯 tell your truth💯
This is by far one of your best pieces Vice News. Keep the quality work up.
Very much agreed.
I agree 110%- however, the importance of the Hawaiian Islands towards a military point of view not just for WWII in Japan but with the aggressive expansion of China in the Pacific Ocean cannot be overemphasized. Still, NO EXCUSE for this much DRAMA, and all military and civilian individuals must live a healthy life to sustain military readiness.
I remember seeing a draft back in the early 1980’s at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana of all the pollution caused by fuel leaks and toxic chemicals across America on military installations. It is a problem that has been ignored for decades, and appreciate greatly VICE News reporting on this.👍
True, actually bringing light to the issue..
I said the same 2 minutes in. 🤯
Vice: "there was fuel in the water, 350 times the acceptable level"
Me: Hold up... There is an acceptable level???
Poor babygirl, that poor momma. I can even imagine what they were going through. I can’t get over how the government tries to hide something as big as this. The hawaiian islands have been through so much and continue to go through so much…. I hope everyone that’s been affected gets compensated and taken care of.
The amount of money we spend on the military…..
I have no words for how infuriating this is. The lack of accountability is insane. We just keep throwing money at them and they just waste it. Tighten the belt and make each branch start solving environmental, mental health and abuse issues that have been a plague for decades. They’re just a black hole for money.
I was in the Navy for 8 years and I can tell you they have no environment concern. I was on a ship for three years, I was a deck seaman and just as I became a third class in another department we were at sea and the deck department woke all of deck dept up in the middle of the night. They tried to make me go but I told them I was no longer working in deck. What it was they were dumping old cans of paint overboard. The head of the department were so stupid they left the papers on the cans so when they came on shore the country that they came up on got a hold of the Navy but wouldn't you know it only the lower ranks that got in trouble at captain's mast. I know that they were there and so yeah they were to blame but they were doing what they were told. Some people didn't get up or went back to bed but still had to go to Captain's mast so it was kind of a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. This was in the late 90's, so I am sure this would be more serious now but then it was just sort of punish the lower ranks and then that was it. I also know the port we were in had to go to the Navy because raw sewage was being dumped in the harbor, they fixed that right away but still it had been happening for awhile. I know because when I got there they told me to watch for two headed fish because of the sewage. I use to wonder why the military was hated by some in these ports now I see why. It is sad.
I also was woken up at 2am to throw stuff oveboard.
thanks
class action lawduit
@@q7jdwomfvkbj74 you got something you wanna say ?
You should try to document the collection of the contaminated water for testing and your personal records. Maybe even date it and freeze many samples. How is this not already done. It will prepare you for any litigation and compensation in the future. Start making more noise. Tweet and tag people that have a big following and tell them that you are being ignored. If they retweet it then someone highly motivated can take the case and push on from there. It sickens me because it was normal to throw trash overboard in the Miltary. They eventually started burning the trash but think about how many ships and people still have no regards on the effects pollution causes to the environment and its inhabitants. People are selfish and lazy, so as an active scuba diver and veteran I try to do my part even when no one is watching. Integrity is instilled in me and the DOD or whomever knows about the Hawaii's situation needs to come clean. Not only do sea creatures suffer from things like sewage, fuel and oil spills but now this negligence in Hawaii by the DOD is coming to light. And it probably does not stop there.
Thank you for bringing light to this!
This is heart breaking!
I live in military housing in Hawaii. I have experienced symptoms since June of 2021, so whatever leaks happened, I am betting happened a lot earlier than they have said. My family still only drinks bottled water, but we have to shower with the water from the house. I had a feeling something was wrong early on, I would be extra tired after running at track when I drank water, until I changed my flask for bottled water. I am so lucky to have done this around August, so I have less exposure. But really this situation needs more attention and needs to be looked at closer. I don’t completely trust everything is okay again.
Are you allowed to install a tank? I have never been to Hawaii nor lived on a military base. However, I helped set up some tanks for people with land that isn't connected to water pipes. Our water is expensive, and those people now want to set up tanks at home, because the tanks have worked out so well. They would still have to pay waste water, but it is a lot cheaper. I don't know if this is possible for you, but there certainly seems to be enough rainfall to support it.
Get compensated
Look at aquasana shower water filter. I took it to China with me. Water there is heavily contaminated. The filter helped me. Not sure how it is on jet fuel but you can ask them. It isn't very expensive either. Easy to install/remove.
