WASHINGTON, February 14, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– Federal contractor Monbo Group International and its affiliate sued the U.S. Department of Navy in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia for allegedly violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
According to court documents, “the Navy improperly published Monbo Group International and its affiliate’s name on a debarment list without following the applicable debarment procedures found in the Federal Regulations and Statutes.”
The lawsuit also accuses “the Navy of defamation and interference with Monbo Group International’s economic business advantage.”
The lawsuit demands an injunction against the Navy. In addition to the injunction, the lawsuit also seeks an order from the Court, directing the Navy to remove references to debarment from the contracting records of Monbo Group International and its affiliate.
The Navy, who is represented by the Department of Justice (DOJ), attempted to have the suit thrown out of court by filing a motion to dismiss, but the Federal District Court Judge denied the Navy’s motion to dismiss. In addition to denying the Navy’s motion to dismiss, Federal Judge Amit Mehta ordered the Navy to answer the lawsuit and to submit the certified Administrative Record to the Court.
The order issued by Federal District Court Judge, Amit Mehta, represents a major defeat for the Navy. With the order, the case proceeds to trial on the record. “We are pleased with the court’s decision and look forward to moving this case forward,” the company said.
Navy employees Javier Aponte, Kenneth Brown, Nicholous Johnson, Ross Phillip, and Timothy Vonderharr are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The case is Monbo v. U.S. Department of Navy et al, U.S. District Court For the District of Columbia, Case Number: 1:24-CV-02547.
If you’d been a die-hard football fan in Philly in the early 20th century — attending games at Franklin Field — you would have almost certainly not expected to spend Sunday’s routing for an NFL Franchise.
It would be 1924 before Philadelphia actually had an NFL Team and another eight years before the Eagles.
Philly still has the oldest stadium in operation today: Franklin Field.
Dating back to April 1895, Franklin Field first opened as a location for 5,000 fans to see the Penn Relays. No college football stadium in America has seen more.
On Friday night — in a college football matchup that was first played one hundred and forty-five years ago in 1879 and then renewed again after 1893 — Yale played the University of Penn. Yale has the lead in the series 51–37–1 and won the game 31–10 while stifling Penn’s offense. Quarterback Aiden Sayin left the game with an injury in the first quarter, giving way to Liam O’Brien and freshman Karson Siqueiros-Lasky.
PHOTO: William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images
For Garnett Valley High School football standout and Glen Mills, PA native Shane Reynolds — playing football for the Naval Academy isn’t just a chance to play — it’s a chance to serve; until this week — the Navy and Army were both ranked for the first time since 1960 and undefeated in football — a feat that hasn’t been done since 1945. While Army sat idol after a 45–28 win last week against East Carolina — #24 Navy was throttled by #12 Notre Dame — and saw Philly native Shane Reynolds gain only six yards of offense.
If you were a young football fan in Philly, you may have witnessed the 1899 Army-Navy Game at Franklin Field.
The City that’s hosted the most meetings of the last regular-season college football games each year?
The U.S. Navy issued an apology Saturday for destroying an Alaska Native village nearly 150 years ago. The 1882 attack in Angoon killed six children and caused such dire food shortages that villagers starved themselves so children could eat.
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Two Navy crew members who died in an aircraft crash near Mt. Rainier in Washington last week have been identified as female aviators from California, including one who participated in the first all-female pregame flyover at last year’s Super Bowl.
Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, both 31, were the only aviators aboard a two-seat EA-18G Growler warfare aircraft that crashed during a routine training flight on Oct. 15, the Navy announced in a news release Monday.
The status of the two pair remained uncertain for several days as search and rescue crews scoured the remote wilderness near Mt. Rainier. The wreckage site was reported to be in steep and heavily wooded terrain at an altitude of 6,000 feet.
“More than just names and ranks, they were role models, trailblazers, and women whose influence touched countless people on the flight deck and well beyond,” Navy officials said in a statement.
Evans and Wileman were part of the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. Their squadron was referred to as “Zappers.”
On Sunday, the Navy announced that the missing crew members had died in the crash, but did not release their names until Monday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of the squadron, said in a statement. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Evans, a naval flight officer, grew up in Palmdale and attended USC. A veteran of two sea tours, according to the Navy, Evans’s participation in the flyover ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl marked the 50th anniversary of women flying in the Navy.
“I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans said in a statement at the time. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Her experience as a pilot and instructor earned her the title of Growler instructor of the year, according to the Navy.
Both Wileman and Evans participated in combat operations in Yemen in 2023 and 2024. They spent nine months aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of the Carrier Air Wing 3 (or CVW-3) and operating mostly from the Red Sea.
Both earned multiple decorations for their combat performances.
Wileman was just starting her Navy career, according to officials.
“Outside the cockpit, Wileman made everyone smile,” officials with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island said. “She would brighten up any room and was known for her genuine care and compassion for those around her. She always brought a sense of calm, in the good times and bad, whether it was through a joke, a game of cribbage, or a giant bear hug for a Sailor in need of one.”
She was married, having met her husband, Brandon, during flight school, according to the Navy. Her hometown in California was not provided.
Capt. Marvin Scott, commander of CVW-3 who served with both women in training and combat operations, described Evans and Wileman as tenacious and outstanding for their contributions and positive energy they brought to the Navy.
“Every member of the CVW-3 Battle Axe Team is heartbroken at the loss of these exceptional warriors; Dug and Miley truly represent the best that Naval Aviation has to offer, and they will absolutely be missed,” Scott said in a statement.
The Navy identified on Monday the two crew members who died last week in a jet fighter crash near Mount Rainier as two 31-year-old aviators from California.
Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator, died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as “Zappers,” crashed east of Mount Rainier last Tuesday during a training flight, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Evans of Palmdale, California, made history as part of a team of female pilots who conducted the first-ever all-female flyover of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, to celebrate 50 years of women flying in the Navy, Steve Fiebing, a Navy spokesperson, told The Associated Press.
The first female candidates entered the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973.
“I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans told the Los Angeles Times. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Wileman was commissioned in 2018 and joined the Zapper squadron on Washington state’s Whidbey Island in 2021. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.
An aerial crew located the wreckage the day after the crash at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, officials said.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
Personnel are recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort, the Navy said. Gov. Jay Inslee said the Navy asked the Washington state National Guard to “provide 24/7 security at assigned traffic control points.” Inslee granted the request Sunday.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. In the past 15 years, the Growler has operated around the globe supporting major actions, the Navy said. The plane seats a pilot in front and an electronics operator behind them.
“The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne Electronic Attack and stands as the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each aircraft costs about $67 million.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said said she was heartbroken to learn of the passing of Evans, whom she had met at the Naval Air Station last year.
