Mandy Feindt
“That's when I went mama-bear mode.”
By Pat Elder
August 22. 2022
photo - The Feindt family in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, April 2021
U.S. Army Major Amanda Feindt is one of 93,000 military members and their dependents who have been affected since 14,000 gallons of jet fuel at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility leaked into the U.S. Navy’s drinking water on Oahu, Hawaii, in November 2021.
“When I raised my right hand, I knew there was inherent risk,” Feindt said of her oath to the military. “But our children and other family members did not. And now they’ve been poisoned.”
On December 8, Major Feindt (Mandy) received a notice from the Ford Island Child Development Center, where her children attended daycare, saying that the facility had been supplied with bottled water for weeks. That raised alarm bells for her because she knew it wasn't true. This is where her advocacy began - the fight for clean water for her children.
“That's when I went mama-bear mode,” she says. She asked senior leaders to meet with her – as a mom, not as Maj. Feindt. “These innocent children have their whole lives ahead of them. They were poisoned by an American military asset on American soil, stripped of their basic human right: access to clean water, and have been treated like collateral damage ever since.”
The Feindts were evacuated from their home and lived in a hotel room for nearly three months, but that’s the least of it. Mandy experienced workplace retaliation and “treatment she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy” after she began advocating for her family and fellow service members. In early December, Mandy’s entire family went to the ER for vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis they received was suspected exposure to contaminated water.
“These innocent children have their whole lives ahead of them.
They were poisoned by an American military asset on American
soil, stripped of their basic human right: access to clean water,
and have been treated like collateral damage ever since.”
Her 1-year-old son experienced chemical burns on the lower half of his body from bathing and was so dehydrated that the staff couldn't place an IV in his tiny arm. Her 4-year-old daughter was eventually diagnosed with a series of neurological conditions.
Mandy’s husband Patrick started having severe migraines, back and abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal issues. Patrick has had internal bleeding and five medical procedures since being exposed to the fuel-tainted water.
In February, Mandy was hospitalized, unable to walk on her own and urinating blood. She has experienced debilitating back and abdominal pain, neurological and auditory issues. Like many families, the Feindts experienced medical gaslighting at the military medical treatment facilities on Oahu. Mandy requested a compassionate reassignment through the Secretary of the Army and her family was moved to Colorado at the end of April.
Mandy and Patrick say the care they have received since in Colorado has been amazing, but they are still dealing with on-going symptoms, trauma, and are most concerned about the long term health impacts of their exposure to jet fuel.
The Navy’s Response
Navy officials said they tested the water in Mandy’s home and the Ford Island Child Development Center, but when Mandy requested the water testing results after her children ended up in the hospital, the Naval command directed her to submit a Freedom of Information Act request, (FOIA), an extraordinarily cumbersome and lengthy process. FOIA requests may require several years to receive a document. The GAO reports that the federal backlog totals 142,000 requests and that the DOD was one of the worst agencies in the U.S. government in this regard.
The Feindts have yet to receive their December 10th water test results, despite multiple requests.
The Navy has indicated that it considers all environmental “administrative records” in Hawaii held by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) to be matters of national security. In their view, it is a matter of national security.
Obviously, the term is open to various interpretations. For the Navy “national security” means it cannot be challenged on matters of environmental contamination. The DOD claims “sovereign immunity” from liability for claims stemming from their careless stewardship of the environment in U.S. District Court cases. That means they claim the right to poison us, and, apparently, the right to lie about it.
As someone who has dedicated her life to the military and risked her life for this country, Maj. Feindt says it feels like institutional betrayal. “At this point, I feel like we will never know exactly what was in our water, what landed my entire family in the hospital, and what caused our potential for life-long illnesses.”
Just as she shared with Task and Purpose, Mandy claims that beyond the exposure itself, “what I’m most angry about is the fact that the Navy somehow believes they reserve the right to know more about what my children were exposed to, that I do as their MOTHER!”
Like hundreds of other families, The Feindts were denied toxicology labs when they landed in the ER in early December. However, Capt. Michael McGinnis, surgeon for the U.S. Pacific Fleet and senior medical officer told TODAY in a written statement: “Biomonitoring is not an effective way to detect fuel contaminants in the body. The chemicals found in JP-5 are quickly removed from the body within several hours of exposure and would unlikely to be measurable via biomonitoring.”
Almost 20 years ago, the NIH’s National Library of Medicine Center for Biotechnology Information published a study on the urinary biomarkers of exposure to jet fuel. Benzene, naphthalene, and 1- and 2-naphthol were measured in urine samples obtained from 322 U.S. Air Force personnel. They conclude that urinary naphthalene and the naphthols serve as biomarkers of exposure to jet fuel. More recent studies have confirmed these findings.
