![]() In interviews, former Boxer crew members described ailments to they believe were caused by the diesel. Some veterans who endured the episode have been left struggling to get help years later, several having their disability claims rejected by the the Department of Veterans Affairs. “The health safety of our sailors and Marines remains a top priority and clean and safe drinking water is paramount for operational readiness,” he said in the statement. The ship has not experienced any additional water contamination since 2016, according to Abrahamson. After conducting a thorough flush and inspection of the ship’s potable water system, fresh water was restored.” “USS Boxer’s leadership and crew took immediate and appropriate measures to restrict access to the ship's potable water. Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for the Naval Surface Force, said in a statement to on Wednesday. “USS Boxer (LHD 4) identified traces of fuel in the ship's potable water system while on a deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2016,” Cmdr. Now, the service is acknowledging the water contamination for the first time, in a response to this reporting. The Navy had never publicly acknowledged what happened on the ship and repeatedly responded to document requests by saying that no official paper trail outlining the incident existed. Those emails may have mentioned the fuel in the water supply. Those conclusions can be revealed by for the first time after interviewing key personnel on the ship at the time of the incident, as well as through a review of documents obtained from sources.Ī Freedom of Information Act request from 2018 shows that the Boxer underwent a significant upgrade to its internal network system that inadvertently deleted emails and email addresses of former Boxer members. The crew had done this to themselves.Ī years-long investigation reveals that the Boxer unintentionally compromised its own water supply in 2016, when it intentionally and potentially illegally dumped diesel fuel into the ocean and immediately sucked the noxious liquid back aboard the ship and into its water supply. The men and women didn't know it, but the fuel running through the water lines on the ship wasn't caused by a faulty valve or a corroded pipe. I had a friend braid it because I thought it would keep me from smelling it in my sleep." ![]() ![]() You smelled it when you washed your clothes in it, showered in it, when you flushed the toilet," said Sarah Blanton, a former Marine sergeant assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. ![]() "The ship is actually trying to kill us," Travis Sellers, a 20-year-old lance corporal, summarized at the time. ![]()
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