“I am deeply grateful for her courage and sacrifice in service to our country,” Murray said in a statement. “She was a leader who broke barriers and made history.”
“Similarly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lt. Serena Wileman,” she continued. “I am so proud of both of these women for their trailblazing careers — their service has no doubt made a difference, clearing a path for the women who will come after them.”
Cornerback Dashaun Peele became the first Navy player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game, Blake Horvath threw three scoring passes and the No. 25 Midshipmen routed Charlotte 51-17 on Saturday.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Cornerback Dashaun Peele became the first Navy player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game, Blake Horvath threw three scoring passes and the No. 25 Midshipmen routed Charlotte 51-17 on Saturday.
Navy improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1979 and is 4-0 in the American Athletic Conference. The Midshipmen are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019. Charlotte dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Peele had a 61-yard return and an 84-yarder. Navy forced five turnovers, its most since 2019.
Horvath was 7 of 13 for 117 yards. He has 10 touchdown passes this season, three shy of the school record set by Ricky Dobbs in 2010.
Navy fullback Alex Tecza scored three touchdowns in the first quarter on two runs inside the red zone and a 46-yard reception.
Midshipmen tight end Cody Howard caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and wide receiver Brandon Chatman had a 19-yard scoring reception.
Max Brown threw a pair of touchdown passes for Charlotte, a 20-yard touchdown strike to O’Mega Blake, and a 13-yarder to Duane Thomas Jr.
THE TAKEAWAY
Charlotte: Despite the blowout loss, the 49ers have won three of their last five games with a roster that has 71 newcomers. Charlotte, in its 10th year competing in the FBS, still can become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019.
Navy: The Midshipmen continue to roll with a high-powered offense and defense that forces key turnovers. Navy is in a position to win the American Athletic Conference and perhaps even earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Midshipmen are ranked for the first time since the 2019 season when they were 20th after finishing 11-2 and beating Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl. They could move up a spot or two, depending on how others fare.
UP NEXT
Charlotte: At Memphis on Saturday.
Navy: Faces No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
“Having the ability to reach out to friends or family allows our sailors the opportunity to decompress for a few minutes, and that in turn allows them to be able to operate more efficiently,” Richard Haninger, the Ford’s deployed resiliency educator, said following the installation of the SEA2 system aboard the carrier in February 2023. “It’s not just about reaching back to friends and family, the ability to pay a bill online, take an online class, or even just check the score of the game […] all of this allows our Sailors the chance to access something that lowers their stress level, then return to work after a quick break more focused and able to complete the mission.”
But beyond morale-boosting applications, SEA2 also purportedly offers major benefits for “tactical and business applications” used by sailors on a daily basis, like, say, those used for air wing maintenance or for tracking pay and benefits. As White explained in a May release from the Navy on the initiative, most of these applications function at higher classification levels and are encrypted, but they’re still designed to operate on the commercial internet without jeopardizing information security.
“The fact that we’re not making use of that opportunity with modern technology to allow classified tactical applications to ride the commercial internet is where we are missing out, so we built [SEA2] to be able to do that in the future,” as White put it. “We’re close to demonstrating a couple of those applications, and I am fully confident it will be game changing.” (As of June, the Navy had not authorized the use of classified data with the system)
The Navy also expects to see broad “tangible warfighting impact” from the proliferation of SEA2 across the surface fleet, namely on “recruitment and retention, mental health, cloud services, and work stoppages due to slow and inaccessible websites,” as one service official told DefenseScoop in April.
The Navy isn’t the only service embracing Starlink to enable faster, persistent internet for deployed service members. The US Space Force signed a $70 million contract with Starlink parent company SpaceX in October 2023 to provide “a best effort and global subscription for various land, maritime, stationary and mobility platforms and users” using Starshield, the company’s name for its military products. The US Army currently remains reliant on Starlink, but the service has been casting about for fresh commercial satellite constellations to tap into for advanced command and control functions, according to Defense News. And SpaceX is actively building a network of “hundreds” of specialized Starshield spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office, Reuters reported earlier this year.
But Starlink is far from a perfect system, especially for potential military applications. According to a technical report obtained by The Debrief, Ukraine has claimed that Russia’s military intelligence agency has conducted “large-scale cyberattacks” to access data from the Starlink satellite constellations that have proven essential to the former’s military communications infrastructure since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. Indeed, significant hardware vulnerabilities have imperiled Starlink terminals at the hands of experienced hackers, as WIRED has previously documented.
The United States Defense Department has ideas about a dramatic strategy for defending Taiwan against a Chinese military offensive that would involve deploying an “unmanned hellscape” consisting of thousands of drones buzzing around the island nation. Meanwhile, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology announced a red-team hacking competition this week with the AI ethics nonprofit Humane Intelligence to find flaws and biases in generative AI systems.
But wait, there’s more! Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.
US Navy officials confirmed to Military.com this week that pants for the standard Navy Working Uniform (NWU) are out of stock at Navy Exchanges and are in perilously low supply across the sea service’s distribution channels. The Navy’s Exchange Service Command is “experiencing severe shortages of NWU trousers” both in stores and online, according to spokesperson Courtney Williams. Sailors have been noticing out-of-stock notifications online, which state that pants are “not available for purchase in any size.” Williams said that current stock around the world is at 13 percent and that the top priority right now is providing pants to new recruits at Recruit Training Command in Illinois, the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island, and the officer training schools.
The shortage seems to have resulted from issues with the Defense Logistics Agency’s pants pipeline. Military.com reports that signs currently inside Navy Exchanges say the shortage is “due to Defense Logistics Agency vendor issues.” Williams said the Command has “been in communication with DLA on a timeline for the uniform’s production and supply chain.”
Mikia Muhammad, a spokesperson for the Defense Logistics Agency, told Military.com that the first pants restocks are scheduled for October, but these supplies will go to recruits and training programs. She said that Navy exchanges should expect “full support” beginning in January.
A joint statement on Monday by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency formally accused Iran of conducting a hack-and-leak operation against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Trump himself had accused Iran in a social media post on August 10, following a report from Microsoft on August 9 about Iranian hackers targeting US political campaigns. The Iranian government denies the accusation.
“The [Intelligence Community] is confident that the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties,” the US agencies wrote. “Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the US election process.”
Politico reported on August 10 that Iran had breached the Trump campaign, and an entity calling itself “Robert” had contacted the publication offering alleged stolen documents. The same entity also contacted The New York Times and The Washington Post hawking similar documents.
The popular flight-tracking service FlightAware said this week that a “configuration error” in its systems exposed personal customer data, including names, email addresses, and even some Social Security numbers. The company discovered the exposure on July 25 but said in a breach notification to the attorney general of California that the situation may date as far back as January 2021. The company is mandating that all affected users reset their account passwords.