The contaminants in your shower / bathing water are getting into your skin and then that allows them into your brain and other organs .
Aurianne, they have invented these new things, called Planes. You book a ticket, and fly somehwere else. It sounds unbelievable, but it exists!
My best friend is station there and she has been living in and out of hotels due to this. It hasn’t hit any major news outlets. This is insane!
I first heard about this story from the Empire files with Abby Martin (highly recommended) about 4 months ago. I was expecting to see some news regarding this on CNN, FOX or MSNBC...so far I haven't heard a thing from them
@@jamimurrahman9159 they censor the media
@@jamimurrahman9159 there was another article about 6 months ago about a city inland YS and everything disappeared, but the jet fuel from local Air Force bases and airports was the cause
This is why we all need to black out corporate media. CNN, fox, msnbc, oan. Anyone that refuses to talk about the truth
Thank you for addressing this issue
that poor man, I can hear the pain in his voice. I'm so sorry for his loss
Imagine drinking jet fuel for decades just because u have military. I'd prefer to have no military. Water is vital for life.
The water was safe to drink?
Sounds like something they said in Flint Michigan
When is Obama gonna come in to do a fake drinking the water stunt.
Same thing they say in Midland Michigan where Dow contaminates the water
❤️
The vaccine is safe and effective. Sounds like something they said everywhere in U.S. After a year they say J&J is unsafe. People blindly defend these liars. Yes there's something in the water that's for sure
Nothing frustrates me more about cases such as these than the fact they knowingly dismiss children’s health, safety and lives.
Yep. Can confirm. Although I wasn't exposed through a military site, I was exposed in utero through a refinery, and I was born with malformations in my intestines that nearly killed me when I was 3 days old. Now I am 37 and I can't even begin to list the medical issues I have and will continue to deal with. Right now I am fighting another round of cancer. Wish me luck! My heart is with these families and their babies!! ETA: Oh momma, my mom had those same feelings. I had the same thyroid issues and you know what.. we got through it. I'm on Synthroid for the rest of my life, but I'm ok. And she will be too. Once you're back on the mainland, you can enjoy the rain again and in time you'll be able to explain everything. She's gonna be fine.
I work at a environmental science lab that’s been testing the water from here since November. I can’t believe this has been completely swept under the rug
Gather evidence and give it to ppl
Bring it to Tucker Carlsons attention...
If it isn't adversely effecting the one percent, then you are told to get bent in this country. You thought you have rights. 😂😂😂
I’m a water treatment plant operator and this is absolute negligence in the Navy’s part. They pencil whipped and tried to cover it. In the civilian world, for an operator like me, I would be prosecuted and everyone up the chain. Rightfully so. Navy had supervision of the water and the fuel tanks! That’s incredible. Typical military though. I was a CB(Seabee) in the Navy and i didn’t trust the UTs that treated our water. Not after getting diarrhea from drinking the water. Water is precious and vary scarce and it’s only going to get worse. Take care of it. What goes around comes around and I mean that very literally.
It's disgusting. But their ultimate trump card is always "national security" and they use that phrase whenever they really mean to say "shut the fu*k up and quit asking questions". They hide controversy after controversy, terrible behavior, etc - all behind the guise of national security. Theyve been doing it for decades and have gotten incredibly comfortable with taking zero accountability.
Don't forget flint Michigan is still waiting on clean water 10+ years
Such an eye opening report by VICE!
You found so many good sources who knows the truth! Listening to their words was just shocking!
Feel so bad for their families!
I can't imagine the pain and suffering for those families.
Especially the mother of a three year old. The little girl didn't do anything wrong, and the mother is not at fault either.
My heart aches at the idea that this can happen in the 21st century, in a supposedly modern country.
I hope they get their pay out, and get the chance to live a healthy and prosperous life.
Look at PFAS. We're all getting poisoned bro.
soooo many of us complained and we were labeled problems and our Spouses told to tell us to shut up. our daughter doesn't have thyroid damage, but had the urinary issues Ariana's daughter had too. Base physicians were told in a memo to not treat us, that we were fine.
3rd world country wearing a Gucci belt.
@@richelledietz unbelievable; hopefully now with the recent exposure something will change and you can sue or be compensated.