The Feindts claim the Navy’s narrative “briefs really well,” but they, among many others, are not buying it. “We were in the hospital at the very first sign of symptoms, within hours as McGinnis suggests. We begged for toxicology labs, basics labs for our children, and were denied. What happened to us at Tripler, and to hundreds of other families, was total negligence and a missed opportunity for us and science. People like McGinnis claim they don’t have any evidence to indicate long term health impacts… but the evidence was in all of our bodies when we ended up in the hospital! The evidence is in the bodies of 9/11 first responders and all of our Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans exposed to burn pits ignited by jet fuel!”
The Navy is one of America’s most trusted institutions. Although confidence in the military overall is slowly eroding, it is still the most trusted of all American institutions with 69% indicating a great deal of confidence, according to Gallop. That compares to 12% for Congress, 38% for the Presidency and 16% for television news. The Navy is not eager to tell the American public that their communities across the country are exposed to a host of deadly toxins like jet fuel, benzene, trichloroethylene, PFAS, PCB’s, mercury, and radiation.
The Navy makes up things for public consumption and they usually get away with it, but not this time. Too many are affected. Too many are wise. Too many are reading stories like the ones linked in this report.
This Timeline reflects the Navy’s sketchy response (2021-2022)
May 21- The Feindts first begin experiencing rashes, headaches, coughing, and dizziness. Their symptoms are unexplained and linger for months.
Early November – Mandy’s family visits the family on Ford Island for nearly a month. Both of Mandy’s parents become very ill, experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, and vertigo. Mandy’s daughter begins complaining of abdominal pain and is sent home from school for being unable to participate in activities. Mandy also becomes ill just before Thanksgiving and misses several days of work. They all test negative for COVID and other possible virus/infections.
Nov. 21 - The Navy said they were investigating “a water and fuel mix release” of 14,000 gallons that occurred the day before. The Navy said there were “no signs or indication of any releases to the environment, and the drinking water remains safe to drink.”
Nov. 28 - Navy started getting reports of water that smelled like chemicals or fuel and looked like it had an oily sheen to it. Naval command says the water was safe to drink.
Nov. 29 - The Hawaii Department of Health recommended that “all Navy water system users avoid using the water for drinking, cooking, or oral hygiene.” This was not relayed to residents by the Navy. In fact, the base commander sent an email telling residents there is not indication the water was not safe and that his staff was still drinking the water.
NOV 30- After days of residents noticing fire hydrants and sprinkler systems running for hours on end, flooding streets and yards, Navy sends an email with detailed instructions asking all JBPHH residents to Flush their water systems.
Dec. 3 - The Navy says the jet fuel in the water was “roughly four to ten times below the Hawaii Department of Health Environmental Action Level.”
Dec. 6 - The Navy tells residents not to drink the water.
Dec. 8- Parents receive an email from Child and Youth Programs claiming they have been distributing clean water to education and daycare facilities since Nov 29
Dec 10- Ford Island CDC actually begins distributing clean water to its 250+ children (including the Feindt kids). On Dec 10, after fighting for clean water for the children at the Ford Island Child Development Center (CDC), Mandy met with the deputy joint base commander and director(s) of the CDC programs. She asked why they hadn’t responded to parents concerns about clean water for their kids. In a recorded response, Mandy was told, “We have a gag order that we aren’t allowed to respond to Facebook.”
Late Mar- All housing areas are declared safe
Apr. 4- EPA conducts inspections, finds Navy has failed to adequately operate and maintain public water systems servicing the Joint Base and residential housing areas. Results released to public in Aug.
Jun. 30- Navy investigative reports released to the media indicate a massive fuel leak that occurred on May 21, and the failure to properly investigate that leak, was a major factor in another massive spill that happened on Nov 20th. The Navy failed to prevent and appropriately respond to fuel contamination. Admiral Paparo, Commander of US Pacific Fleet, admits that families were right to believe the water was not safe. “The Navy was wrong to say the water was safe. That is clearly evident in the outcome.”
Jul. 5- Video footage the Navy claimed never existed on the day of the spill was leaked to the media by a military whistleblower. Residents were finally able to see what caused their families to be sick as they watched thousands of gallons of fuel spewing from PVC pipes. According to investigation reports fuel spewed for approx. 30 hours before the Navy responded to the spill.
Mandy and her family became seriously ill
photo courtesy Mandy Feindt
Mandy says, “People are really sick, people will continue to get sick, and people will deal with this stuff for the rest of their lives if the Navy does not act in a more proactive manner.”
Mandy Feindt took her fight to Congressional leaders in February, 2022. She is returning to Washington to attend the SAFE (Scientists, Activists, Families for Cancer-Free Environments) EPA Protest. After many conversations with the EPA, and the Administrator himself, Mandy firmly believes the EPA could also be more proactive.
She explained, “The EPA does not regulate jet fuel, (JP-5) or total petroleum hydrocarbons, (TPH) in our water. By allowing our state and military leaders to set the Environmental Action Levels (EALs) for these harmful contaminants, they are part of the problem. In my mind, knowing the EPA’s mission and sole responsibility, they are also responsible for this water crisis that poisoned thousands of children.”
Mandy (3rd from left) and local community leaders meet with EPA
Administrator Michael Regan and his team in February, 2022