The company said in its public statement that the exposed data includes “user ID, password, and email address. Depending on the information you provided, the information may also have included your full name, billing address, shipping address, IP address, social media accounts, telephone numbers, year of birth, last four digits of your credit card number, information about aircraft owned, industry, title, pilot status (yes/no), and your account activity (such as flights viewed and comments posted).” It also said in its disclosure to California, “Additionally, our investigation has revealed that your Social Security Number may have been exposed.”
Since European law enforcement agencies hacked the end-to-end encrypted phone company Sky in 2021, the communications they compromised have been used as evidence in numerous EU investigations and criminal cases. But a review of court records by 404 Media and Court Watch showed this week that US agencies have also been leaning on the trove of roughly half a billion chat messages. US law enforcement has used the data in multiple drug-trafficking prosecutions, particularly to pursue alleged smugglers who transport cocaine with commercial ships and speedboats.
This is an updated version of a story first published on April 28, 2024. The original video can be viewed here.
The U.S. military takes pride in protecting its own. That’s why military families we met in Hawaii told us they feel so betrayed.
Two years ago, there was a fuel spill close to the drinking water system at the Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii. As we first reported in April, Navy leadership assured thousands of military families that the tap water was safe.
But nearly two weeks after the spill, parents learned the truth: the water they drank or used to bathe their kids contained jet fuel.
Tonight – you’ll hear from some of the families who say the jet fuel tainted water made them sick. But first – we’ll go to where the water crisis at Pearl Harbor began.
From the air, the historic naval base is easy to spot. Eight miles from Honolulu… sparkling blue waters host battle gray ships…and memorials to those killed by Japan’s surprise attack in 1941.
What you can’t see is the once secret storage site that provided fuel for the Pacific fleet and its planes for 80 years.
Sharyn Alfonsi: It doesn’t look like much from the outside.
Vice Admiral John Wade: Wait ’till you get inside.
Vice Admiral John Wade led us through the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility…seven miles of tunnels cut through volcanic rock – built to hold 250 million gallons of fuel.
Vice Admiral John Wade
60 Minutes
Vice Admiral John Wade: So this is one of the tanks.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Oh my gosh.
That black hole is a steel lined fuel tank so deep it’s hard to see the bottom 20 stories below.
Vice Admiral John Wade: To just show you how enormous this is, this tank holds 12.5 million gallons. And to give you kind of a reference point, the Statue of Liberty, not the base, but the statue itself, can fit in here with enough room.
And this is just one of the 20 tanks hidden here.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, construction was already underway to protect the Navy’s fuel reserves from an aerial attack.
Vice Admiral John Wade: The decision was made to embark on a herculean task to build a bulk storage fuel facility inside a mountain in secrecy.
Sharyn Alfonsi: And how long did that take to do?
Vice Admiral John Wade: It was a little less than three years. At its peak, there were about 4,000 men working here.
But this testament to American resolve became a monumental liability after this…
That’s jet fuel spraying from a cracked pipe. The video was recorded by a worker inside Red Hill on November 20th of 2021.
The fuel…20,000 gallons of it – was trapped in a plastic pipe. The weight caused the pipe to sag…this trolley hit it…
And jet fuel spewed for 21 hours….close to the well that supplied drinking water for 93,000 people on and around the base at Pearl Harbor.
Sharyn Alfonsi:According to Navy investigators, the workers who responded didn’t have the right tools to contain the spill. They also assumed there was no danger to the drinking water. They were wrong. At least 5,000 gallons of jet fuel drained into the tunnel floor and into the navy water system.
The next day the Navy issued a press release about the incident and told the 8,400 families living in military housing “…the water remains safe to drink.” Even though the Navy had not tested the water yet. A week later residents began to notice a problem.
Sharyn Alfonsi: When did you get this sense that there was something wrong with the water?
Brittany Traeger: My husband came into the kitchen and washed his hands and said, “Gosh, the water smells like I just did an oil change like, the water smells weird.”
Brittany Traeger
60 Minutes
Brittany Traeger lived on base…about two and half miles from Red Hill …with her daughter and husband, who is a Navy chief petty officer. Traeger says she began to feel sick a week after the spill.
Brittany Traeger: I had a cough. My tonsils were very swollen. I remember a very distinct moment where I was walking to the car and I had vertigo so bad that I had to hold onto the car.
Sharyn Alfonsi: The smell was that overwhelming?
Brittany Traeger: Uh-huh.
In an email to residents nine days after the spill, the commanding officer of the base reassured residents “…there are no immediate indications that the water is not safe. My staff and I are drinking the water…”
Sharyn Alfonsi: Did you stop using water? Did you stop taking baths?
Brittany Traeger: So, I did, my daughter did…
Sharyn Alfonsi: Just because you had a bad feeling, not ’cause anybody told you to.
Brittany Traeger: Correct. They gave us an email address that we could send an email to if we wanted to have our water tested. So, I emailed those people who then emailed me a phone number that I should call. And I called that phone number for days and it was just busy. They were overwhelmed and inundated with reports.
Ten days after the spill, there were more than 200 reports from six neighborhoods across the base of strong fuel odor coming from kitchen and bathroom faucets. But the Navy said its initial tests did not detect fuel.
Brittany Traeger: It defied logic, you know? Even though there was a leak and even though our water smelled like jet fuel and even though there was sheen on it, they continued to say, ” The tests are coming back negative.”
After 12 days…and four statements assuring residents the water was not contaminated with fuel…the Navy reversed course…on Dec. 2, 2021 it announced more comprehensive tests conducted by the Navy had detected jet fuel in the water.
Three weeks after the spill, tests from Hawaii’s Department of Health revealed jet fuel levels 350-times higher than what the state considers safe.
Richelle Dietz lives on base with her husband, a Navy chief petty officer….and their two children.
Richelle Dietz: Jet fuel’s not something that you would even think could happen to be in your water.
Sharyn Alfonsi: How were people reacting to the news?
Richelle Dietz: I was so sick to my stomach from that news that I actually threw up when I heard.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Because why?
Richelle Dietz: Because my kids had just been poisoned.
Richelle Dietz
60 Minutes
Within a month the Navy set up medical tents for residents. Some complained of stomach problems, severe fatigue and coughing. The military moved more than 4,000 families to hotels.
Small studies of military personnel suggest jet fuel exposure can lead to neurological and breathing problems.
But the long-term impact of ingesting jet fuel is unknown because it’sso unlikely to ever happen.
Richelle Dietz told us days after the spill her daughter’s tonsils became inflamed, and her son started suffering from chronic headaches.