@@j_rainsgoat3929 I hope that because it's affected the military families it gains momentum the native Hawaiians have been trying to garner for years. We are all in this fight together now and need a safe resolution. They have agreed to de-fuel the tanks, but we know the seeping has already contaminated the groundwater and need to keep the islands, their resources, and residents safe.
So sad how our government fails the citizens and even worse, the young and most vulnerable. Such a sad story. Accountability needs to be held and maintained. Between a paradise-like Hawaii and cities like Flint, and all the other people affected by fracking, we shouldn't be having issues like this. Another reason to move away from fossil fuels.
That’s after they squeeze every last penny from fossil fuels and go through some type of mass destruction event
exactly
@John Everyman we would’ve had a more advanced society by now if we transitioned 10years ago
@John Everyman lol might want to educate yourself
Not surprised. You should see the issues we have internally. I’m in the military right now lol medical care sucks and that’s just for starters
This infuriates me as well. I live in Lake Jackson, TX and we recently had a 4/5 year old boy die from a brain eating bacteria due to playing in a man made spring pond. Not many months later, a tiny kiddo in Dallas/Fort Worth died of the same thing.
We have hurricane waters that back flood our systems every few + years, but apparently, no one has done their jobs correctly or currently, and it lead to children dying.
After the family sued the city for the neglegence, it has helped. They finally "back pump it" drain it, and refill it, on the reg.
After dallas/fort worth had this same prob, I wouldn't be surprised if they take out those spring ponds/water spout pools all together.
Clean water is not a new thing. Keeping it clean, apparently is a new thing.
There is obviously a lot of lazy people working in water works. Any city can lay them off and give me their job. $14/hr 40 hours a week, as gross as it may be, seems pretty legit to me. 😉
I watched dirty jobs. I need one, and willing!
22:20 couldn’t help but cry, truly heartbreaking what these people have been through
US Government Incompetence...Hazard to Everyone's Health. The US Government needs to pay ALL these people Medical Expenses, Give Restitution, & Close the base permanently.
relax W. First off, its the military, 2nd: change the law. In any other 1st world country drinking water is test DAILY ! I said DAILY ! What is wrong with your amateur country?
The government don't care about the military
I grew up downwind of ORNL. We still have entire communities sickened from poor care of the environment from the government and radiation.
The base will not be closed under any set of circumstances as it shouldn’t. The military needs to address the remediation and remove these tanks. Now, the US Congress needs to step in and find this massive project. It will take years to do this.
Ok well think about the fact that the Unites states has HUNDREDS of military bases across the globe. Hundreds more than the 2nd most behind them. THIS IS HAPPENIG LITERALLY EVERYWEHERE.
As someone with a thyroid disorder, I hope it’s some consolation to that mother that there is a lot that can be monitored and done for thyroid disorders and to prevent and stop thyroid cancer quickly. While they certainly deserve compensation and an apology (and their medical bills covered!) she shouldn’t feel guilty personally about that particular health problem. It wasn’t her fault. And she certainly hasn’t handed her daughter a death sentence.
Honestly as someone who also has a thyroid disorder it feels debilitating. I was diagnosed at a young age. And it really limits you. This makes me upset
As someone with a more important thyroid disorder, lmaoo jk jk TF kinda disorders you have tho? I literally only have part of one left because the rest were toxic and had to be removed. It's extremely manageable with medication and a little education lol. What could possibly be limited? Sometimes necklaces irritate my scar I guess 😂
My body started to attack my thyroid when I was a child too, and I can say after 40 years of initially gradually taking more and more replacement hormones all the way to the maximum level needed after its total destruction now a long while ago,that this progressive disease totally rules your life. There are so many blood tests involved in order to get all the several correct levels looking balanced on paper, but that doesn't mean you are going to feel as well as your family and friends that have healthy fully functioning thyroids. Unfortunately artificial hormones made in a lab may keep you alive, but leave you always searching for any lifestyle changes that you can practice to make them work a bit more naturally and with fewer side affects.
When I was in the Navy, the ship I was on had a small spill of JP5. The water uptakes for the desalination picked some up. It wasn’t a heavy contamination, but just enough to notice an unusually sweet taste and your skin might get that extra clean feeling after a shower. I can imagine it did none of us any good in the long run. Many of us stopped drinking the water and it went into the shipyard shortly after. It is unlikely it was properly cleaned out, unless all of the plumbing was replaced.
This is awful. My heart is breaking for this family. I hope they heal.
