There are 93,000 members of the military currently stationed in Oahu, Hawaii, who have been faced with a horrific scenario. In November 2021, 14,000 gallons of a JP-5 jet fuel-water mixture from World War II-era fuel tanks leaked into their drinking water supply. As of March 2022, the water is still tainted with the gas.
A number of people who have been exposed to the water are experiencing a range of symptoms, and some of them are speaking out.
US Army Major Amanda Feindt opened up to Today about her symptoms so far. In addition to suffering extremely severe back pain, she says, "I have (also) been urinating blood, and oddly super low blood pressure."
To make matters more confusing, no one is completely sure what the source of Amanda's problems are. "Doctors have run extensive blood and urine tests, I’ve had an ultrasound, cat scan, and MRI," she said. "All come back mostly normal. They believe this is related to my kidneys, but have yet to be able to prove it."
Amanda isn't the only one experiencing these problems. Both her husband and two young children have been in and out of emergency rooms with their own symptoms, including uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea. Amanda acknowledges that she joined the military knowing she could be putting herself at risk, but her family didn't.
She said, "When I raised my right hand, I knew there was inherent risk. But kids and families did not. And now they’ve been poisoned."
However, not everyone agrees the water is the issue. In fact, Navy Captain Michael McGinnis, told Today, "There have been no hospital admissions at Tripler Army Medical Center related to the petroleum exposure."
Amanda isn't the only person asking questions. Military mom Lauren Bauer spoke out at a December 2021 town hall meeting in which she addressed leadership directly. As she put it, "I'm here to ask why you did not protect us (when) the most catastrophic real life scenario happened in excess."
She continued, "Daily ingestion of water indicates central nervous system damage, liver, kidney, lung, heart damage, digestive tract issues, drowsiness, dizziness and other damage to vital organs. Why have you told us that the water was safe to drink, to bathe in, while you really waited for results that you already had?"
The families affected were temporarily moved to another location, but Amanda is also taking issue with the fact that the home allowance dispersed to her through the Navy is still being taken out. As she told Today, "The military has taken every penny of my basic allowance for housing (BAH) the entire time we’ve been displaced… for a home that was uninhabitable. A portion of my BAH has continued to pay for utilities we haven’t used. … Can you imagine how infuriating it is to be paying a water bill that is covering the cost of this massive flushing charade??"
She continued, "In addition, we’ve front loaded over $35,000 in hotel fees alone. That money will not be fully reimbursed until we move back in our home. Do we allow the Navy to put us in debt or do we allow them to gamble on our health?"