Sharyn Alfonsi: I can hear people saying, “Tonsils, headaches. Kids get that stuff. How do you know it’s related?”
Richelle Dietz: Um, because they never had it before November of 2021. It wasn’t– an issue.
It’s unclear how many got sick. But of 2,000 people who responded to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – more than 850 sought medical care. The water system was flushed over three months…and bottled water brought in.
Brittany Traeger said her 4 year old now suffers respiratory problems which require hour-long treatments…at least two times a day that includes a nebulizer and this vibrating vest to clear her lungs.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Tell me about your daughter’s health.
Brittany Traeger: Thirteen days after the contamination, after our water smelled like jet fuel, my daughter woke up in a hotel with a cough…and it pretty much never went away.
Three months passed before Pearl Harbor’s drinking water was deemed safe again. The Navy’s own investigations into the spill…described quote “cascading failures” and revealed poor training, supervision, and ineffective leadership at red hill that fell “…unacceptably short of navy standards…”
The primary water supply for the city of Honolulu is 100 feet below the Navy complex.
In March of 2022, the secretary of defense ordered Red Hill permanently closed.
Vice Admiral John Wade was brought in to get the 104 million gallons of fuel out of the tanks and move it safely to sites around the Pacific.
Vice Admiral John Wade: We’ve gotta defuel. That’s the imminent threat. There’s ongoing and will be continued long-term environmental remediation to restore the aquifer, the land and surrounding area. And then there’s also a medical component for those that have been impacted.
Sharyn Alfonsi: You view now this thing that was a lifeline for the fleet is a threat.
Vice Admiral John Wade: That’s right. That’s right.
In six months, Wade’s team in Hawaii successfully removed almost all of the fuel. But it took two years before the Navy issued disciplinary letters to 14 officers involved in the spill response…including, five admirals.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Was anyone fired because of this?
Meredith Berger, an assistant secretary of the Navy
60 Minutes
Meredith Berger: At the time that the accountability came through, uh– we had officers that had already retired. And so uh — they had already separated from service.
Meredith Berger is an assistant secretary of the Navy. We met her at the Pentagon in November. She told us the Navy has been accountable.
Sharyn Alfonsi: We’re talking about 20,000 gallons of– fuel leak, 90,000 people had their water contaminated. It looks like people retired, or were reassigned, and no one was fired. How is that accountability?
Meredith Berger: It’s accountability within the system that we have established. And we have heard that this was too long, um and that maybe it didn’t go far enough.
Two thousand military families agree the Navy didn’t go far enough and are suing the government. The Traegers and Dietzs have joined the lawsuit alleging they were harmed by negligence at Red Hill.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Are you angry that it happened? Or are you angry at what happened after?
Richelle Dietz: It’s a little bit of anger, but it’s also this feeling of betrayal.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What do you mean, betrayal?
Richelle Dietz: So my husband has been in for almost 18 years. We have moved our family cross country, cross oceans. We gave so much of our life to the Navy for them to ignore warnings and then we were directly and blatantly lied to about it.
Navy leadership has apologized for the spill but has not said that the contaminated water is the cause of the ongoing illnesses.
The Navy did set up a clinic on base to collect data and treat anyone who believes they have health issues related to the tainted water.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What happens in five or 10 or 15 years? Will those services still be available to these families?
Meredith Berger: So that’s– that is part of why, um, we are making sure that we’re collecting that information to inform future actions and what the requirements are for those types of uh, needs and care.
Sharyn Alfonsi: That doesn’t sound like a guarantee of care in the future.
Meredith Berger: And I wanna be careful, ’cause I don’t do the health care part of things. And so I– I don’t wanna speak outside of, um, of– of where I have any authority or decision.
So we followed up with the Defense Department…which told us it’s reviewing the question of long term health care for military families…including more than 3,100 children.
Two years after the spill, some residents have reported water with a smell or sheen. The Navy is conducting daily tests at Pearl Harbor and says it is confident there is no fuel in the tap water.
Richelle Dietz is still using bottled water. She and Brittany Traeger along with the other military families are awaiting a judge’s decision in their lawsuit.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What is the remedy that you want?
Brittany Traeger: In our family it’s restoring my faith in our nation.
Sharyn Alfonsi: That’s a big thing to say.
Brittany Traeger: There’s a body of government that failed. They contaminated our water, they lied to us, they did not protect us, and they did not intervene. And accountability looks like a lifelong care plan for me, my family, and the people affected. And that will restore my faith in my nation.
Produced by Guy Campanile. Associate producer, Lucy Hatcher. Broadcast associate, Erin DuCharme. Edited by Michael Mongulla.
Good food is just part of what makes a restaurant successful, something many would-be chefs and restaurant owners don’t always realize. Developing entrepreneurial skills is challenging, and additional folks living in underserved communities face additional obstacles folks are living in including access to capital and mentors.
Sunshine Enterprises, a local nonprofit based in Woodlawn, has been helping restaurant owners and other entrepreneurs running small businesses for eight years through an assortment of classes, pairing them with mentors, helping them find the right neighborhoods for their restaurants, and aiding them to navigate the often confusing world of permitting. Part of Sunshine’s mission is to “bring vacant storefronts back to life” says Sunshine’s Managing Director for Programs Laura Lane Taylor. Earlier this week, Sunshine assembled food vendors at Navy Pier for Taste of Sunshine, the first-ever showcase for 16 of its alums.
Tammie Wiliams of Baker Sister, a Beverly-based wholesale cookie company was one of those vendors.
Williams established Baker Sister in 2014, so it’s not a new business. However, Williams says she needed Sunshine’s help in launching an eShops using Amazing and Walmart. That’s where Sunshine’s guidance was crucial: “They provide us with attorneys and a lot of different services that we need in order to keep up the momentum or to open up new doors.”
For example, through networking, Williams was put in contact with reps at Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. She’s hopeful that one day her products could be available at the McCormick Place sports stadium.
Social media marketing has become more important than ever, but those from marginalized communities don’t have as far as a reach. Sunshine helped Williams with that, too: “The marketing piece was paramount for me,” she says. “We needed that in the worst way.”
So Navy Pier provided Williams with a unique opportunity: “I know that Navy Pier is one of the most sought-after tourist venues in the world,” she says. “I’m looking to promote from that vantage point, both here in the city of Chicago, for those who don’t know me, even though we’re in grocery stores and all, but still, we can expand our footprint.”
Taylor talks about the need to strengthen local chambers and for more educational programs. For example, building permits and liquor licenses can be tricky.
“We need more academic programs like the ones that Sunshine is doing,” Taylor says. “We need it in multiple languages — we are offering it now in English and Spanish — but you need it in Polish — you need it in other languages.”