I live on base in Pearl Harbor and I only drink bottle water. The water is so bad that if I collect it you can sea the swirl of oil on the top of the water I really hope this get seen by the right people because I have to bathe in toxic water. I just hope there is no long term affects cause I know I could never win a law suit against the DOD
You don't have to bathe in toxic water you damn fool you choose to.
@Noah Burke, don’t forget about the bottle water they gave us to say sorry. I still have pictures of my water with the oil sheen throughout.
Um stop taking showers? You should be limiting yourself knowing that
@@lilmixdboy That’s just inhumane..
@@dr.nug7103 expensive water bottle baths?
When Ariana says “I wish we hadn’t come here” I feel her. I know that pain. The amount of times we have rethought. And the medication pile…we have that same pile. The unknown medical diagnosis of we don’t know why but here try this…all of our health issues started less than a year after moving to Oahu, we have now been here for 5 years. 💔 Many of us still see sheen in our water, Navy, DOD, and our government need to do better!
And the politicians
Oh my GOD this is unacceptable!
When the mom talks about holding her daughter down for blood draws or medical procedures 😭I can relate to this so much
It’s one of the most traumatic things to do as a mother. I would go into ‘mom mode’ and being very matter of fact and unemotional and calm and reassuring and just try to keep my energy stable on the way there and home but when the house was quiet and I was alone eruptions of emotions would pour out of me and I would cry relentlessly.
To that momma- my daughter and I are best friends and one of her clearest memories was me telling her a story about the Easter bunny having to poop in the woods in an unplanned stop to visit children. I have NO idea what would have made me come up with such a crazy story other than my desperate desire to distract her.
You’re not alone. You’re doing great. All my highest love to your healing together. I hope your lawsuits is just the beginning of your purpose from painjourney
this angers me. military families have enough to deal with let along being poisoned by army activities. in Hawaii no less. military families are given the short end of the stick for far too long.
Ok well think about the fact that the Unites states has HUNDREDS of military bases across the globe. Hundreds more than the 2nd most behind them. THIS IS HAPPENIG LITERALLY EVERYWEHERE.
this doesn’t just happen to military families is happens to everyone in Hawai’i!!
It was Navy, but yeah, it’s hard.
@@julieholt7889 isn’t the navy part of the military?
@@jalifritz8033 OP specifically cited “army activities.” It was the Navy that contaminated our water.
I spent 4 years drinking JP5 water onboard USS Kitty Hawk. They say I have bipolar disorder. I think it's a neurological disorder. There is also PD 680 solution that is one of the leading cancer causes for veterans.
My dad was on the kitty hawk for 20 years, he got some things going on. Makes sense now
Can you get assistance for treatments or some compensation for it at least? Not that it would make you healthy but it’s the bare minimum they could do.
@@swaggitypigfig8413 There’s this amazingly mismanaged federal agency called the VA (Veteran’s Association).
That’s terrible man, look into detox protocols get those chemicals out of you. Karen Hurd bean diet, microbeformuals, look into gall bladder flushes. Get your detox pathways open.
@@swaggitypigfig8413 They have me 100 percent service connected disability for mental health. They say I am bipolar and nothing to the neurological problems the degreasing mineral solvents cause. I was washing grease off my hands and arms with this stuff. These minerals are forever minerals meaning no half life.
I have a feeling we will be seeing more episodes about how the drinking water isn’t safe in America, I live in Michigan and most of the tap water especially city water is disgusting and is probably loaded with bad chemicals. Also when they put up the visual of military sites with pfas chemicals i noticed a lot of them around the Great Lakes which is horrible
Prior to about the 1950s, the US didn't know what "water treatment" even was. We dumped raw sewage directly into the river, ocean, or lakes because it was easier to dispose of; "out of sight out of mind".
Just now are we only realizing those consequences.
wasn’t lake mead a major source for drinking water? all the bodies & vehicles & weapons they’re finding in that water? i’m so not shocked by the behavior of those in authority in this country. hawaii wasn’t even ours to take in the first place.
This is absolutely heart breaking! For this mama to blame herself for something that isn’t at all her fault….I know her daughter will grow up strong and healthy and know how much her mom loved and cared for her!
My prayers are with them and everyone else affected by this negligence!
I feel so bad for Hawaiian people having to deal with people trying to move there increasing homes value and so much more. Just terrible to see.
