- Amanda Feindt's family was among thousands exposed to jet-fuel-contaminated water.
- The family of four ended up in the ER and have experienced ongoing medical issues since.
In July 2020, my family and I arrived in Hawaii for my latest duty with the Army. This assignment was truly a dream come true, but it was short-lived.
The next May, my family and I moved into base housing on the historic Ford Island. Right away, my kids — who are 1 and 4 — started getting sick. My husband had migraines. When my parents visited, they became so violently ill that my mom lost 9 pounds in a matter of days.
While I didn't know it yet, my children, my parents, and my husband — all civilians — were being exposed to jet fuel that was leaking from the Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, just a few miles from our home.
I learned about this leak just after Thanksgiving. Leaders assured me and others that the leak was limited and that the water in our home and day care was safe. I had no reason at that time not to believe our
From officer to mother
In November, I received a notice from my children's Navy-run day care saying that the facility had been supplied with bottled water for weeks. That raised alarm bells for me because I knew it wasn't true. I picked up my kids every day. I saw them drinking from water fountains and washing their hands with water from the faucet.
Previously, the Navy had said that drinking water at the day care was safe. But later that day, news broke that another well had been compromised, possibly affecting other neighborhoods. The following day, I woke up to a note taped to our door notifying us that the water in our home was not safe to drink.
Reality sank in. Trusting the Navy when they said my water was safe meant that I allowed it to gamble with my children's safety for weeks.
That's when I went into mama-bear mode. I did it the military way, using proper chains of command and open-door policies. But I also asked every senior leader who would meet with me for the courtesy to speak freely as a mother, not as Maj. Feindt.
My children and their classmates may have parents who volunteered to serve, but these kids didn't sign up for the military. They are innocent children with their whole lives ahead of them who were poisoned by an American military asset on American soil and stripped of a basic right: access to clean water.
Illness and a cover-up
In early December, my entire family went to the ER. My 1-year-old son was so dehydrated that the staff couldn't place an IV. My 4-year-old daughter was eventually diagnosed with a series of neurological conditions.
Military officials said they tested the water in both my home and the day care. But when I requested the results after my children ended up in the hospital, they told me I could submit a Freedom of Information Act if I wanted to see them. To this day, I still don't know the results of those tests.
It felt like a cover-up. I have risked my life for this country. I see the military as my family. I have never publicly commented on military decisions or policies before. But I will not stay silent while others let children drink contaminated water.
Advocacy with a price
Before I started sharing our story publicly, I had a conversation with my husband. I knew I could face retribution for speaking out. Still, I could not turn a blind eye to the way my fellow service members and their families were being treated.
In the past four months, I've been navigating
Speaking out about the water crisis has been the greatest challenge of my 15 years in uniform. But if this is the price of advocacy, then I would say it's worth every penny.
At the end of the day, the job that will far outlast my time in the military is my role as a mother.
Editor's note: On March 7 2022 Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote a statement to the families affected by the contaminated water.