The group matches participants with coaches for guidance. If a particular skillset or knowledge base is needed beyond the coach’s purview, Sunshine’s help desk springs into action, tapping into the group’s network of business professionals.
Sunshine was founded in 2016, as part of Sunshine Gospel Ministries, which is affiliated with Moody Church. They’ve also helped Nestor Correa of Humita Express, a restaurant near the border of Irving Park and Avondale. Humita is one of only a handful of restaurants that serves Ecuadorian cuisine. The pandemic forced Correa to close his restaurant, and he turned to Sunshine for help. Correa says when he first opened in 2003, there were only three Ecuadorian restaurants in Chicago, but that number has since increased to 20. Many in the community ask him for advice, and it’s challenging running a restaurant and supporting other restaurant operators. Correa also has a food truck and bar.
“We are from Ecuador, and our mission is we are trying to introduce our cuisine in the city,” Correa says.
Humita is working to expand its menu by adding ceviche. Understanding food costs and accounting are ways Sunshine can help, but Correa is hopeful to open a larger restaurant, more like a cafe where he can serve an expanded menu, but he’s unsure of the location, and that’s where Sunshine has been helping.
In the past, Sunshine has held Shark Tank-like competitions for its participants. There’s a thorough application process for its Community Business Academy, a 36-hour boot camp.
“They need to show in their application that they have the wherewithal to carry out their particular vision, and they have to be able to make the time commitment to invest in their business model,” Taylor says.
Sunshine is fortunate to have backing from the city of Chicago and private funding.
“The small business ecosystem is there, but it needs to be strengthened, it needs to be connected in a much stronger way with the system that helps people get business with anchor institutions and certifications and sort of, you know, what the civic federations of the world are doing,” Taylor says.
Cave inspires Rockies fan despite a tough season for the team
I’ve been following the Rockies since their beginning in 1993. My favorite player in those first years was Dante Bichette. He was such a clutch power hitter and I loved his coach Don Baylor. Baylor believed in Bichette and they were friends. In 2020 the Rockies signed Connor Joe. He was a cancer survivor who was inspiring. He made each play like it was his last. Connor Joe became my favorite player. I still love both Bichette and Joe and was inspired watching them play.
In a season where the Rockies are at the bottom of the NL West, I don’t know why but this is my favorite season to watch the Rockies. It shouldn’t be, but I think it has a lot to do with Jake Cave, Ezequiel Tovar, Nolan Jones, Michael Toglia, Charlie Blackmon, Hunter Goodman, Kyle Freeland, Ryan McMahon, Brenton Doyle, and their manager, Bud Black.
Cave, now my favorite Rockies player of all time, is a real-life Crash Davis with a gray beard and a relentless engine. He is playing each game with desperation as if the Rockies are going to send him back to the minors. He makes me believe the Rockies might completely turn it around for the second half of the season.
Whatever happens, I thank the current Rockies for entertaining this retired 69-year-old man. You have given the devoted fans eternal hope, and it is riding on a 31-year-old gray beard who has no idea he shouldn’t be playing this well.
Steven Antonuccio, Pueblo
Harris is an exciting choice for president
What a summer for the Democratic Party! Today, I find myself as excited about the 2024 election as I was when Barack Obama ran in 2008. Kamala Harris brings a freshness and energy we sorely need. Discouragingly, I am hearing grumblings from people who say America is “just not ready” to have a black woman as president. I say to those people, you need to check your own biases. Black Americans and women are top leaders in all segments of our society today. Questions around how race, ethnicity and gender factor into ability have been asked and satisfactorily answered over and over since this country was founded. The only relevant question now is whether Vice President Harris has the intelligence, skills, fortitude, morals, values, and drive to lead this country.
Tamara Bennett, Carbondale
If you really want to thank me for my service …
I joined the Navy in 1968, one step ahead of the draft. This was just prior to the lottery system and beer-swigging wise-ass 19-year-old punks with lousy high school transcripts, such as me, were being swept up off the streets of America to participate in our first war fought for no logical reason: Vietnam. I consider myself a draft dodger by joining the Navy. Fortunately for me, the Navy gave me a chance to grow up, become focused, and develop self-discipline without the risk of lead poisoning.
Since the Navy provides medical and dental support for the Marines, I proudly served with them for seven of my 21 years of active duty. I retired as a senior chief petty officer.
As to my response to “Thank you for your service!” it will depend on my mood of the moment. Usually, I simply shake their hand and move on. But, occasionally, I will continue to shake their hand (that really makes some people uncomfortable) and say that if they actually wanted to thank me, then promise to not waste any more young, naive patriots in any war fought for no reason such as Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. When I let go of their hand, off the sincere citizen goes at double time.
Several squadrons of U.S. fighter jets made a hero’s homecoming Friday, arriving in Virginia after a tense nine-month deployment in the Middle East. They were part of a strike group with the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier confronting Iranian-backed Houthi militants. Charlie D’Agata has details.
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The German Navy is in need of a serious upgrade for its fleet of submarine frigates and we’re not talking about a digital upload or some kind of software patch. The country’s fleets of submarine frigates have operated on old-fashioned, 8-inch floppy disks since they were commissioned back in the 1990s.
Now the German Navy is trying to find a way to replace the outdated disk system that are “vital to the running of its Brandenburg class F123 frigates,” according to Tom’s Hardware.
Replacing the floppy disk system won’t be an easy task. These disks pretty much control everything on the ships from airflow systems to power generation. Does the German Navy still use Palm Pilots to organize its codewords and Tamagotchi to train its recruits in marine wildlife preservation?
Saab has been in charge of maintenance for Germany’s F123 frigate fleet since 2021, according to a press release. The frigates are designed to hunt for submarines so they’re also getting upgrades for its weapons and weapon control systems. Hopefully, they’ll also throw in one of those cool, luxurious night panel dashboards for free.
A lot of government institutions and programs have been on the floppy disk system for decades and long after the outdated computer storage system has fallen out of general use. Japan’s Digital Agency announced at the beginning of the month that it eliminated the use of floppy disks in its government systems. Does that mean that somewhere in the world, a core government agency is still using those Commodore cassette tapes to store its most vital data? Let’s hope those disks aren’t tied to nuclear weapons access… like they were in the US.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is probing the death of a military officer whose body was found at the Twentynine Palms Marine base, officials said.
Maj. Gen. William F. Mullen was found dead at the Twentynine Palms base Saturday, according to San Bernardino County coroner’s records.
Mullen, at one time the commanding general of the base, retired in 2020.
San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokesperson Mara Rodriguez confirmed that NCIS is investigating the death at the facility, which is the world’s largest Marine Corps training base.