I am Very Happy to be born in USA . Happy to be living in the USA. Dad came here from USA in the USN married a Hawaiian and never went home. Dad and His brother both came here in the Navy and never went home. Must have been NICE!! Love our Stars And Stripes!! Less Military in the future please. Less is MORE!!
Hawaii resident here since 2012. Active duty Navy from 2012-2016, still residing here, just outside the affected area and friend to a veteran who lives in the affected area with her husband who's still active with 4 children - this news story hits it right on the nose.
From what I have experienced, observed, and learned from active duty and civilian life, this story scratches into the surface of the problem, but still only the surface.
This is the 7th Fat Leonard Fleet.
This is the Navy who's senior enlisted leader tells the crew of the ship that has a couple suicides a month to "lower [their] standards."
There are some good eggs in there, but they don't last. Either ousted intentionally or worn thin by all the BS and self-serving corruption.
Red Hill is an alarm bell to a much bigger, vast, systemic problem wherever military boots hit terra Firma.
100%
Well said! I was stationed on Oahu 2011-2014. Migraines and other constant illnesses due to black mold and other barracks issues. I was made fun of for having a Brita filter. But that clearly wasn’t enough. I left the military recently and can confirm the leadership making fun of suicides - they don’t care unless it affects their NCOER’s/OER’s/evals. They call people weak and “pussies” for attending counseling. So many decent leaders I’ve known, have left the military due to stuff like this + 100 other issues.
Imagine the migraines from the people whose home was contaminated.
Not just the career warmongers who act like they deserve happy lives in a professional military.
Praying for them… I’m sadden by this 💔
Thank you for sharing this sort of news. Please don’t ever stop sharing what is extremely important for the public to know, even the “touchy” or possibly “triggering” stories. I feel for people with triggered issues, but watering down the truth is good for NO ONE. Stay true, Vice✌️
In Pennsylvania in a city called Willow Grove there was an airforce base that was leaking jet fuel into the local water supply. People who live around this area have gotten cancer. The base was closed and I believe lawsuits have been filed. The Hanford Site leak in Washington is another serious problem.
a similar thing just happened in
Litchfield Park Arizona, near the AFB..... but we had nearly a year long water warning where the airforce base was providing water, and eventually, delivered the home water cooling machine along with weekly 5gal pickup and delivery for free. what we were told was it was the foam used to extinguish the jet fuel fires, that over years had seeped into the earth and into the aquafer. We will only know the price we will pay over time =[ tyroid and bladder cancers are a huge concern
I grew up 10 mins from Willow Grove. Do u know when this happened?
@@itsthesaint - same thing happened at the AF base in Oscoda, MI (now closed). The military leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.
this is exactly like fracking..fcking sick
Uh oh
4:36 “350x the acceptable level”. How is there an acceptable level for fuel in drinking water.
You would be surprised by what government entity's like the FDA, EPA, CDC, etc. considers "safe".
I love listening to vice news and watching man they are real boots on the ground
Happened in Colorado Springs too (Fountain area)...military of course denied.
And to add insult to injury in the case of Hawaii, not only was their water source poisoned, but the US navy also used one of Hawaii's sacred islands as testing ground for artillery shells. To this day, shell fragments are still being cleaned up from that island.
AND, Hawaii became incorporated into the US when a bunch of wealthy American colonial settlers decided to overthrow the Hawaiian queen and government for the benefit of business.
Cheers, US and European colonialism! While it's become quite popular to bash the British for their colonial past (as it should be), France doesn't get as much scrutiny, even though they were just as bad or arguably even worse. To this day, France has an economic stranglehold on most of the present western African nations, and nobody says anything!
France also Stole Tahiti and the rest of the island chains around it, the Tuamotu's and others.
former french colonies are almost always poorer and shittier than former british ones
One of the islands, Kaho'olawe was bombed so bad the water table was cracked.
@Phillip Ramos your grand father doesn't know what he was talking about. We have Hawaiian Homes Lands and native Hawaiian rights.
Maybe you. Through experience, I have learned to stay away from all French people. You can call this racist, but I don't go to France. If a French person is rich enough and privileged enough to be here, I assume that they are a psychopath.
This is devastating, that poor family is suffering results of pollution, it’s incredible how such good people get affected by something like this when we got rich billionaires touching kids and stealing money…. This family is literally paying the price of life while serving their country 😞
Ok well think about the fact that the Unites states has HUNDREDS of military bases across the globe. Hundreds more than the 2nd most behind them. THIS IS HAPPENIG LITERALLY EVERYWEHERE.