NCIS is the investigative law enforcement entity of the Department of the Navy. The agency leads criminal investigations and, according to its website, also investigates noncombat deaths of Navy or Marine Corps members.
NCIS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Major General Mullen’s dedicated service to our nation and the Marine Corps will always be remembered,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Savage, commanding general of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”
Marine officials confirmed NCIS is investigating the cause of death.
San Bernardino coroner’s officials are handling the autopsy, Rodriguez said. That investigation is ongoing.
Before his retirement, Mullen served as commanding general of the Training and Education Command, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. His extensive military background includes tours of duty in the Middle East, leading a counter-narcotics mission in the Los Padres National Forest and serving as Marine aide to President Clinton.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK (WABC) — Yuri Kryvoruchko was born in the U.S. but his parents are from Ukraine. He comes from a long line of family members who have been in the naval service in Ukraine and hopes to continue that legacy by joining the U.S. Navy upon graduation.
Kryvoruchko was part of the Class of 2024 who graduated at Alexander Hamilton High School in the Village of Elmsford on Tuesday.
He spent most of his life in Crimea before the Russian invasion. Kryvoruchko was there when Russia seized control in 2014. He was just 8 years old, but his memories of that are crystal clear.
“As soon as my home was taken away, when parents’ home and my grandparents’ home, and my cousins and sisters — we all grew up there, so did I. So, when that got taken away that was such a devastating blow to my family,” Kryvoruchko said.
His family, including two sisters, a brother, uncles and aunts, are still there.
He sometimes cannot speak to his brother, who is in the Ukrainian Navy, for weeks.
“You just have these thoughts running through your head, like ‘I don’t know what’s going on,’ I’m just praying to God that I’ll call him one day and that he’ll answer,” Kryvoruchko said.
Kryvoruchko said he was able to enjoy his graduation briefly. He leaves on Wednesday for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis where he continues in the U.S., what his family did for generations in the Ukraine.
“My family is in the Ukrainian Navy, let me be the first in the American Navy. I love naval culture. I come from a naval family. My dad was in the Navy and my grandparents were as well.” Kryvoruchko said.
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It’s Fleet Week in Baltimore, and that means people can get a glimpse of life onboard the warship USS Fort Lauderdale.Watch the interviews and behind-the-scenes views in the video player aboveIn an exclusive look from the air and sea, 11 News takes you behind the scenes to speak with sailors who are happy to be home.With helmets on and life vest secured, it was onto the runway and into the air aboard a military helicopter to get a one-of-a-kind look at a real Navy ship.”This is actually my first Fleet Week, so I’m very excited,” Navy Lt. Katherine McAllister told 11 News. The view from the helicopter over the Patapsco River was breathtaking. While flying past the remnants of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge was sobering, landing on the flight deck of the USS Fort Lauderdale was exciting.”It’s pretty cool, actually. I never thought that I’d be in this position, but, you know, sometimes, when I’m standing watch up on the bridge kind of forward, we get to see a big view of the whole ocean, and it’s just very centering to realize I am doing this on my own and we’re here in the middle of the ocean,” McAllister told 11 News.The 684-foot warship based out of Norfolk, Virginia, can launch or land two helicopters, sail in excess of 24 knots and respond to disasters to provide emergency medical service.”I think, when you think of a surface warfare vessel, you think only of driving in the water, but we actually have lots of different missions, and one of them is landing aircraft,” McAllister told 11 News.Several sailors told 11 News they are looking forward to being back home, including Navy Ensign Charlie Marculewicz, of Severna Park, and McAllister, who’s looking forward to visiting the National Aquarium.”I’m definitely excited to be back in Maryland,” McAllister told 11 News. “I went to college for four years, and just seeing the sites that I’m familiar with is going to be a great time.”Navigating the ship is challenging as it has many doors and decks.”It’s easy to get lost the first couple of days you get on board,” Marculewicz told 11 News.The ship carries sailors and Marines, as well as equipment, like the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) that is pulled up inside the ship.”It’s a hovercraft that rides on a cushion of air. The LCAC drives right into the back of the ship. It’s a high-speed, highly maneuverable craft,” Gas Turbine Senior Chief Aaron Walker told 11 News.The LCAC is used to carry cargo and Marines from ship to shore.”(It’s the) best job in Navy,” Walker said.There’s also the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles that Marines use on missions around the world.”We’ve had them in Afghanistan, pretty much; Quantico, Virginia; Fort Pickett, Virginia; Bahrain; Japan,” Marine Gunnery Sgt. Esteban Ramirez told 11 News.Sailors and Marines saluted Fort McHenry as the warship made its way through the channel before taking in the Baltimore City skyline as they prepared to tour visitors around their home at sea.”It’s a fun life, definitely involves a lot of hard work and dedication to do what you do,” Marculewicz told 11 News.Fleet Week runs through Tuesday. For more information on a schedule of events, tap here.Raw video below: Go behind the scenes aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale
It’s Fleet Week in Baltimore, and that means people can get a glimpse of life onboard the warship USS Fort Lauderdale.
Watch the interviews and behind-the-scenes views in the video player above
In an exclusive look from the air and sea, 11 News takes you behind the scenes to speak with sailors who are happy to be home.
With helmets on and life vest secured, it was onto the runway and into the air aboard a military helicopter to get a one-of-a-kind look at a real Navy ship.
“This is actually my first Fleet Week, so I’m very excited,” Navy Lt. Katherine McAllister told 11 News.
The view from the helicopter over the Patapsco River was breathtaking. While flying past the remnants of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge was sobering, landing on the flight deck of the USS Fort Lauderdale was exciting.
WBAL
View from the helicopter over the Patapsco River.
“It’s pretty cool, actually. I never thought that I’d be in this position, but, you know, sometimes, when I’m standing watch up on the bridge kind of forward, we get to see a big view of the whole ocean, and it’s just very centering to realize I am doing this on my own and we’re here in the middle of the ocean,” McAllister told 11 News.
The 684-foot warship based out of Norfolk, Virginia, can launch or land two helicopters, sail in excess of 24 knots and respond to disasters to provide emergency medical service.
“I think, when you think of a surface warfare vessel, you think only of driving in the water, but we actually have lots of different missions, and one of them is landing aircraft,” McAllister told 11 News.
Several sailors told 11 News they are looking forward to being back home, including Navy Ensign Charlie Marculewicz, of Severna Park, and McAllister, who’s looking forward to visiting the National Aquarium.
“I’m definitely excited to be back in Maryland,” McAllister told 11 News. “I went to college for four years, and just seeing the sites that I’m familiar with is going to be a great time.”
Navigating the ship is challenging as it has many doors and decks.