@@MerkleAkrunphleuphle exactly. I lived in a decommissioned USMC barrack house in Beaufort, SC, sold off and turned into “cheap” housing on small plots near downtown Beaufort. I don’t know for sure but I have to assume there are a lot of toxic materials inside the house.
We had to sign a lead agreement to move in, saying “it’s been painted over but we aren’t liable if it flakes and what not” basically. Probably full of asbestos as well. I started having skin/hair issues after living there.
They only change things when they have to, then auction off the contaminated leftovers to the highest bidding civilian. Imagine how much lead the service-people were exposed to before having to cover their tracks.
@@MerkleAkrunphleuphle No trust me the gov does not like when this happens. So much money get put into clean up let alone the loss in money from fuel
@@crazychase98 No our gov and military don't like when stuff like this gets EXPOSED. How many of the U.S. 800 bases across 70 countries have these kinds of problems?
I am glad to see that some people are fighting back.
Heart breaking😢
We’re one of these families living in this community right now. I’ve been so sick ever since we moved here in 2021. I’ve been suffering with massive migraines, my oldest is now on daily injections for a condition they can’t diagnose, my hair is falling out, nonstop diarrhea, my dog was recently diagnosed with cancer and threw up after she drank water EVERY TIME…it’s been awful. Even though we’re told it’s “safe” to move back into our home we still use bottled water for everything.
I completely know how this mother feels. Knowing I unknowingly bathed my children in this contaminated water is the absolute worst feeling.
Wow this comment breaks my heart for you and your family. Im so so sorry TattooGirl❤️❤️❤️❤️
I am so sorry to hear, I wish you all the best.
Try aquasana shower water filter. Helped me in China. IDK if will work on jet fuel but China's water is heavily polluted with industrial waste.
Okay but if your dog was throwing up EVERY TIME after drinking the water why TF would you keep giving it to her!?? 😅 At that point it's on you loll
@@peps1943 we didn’t know it was the water, we weren’t made aware of the water contamination at the time 🙄 clearly you don’t know anything about animals. Take your ignorance elsewhere.
At this point we can't deny that the USA is just a sandbox human experiment game.
Oh no it isn't I mean like it is not like they are doing to deliberately
@@laknidubandara lol yes, yes they are.... The US is no different that Nazi germany, just keeps its much more in check for what people know and are educated on.
@@MerkleAkrunphleuphle Bro are you insane I thoroughly object your comment The U.S being compared to Nazi Germany in no form or way are they comparable Your comment is absurd.
Speak the truth!
I agree and I did something about it I left America s***** ass country... And what is this talk about Nazi Germany I don't see that anywhere?
Breaks my heart
God bless you sir and so sorry for your loss 🙏😪🙏
Everyone involved 😪🙏😪
As a mother I totally understand her guilt. This is horrific and should not be happening.
If I was a native hawaiian I'd be really pissed off...
Nah they're too busy smoking meth and going homeless to notice
When I lived on Oahu there were times we were told we couldn’t go swimming, we always bought bottled water and many, many, many of my friends have died of cancer, and other unexplained diseases that aren’t supposed to take out young people. 💔💔
prayers for all involved
The thyroid symptoms concern me, sounds similar to radiation exposure.
Holy hell this is tragic and sad. That poor girl and her family.
Agreed...it's a bit uncomfortable, after just watching a Steven Donziger
vs Chevron nterview as well
Praying for everyone effected ❤️🙏❤️ what a tragedy. Bless you all . 😥 what they do not tell you does hurt 😔
This makes me feel so unsafe living near the military. I already thought they were incompetent but but now I think we could do without the military. Seems like all they do is deconstruct the natural world around then whereever they go. Why is our military mobilized like this if we're at peace time? (I am referring to the fact that our military is always on base, always deployed somewhere, always on a mission, always creating new weapons no matter the world circumstances)
100% if animals wont consume the water you shouldn't either..
They have far better senses of smell.
The cat could smell the gasoline
This video is a perfect metaphor for how much our government cares about our health.
This is why they don't want to pay for it either, they know how expensive it'll be because they know how poisonous our food, air, and water is, they don't want to pay to fix it or pay for it's consequences.
My dad died in Feburary from cancer caused by tainted water on the base he served on. So many of the vets are now dying of urinary cancers and there is nothing we can do. The area still has contaminated water and it's infuriating. This is happening on so many military bases
All my life I thought Hawaii was like a heaven on earth. Today was the first time I’ve heard anything about this red hill water leak or anything like that and I hope that the people on that island get the answers they want. I will say a prayer that things change.
Really puts “freedom isn’t free” in a different light.
the people who pay for it has historically always been us citizens, against our own government... and not wars fought in irrelevant countries for the benefit of the military contracting industrial complex.
For decades we were told to consider the military’s presence in Hawaii as a benefit to locals. Personnel and their families help support our economy and they operate drives and projects to assist local families. However, the autonomy that they enjoy above and apart from the same rules and regulations that local families must abide by, is well known and rampant. The military conducts themselves with an entitled arrogance and privilege that no other single group dares to, especially on Oahu. Our water systems are supplied to us from aquifers and artesian wells and how it is filtered through lava rock makes it probably nature’s purest and sweetest water in the world. Its origins are the rain and ocean and we rely solely on its purity. If the military cannot prevent contaminating our water source (both military and local families) then the State to sue the federal government for the poisoning of our residents. Perhaps the world is only learning about this problem now but it has been going on for a decade. A little known fact is the military began housing their personnel in expensive Waikiki hotels to keep their families from their water consumption. But this division has led to local families floundering in their puddle of poison water. It needs to be fixed, yesterday.
The military lives in plush accommodations while the natives suffer with
The military doesn’t care about individuals, whether service members & dependents, or locals. Not until the military is publicly exposed/embarrassed, do they actually make a small amount of effort to change the status quo.
F@&k the military. This documentary should be about the Hawaiian born natives being oppressed and poisoned.
Natures water system, the sweet wonderful clear water naturally full of vitamins & minerals is called PRIMARY water. Mother Earth creates it from deep within her as continents actually float on (the oceans). Other sources of Primary water are Niagara Falls, the River in Kauai, Yellowstone- any natural springs. Most Bottled waters are from Primary water sources found all over the World, ie: Fiji, but some are just filtered tap water. Primary water is plentiful bc Mother Nature keeps it flowing. Our Govt wont give its people Primary water. They make us buy Primary water by the bottle.
They give us SECONDARY WATER. Secondary water is water that is snow melt & rain water run off. It is loaded with bacteria & viruses so they have to chlorinate it! And in drought years it can become more scarce whereas PRIMARY water never runs out. Its amazing the general public doesnt kno this. We need to make them give us healthy PRIMARY water of which there is a never ending supply.
I feel with the family.
Try to get a blood washing. But You have to get a special Filter for benzole. This is a problem, because nobody drink fuel.
It highly cancerogene and it have a very fine structure, many additives, so it's difficult to filtering it out.
But You can try to decontaminete You and Youre Dother. May have Your Doc some more possibilities to put this toxine out of Your's body's...
Army must pay Your bills.
What to hell they doing there? With this leacky fuelcontainers from 1940? Did the US army have not money to installing a new, safty fuel tanks?
I'm living in Germany and we have the same problem with old contamineted russian bases across the country. I tasted in drinkwater sometimes a littlebit Formaldehyd and now they put more Chloride into the water, so I start to drink only mineralwater.
My best wishes for You and all other.
I live in north Australia, where we have a lot of US military stationed here. Since 2011 when the US came here, the water has turned brown and people are complaining of losing their hair or feeling sick constantly. The local airport is shared with the military and just happened to be nearby the suburbs.
My father was a vet that had leukemia when he died. He probably had it for over a decade before the VA recognized it, always thinking his elevated white platelets was due to some infection since he was diabetic with chronic wounds, but even years after his wounds had healed they still didn't caught the leukemia. He'd gotten really sick and just gave up on life mere months after learning of his diagnosis. All he had was a bad virus, but refused treatment and breathing aid stating that he just wanted to die. I've always been curious what and how this happened, but the VA, his care home, and the hospital he died at never really wanted to explore anything concerning his care. It always feels like a coverup to avoid accountability from all angles. He was mostly stationed in Panama, and I'm not certain how bad the water was here in Nebraska in the 80's, but I do know my sister and I have chronic endocrine issues. Makes me wonder, esp since the water here is terrible, if it's from our military bases or just really bad run off from all the agriculture polluting our water... or both.