“It’s easy to get lost the first couple of days you get on board,” Marculewicz told 11 News.
The ship carries sailors and Marines, as well as equipment, like the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) that is pulled up inside the ship.
“It’s a hovercraft that rides on a cushion of air. The LCAC drives right into the back of the ship. It’s a high-speed, highly maneuverable craft,” Gas Turbine Senior Chief Aaron Walker told 11 News.
The LCAC is used to carry cargo and Marines from ship to shore.
“(It’s the) best job in Navy,” Walker said.
WBAL
Sailors and Marines saluted Fort McHenry as the warship made its way through the channel.
There’s also the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles that Marines use on missions around the world.
“We’ve had them in Afghanistan, pretty much; Quantico, Virginia; Fort Pickett, Virginia; Bahrain; Japan,” Marine Gunnery Sgt. Esteban Ramirez told 11 News.
Sailors and Marines saluted Fort McHenry as the warship made its way through the channel before taking in the Baltimore City skyline as they prepared to tour visitors around their home at sea.
“It’s a fun life, definitely involves a lot of hard work and dedication to do what you do,” Marculewicz told 11 News.
Fleet Week runs through Tuesday. For more information on a schedule of events, tap here.
Raw video below: Go behind the scenes aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale
Virginia prosecutors obtained a 14-year prison sentence Friday for a U.S. Navy officer found guilty of attempted sexual coercion of a minor while serving as a psychologist in Norfolk, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Virginia prosecutors obtained a 14-year prison sentence Friday for a U.S. Navy officer found guilty of attempted sexual coercion of a minor while serving as a psychologist in Norfolk, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The incident began when 34-year-old Michael Widroff, a former Navy psychologist assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford in Norfolk, started a conversation on the Whisper social media platform. The post included a picture of a male wearing a Navy Service Dress White uniform and “accompanying text indicating that he wished to engage in fraternization or other violations of military law,” according to the release.
“In the military context, fraternization is improper relationships between officers and enlisted personnel, including, as stated by Widroff, ‘when two people who aren’t supposed to date-hook up do,’” prosecutors said.
An undercover member of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, posing as a 14-year-old girl, responded to Widroff’s post.
The conversation became sexual as Widroff said he “thought the girl was ‘hot’” and moved their communications to Snapchat.
“Widroff instructed the girl on how to masturbate and explained that he wished to engage in numerous sexual acts when they met,” the department said.
Court documents showed that Widroff “described to the child, in graphic detail, numerous sexual acts in which he wanted them to engage.” Eventually, he requested “sexy” and “nude photos” of the child along with explicit recordings.
Afterward, Widroff tried to arrange an in-person meeting at the teen’s home. Anxious about being seen, prosecutors said that Widroff planned to enter the home through a back door.
He was arrested on June 7 at a traffic stop in the neighborhood where he planned to meet the 14-year-old. As officers pulled him over, he deleted Snapchat from his phone, prosecutors said.
Widroff plead guilty to charges on Oct. 12.
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Two years after a fuel leak at the Navy’s Red Hill storage complex contaminated drinking water at Pearl Harbor, the city of Honolulu is guarding against contamination to its own water supply.
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The U.S. military takes pride in protecting its own. That’s why military families we met in Hawaii told us they feel so betrayed.
Two years ago, there was a fuel spill close to the drinking water system at the Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii. Navy leadership assured thousands of military families that the tap water was safe.
But nearly two weeks after the spill, parents learned the truth: the water they drank or used to bathe their kids contained jet fuel.
Tonight – you’ll hear from some of the families who say the jet fuel tainted water made them sick. But first – we’ll go to where the water crisis at Pearl Harbor began.
From the air, the historic naval base is easy to spot. Eight miles from Honolulu… sparkling blue waters host battle gray ships…and memorials to those killed by Japan’s surprise attack in 1941.
What you can’t see is the once secret storage site that provided fuel for the Pacific fleet and its planes for 80 years.
Sharyn Alfonsi: It doesn’t look like much from the outside.
Vice Admiral John Wade: Wait ’till you get inside.
Vice Admiral John Wade led us through the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility…seven miles of tunnels cut through volcanic rock – built to hold 250 million gallons of fuel.
Vice Admiral John Wade
60 Minutes
Vice Admiral John Wade: So this is one of the tanks.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Oh my gosh.
That black hole is a steel lined fuel tank so deep it’s hard to see the bottom 20 stories below.
Vice Admiral John Wade: To just show you how enormous this is, this tank holds 12.5 million gallons. And to give you kind of a reference point, the Statue of Liberty, not the base, but the statue itself, can fit in here with enough room.
And this is just one of the 20 tanks hidden here.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, construction was already underway to protect the Navy’s fuel reserves from an aerial attack.
Vice Admiral John Wade: The decision was made to embark on a herculean task to build a bulk storage fuel facility inside a mountain in secrecy.
Sharyn Alfonsi: And how long did that take to do?
Vice Admiral John Wade: It was a little less than three years. At its peak, there were about 4,000 men working here.
But this testament to American resolve became a monumental liability after this…
That’s jet fuel spraying from a cracked pipe. The video was recorded by a worker inside Red Hill on November 20th of 2021.
The fuel…20,000 gallons of it – was trapped in a plastic pipe. The weight caused the pipe to sag…this trolley hit it…
And jet fuel spewed for 21 hours….close to the well that supplied drinking water for 93,000 people on and around the base at Pearl Harbor.
Sharyn Alfonsi:According to Navy investigators, the workers who responded didn’t have the right tools to contain the spill. They also assumed there was no danger to the drinking water. They were wrong. At least 5,000 gallons of jet fuel drained into the tunnel floor and into the navy water system.
The next day the Navy issued a press release about the incident and told the 8,400 families living in military housing “…the water remains safe to drink.” Even though the Navy had not tested the water yet. A week later residents began to notice a problem.
Sharyn Alfonsi: When did you get this sense that there was something wrong with the water?
Brittany Traeger: My husband came into the kitchen and washed his hands and said, “Gosh, the water smells like I just did an oil change like, the water smells weird.”
Brittany Traeger
60 Minutes
Brittany Traeger lived on base…about two and half miles from Red Hill …with her daughter and husband, who is a Navy chief petty officer. Traeger says she began to feel sick a week after the spill.
Brittany Traeger: I had a cough. My tonsils were very swollen. I remember a very distinct moment where I was walking to the car and I had vertigo so bad that I had to hold onto the car.
Sharyn Alfonsi: The smell was that overwhelming?
Brittany Traeger: Uh-huh.
In an email to residents nine days after the spill, the commanding officer of the base reassured residents “…there are no immediate indications that the water is not safe. My staff and I are drinking the water…”
Sharyn Alfonsi: Did you stop using water? Did you stop taking baths?
Brittany Traeger: So, I did, my daughter did…
Sharyn Alfonsi: Just because you had a bad feeling, not ’cause anybody told you to.
Brittany Traeger: Correct. They gave us an email address that we could send an email to if we wanted to have our water tested. So, I emailed those people who then emailed me a phone number that I should call. And I called that phone number for days and it was just busy. They were overwhelmed and inundated with reports.
Ten days after the spill, there were more than 200 reports from six neighborhoods across the base of strong fuel odor coming from kitchen and bathroom faucets. But the Navy said its initial tests did not detect fuel.
Brittany Traeger: It defied logic, you know? Even though there was a leak and even though our water smelled like jet fuel and even though there was sheen on it, they continued to say, ” The tests are coming back negative.”
After 12 days…and four statements assuring residents the water was not contaminated with fuel…the Navy reversed course…on Dec. 2, 2021 it announced more comprehensive tests conducted by the Navy had detected jet fuel in the water.
Three weeks after the spill, tests from Hawaii’s Department of Health revealed jet fuel levels 350-times higher than what the state considers safe.
Richelle Dietz lives on base with her husband, a Navy chief petty officer….and their two children.
Richelle Dietz: Jet fuel’s not something that you would even think could happen to be in your water.
Sharyn Alfonsi: How were people reacting to the news?
Richelle Dietz: I was so sick to my stomach from that news that I actually threw up when I heard.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Because why?
Richelle Dietz: Because my kids had just been poisoned.
Richelle Dietz
60 Minutes
Within a month the Navy set up medical tents for residents. Some complained of stomach problems, severe fatigue and coughing. The military moved more than 4,000 families to hotels.
Small studies of military personnel suggest jet fuel exposure can lead to neurological and breathing problems.
But the long-term impact of ingesting jet fuel is unknown because it’sso unlikely to ever happen.
Richelle Dietz told us days after the spill her daughter’s tonsils became inflamed, and her son started suffering from chronic headaches.
Sharyn Alfonsi: I can hear people saying, “Tonsils, headaches. Kids get that stuff. How do you know it’s related?”
Richelle Dietz: Um, because they never had it before November of 2021. It wasn’t– an issue.
It’s unclear how many got sick. But of 2,000 people who responded to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – more than 850 sought medical care. The water system was flushed over three months…and bottled water brought in.
Brittany Traeger said her 4 year old now suffers respiratory problems which require hour-long treatments…at least two times a day that includes a nebulizer and this vibrating vest to clear her lungs.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Tell me about your daughter’s health.
Brittany Traeger: Thirteen days after the contamination, after our water smelled like jet fuel, my daughter woke up in a hotel with a cough…and it pretty much never went away.
Three months passed before Pearl Harbor’s drinking water was deemed safe again. The Navy’s own investigations into the spill…described quote “cascading failures” and revealed poor training, supervision, and ineffective leadership at red hill that fell “…unacceptably short of navy standards…”
The primary water supply for the city of Honolulu is 100 feet below the Navy complex.
In March of 2022, the secretary of defense ordered Red Hill permanently closed.
Vice Admiral John Wade was brought in to get the 104 million gallons of fuel out of the tanks and move it safely to sites around the Pacific.
Vice Admiral John Wade: We’ve gotta defuel. That’s the imminent threat. There’s ongoing and will be continued long-term environmental remediation to restore the aquifer, the land and surrounding area. And then there’s also a medical component for those that have been impacted.
Sharyn Alfonsi: You view now this thing that was a lifeline for the fleet is a threat.
Vice Admiral John Wade: That’s right. That’s right.
In six months, Wade’s team in Hawaii successfully removed almost all of the fuel. But it took two years before the Navy issued disciplinary letters to 14 officers involved in the spill response…including, five admirals.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Was anyone fired because of this?
Meredith Berger, an assistant secretary of the Navy
60 Minutes
Meredith Berger: At the time that the accountability came through, uh– we had officers that had already retired. And so uh — they had already separated from service.
Meredith Berger is an assistant secretary of the Navy. We met her at the Pentagon in November. She told us the Navy has been accountable.
Sharyn Alfonsi: We’re talking about 20,000 gallons of– fuel leak, 90,000 people had their water contaminated. It looks like people retired, or were reassigned, and no one was fired. How is that accountability?
Meredith Berger: It’s accountability within the system that we have established. And we have heard that this was too long, um and that maybe it didn’t go far enough.
Two thousand military families agree the Navy didn’t go far enough and are suing the government. The Traegers and Dietzs have joined the lawsuit alleging they were harmed by negligence at Red Hill.
Sharyn Alfonsi: Are you angry that it happened? Or are you angry at what happened after?
Richelle Dietz: It’s a little bit of anger, but it’s also this feeling of betrayal.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What do you mean, betrayal?
Richelle Dietz: So my husband has been in for almost 18 years. We have moved our family cross country, cross oceans. We gave so much of our life to the Navy for them to ignore warnings and then we were directly and blatantly lied to about it.
Navy leadership has apologized for the spill but has not said that the contaminated water is the cause of the ongoing illnesses.
The Navy did set up a clinic on base to collect data and treat anyone who believes they have health issues related to the tainted water.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What happens in five or 10 or 15 years? Will those services still be available to these families?
Meredith Berger: So that’s– that is part of why, um, we are making sure that we’re collecting that information to inform future actions and what the requirements are for those types of uh, needs and care.
Sharyn Alfonsi: That doesn’t sound like a guarantee of care in the future.
Meredith Berger: And I wanna be careful, ’cause I don’t do the health care part of things. And so I– I don’t wanna speak outside of, um, of– of where I have any authority or decision.
So we followed up with the Defense Department…which told us it’s reviewing the question of long term health care for military families…including more than 3,100 children.
Two years after the spill, some residents have reported water with a smell or sheen. The Navy is conducting daily tests at Pearl Harbor and says it is confident there is no fuel in the tap water.
Richelle Dietz is still using bottled water. The lawsuit she joined with Brittany Traeger and the other military families is scheduled to go to trial tomorrow.
Sharyn Alfonsi: What is the remedy that you want?
Brittany Traeger: In our family it’s restoring my faith in our nation.
Sharyn Alfonsi: That’s a big thing to say.
Brittany Traeger: There’s a body of government that failed. They contaminated our water, they lied to us, they did not protect us, and they did not intervene. And accountability looks like a lifelong care plan for me, my family, and the people affected. And that will restore my faith in my nation.
Produced by Guy Campanile. Associate producer, Lucy Hatcher. Broadcast associate, Erin DuCharme. Edited by Michael Mongulla.
PHOTO: William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images
