Pat Elder
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Military contamination
Director, Military Poisons
Articles by Pat Elder
What America Left Behind In Greenland
Above photo: Ken Bower. The Toxic Legacy of Eighty Years of U.S. Military Occupation. Part 2 of a 3-part series. Part 1 examined PFAS at Pituffik Space Base; while Part 3 will survey the appeals U.S. veterans have filed with the U.S. Veterans Administration, claiming cancers and disease as a result of their exposure to toxins in Greenland. “Greenland doesn’t really help Denmark.
U.S. Israeli Bombing of Iran is Causing an Environmental Catastrophe
[Source: cbsnews.com] On March 18, 2026, Israeli warplanes struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, igniting fires across one of the most critical energy complexes on Earth. The attack targeted infrastructure at the heart of the global natural gas system, sending flames through facilities that underpin a significant share of the world’s fertilizer production. The South Pars strike and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is not just an energy story—it is also a story about the global food supply.
From Karbala to Today: Beginning To Understand Shi’a Islam
by | Apr 2, 2026 | News | We must go back in history to understand the split between Sunni and Shi’a Islam before we can understand the animosity between predominantly Sunni nations like Saudi Arabia and Shi’a Iran today. Please suffer through the names and dates. This painting depicts the Battle of Karbala (680 CE), showing the small camp of Husayn ibn Ali and his followers on the left, surrounded by the much larger, highly organized forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid.
Trump’s Yokosuka Spectacle: The Pageantry of Power and Japan’s Hidden PFAS Crisis
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cheers on President Trump aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28, 2025. [Source: mainichi.jp] When President Donald Trump strode onto the flight deck of the USS George Washington at Yokosuka, Japan, it looked like a campaign scene, perhaps choreographed for his unconstitutional third term bid.
Trump's Yokosuka Spectacle: The Pageantry of Power and Japan's Hidden PFAS Crisis
When President Donald Trump strode onto the flight deck of the USS George Washington at Yokosuka, Japan, it looked like a campaign scene, perhaps choreographed for his unconstitutional 3rd term bid.
Hawai'i Votes Down Army's Environmental Impact Statement on Pohakuloa Training Area
On May 9, 2025, the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources voted to reject the Army’s environmental impact statement to retain its lease on state land for the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawai‘i Island. The decision was based on the inadequate environmental report prepared by the Army. The Army’s half-hearted environmental impact statement reflects the Trump administration’s disregard of cultural and environmental concerns.
NATO Military Bases in Germany Poison Rivers and Fish with PFAS
Results from six bases show dangerous contamination. By Pat Elder, Military Poisons, October 9, 2024 We took water samples from streams flowing from six active and former NATO military installations from July 26 – July 30, 2024. The results show that the streams and all aquatic life are poisoned with PFAS, likely forever. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not eat fish from these regions and neither should anyone else. All wildlife is likely contaminated.
Okinawan Governor Calls Out Crimes Committed by U.S. Military Personnel, New Henoko Base Construction, and PFAS
Reprinted from World Beyond War Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki is in Washington D.C. for the fourth time to voice Okinawan concerns to the U.S. government. Last night, the Washington Office of the Okinawan Prefectural Government hosted “Okinawa Night with Governor Denny Tamaki” at the City Club of Washington. I was asked to attend on behalf of World BEYOND War. My report follows. The lavish event featured traditional Okinawan hors d’oeuvres and lively Okinawan dance and music.
Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki Calls Out Crimes Committed by U.S. Military Personnel, New Henoko Base Construction, and PFAS
Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki Calls Out Crimes Committed by U.S. Military Personnel, New Henoko Base Construction, and PFAS The great U.S. historian, Peter Kuznick, Governor of Okinawa Denny Tamaki, and Pat Elder representing World BEYOND War. By Pat Elder, World BEYOND War DC event highlights Tamaki as an ally of the peace movement, despite restraints. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki is in Washington D.C. for the fourth time to voice Okinawan concerns to the U.S. government.
Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki Calls Out Crimes Committed by U.S. Military Personnel, New Henoko Base Construction, and PFAS
The great U.S. historian, Peter Kuznick, Governor of Okinawa Denny Tamaki, and Pat Elder representing World BEYOND War. By Pat Elder, World BEYOND War, September 12, 2024 DC event highlights Tamaki as an ally of the peace movement, despite restraints. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki is in Washington D.C. for the fourth time to voice Okinawan concerns to the U.S. government.
Japan-US Joint Statement on War Preparations Forecasts Doom
The United States has announced it will upgrade U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) to a joint force headquarters (JFHQ) with expanded operational responsibilities. The new command will report to the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). The revamped structure will assume the control of about 55,000 personnel stationed in Japan from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command some 6,200 kilometers away in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Japan-U.S. Joint Statement on War Preparations Forecasts Doom
Vitaly Podvitsky, Global Times By Pat Elder, Military Poisons, August 8, 2024 In addition to addressing PFAS contamination, my friends in Tokushima, Japan have asked that I also prepare a presentation on the current state of affairs between the U.S. and Japan. This is my report. The United States has announced it will upgrade U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) to a joint force headquarters (JFHQ) with expanded operational responsibilities.
NATO’s Nuclear Bases Have Poisoned Water and Fish
Fish from Pahlbach Stream which drains Büchel Air Base, Germany are dangerously contaminated with PFAS, according to the German government. Nuclear deterrence has a nasty side effect. Nuclear armed air bases at Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi in Italy, and Volkel in the Netherlands have poisoned the environment with PFAS.
NATO's Nuclear Bases Have Poisoned Water and Fish
Nuclear armed air bases at Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi in Italy, and Volkel in the Netherlands have poisoned the environment with PFAS. Massive fires were intentionally lit in large fire pits at these bases and extinguished with cancer-causing fire-fighting foams during routine training exercises dating back 40 years or longer. Afterward, the foam residue was typically allowed to run off or drain into the soil.
Hawaii, the EPA, the Navy, and 6:2 FTS
By Pat Elder | Military Poisons | June 28, 2024 Read the full article by Pat Elder (Military Poisons) “See the report, ‘Red Hill AFFF Assessment Sampling’ by APPL Labs, dated December 27, 2022. The results for Adit 6 show 4,700 parts per trillion, (ppt) of 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS) in groundwater. This is a frightening level. Adit 6 is the location of the PFAS spill of 1,300 gallons of PFAS concentrate released by the Navy at Red Hill on November 29, 2022.
Dutch Ministry of "Defense" Has Poisoned Soil, Sea, Fish, and Air
By Pat Elder, World BEYOND War, June 14, 2024 The Dutch Ministry of Defense has poisoned the soil, the sea, the fish, and the air with PFAS from the daily use of many products and applications, including fire fighting foams. It’s likely they’ve known these compounds are toxic for two generations. There was a Dutch military report from 2013 saying much of this, but they didn’t tell the Dutch people. Leeuwarden Air Base is the most contaminated spot in the Netherlands.
Akashi River in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan has record level of PFAS Contamination — Military Poisons
This is the site of the highly toxic water draining from Seishin Kaihatu into the Akashi River. Many look to the Japanese government to solve this politically charged human health crisis. Political realities rule out vigorous regulation in the U.S. and much of the industrialized world. Japan is the world’s hope, and it starts with the Ministry of the Environment.
Hawaii relaxes PFAS standards in drinking water
By Pat Elder | Military Poisons | October 23, 2023 Read the full article by Pat Elder (Military Poisons) “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that groundwater monitoring sample results at the Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility show no exceedances of PFAS based on the Hawai‘i Department of Health Environmental Action Levels, (EALs). See the report here.
Where does the PFAS come from on military bases? — Military Poisons
The fire is extinguished in 28 seconds. Brad Creacey served as a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force from 1974 to 1985. He photographed this striking series at Hahn (1977) and Sembach (1984) Air Bases in Germany. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) containing PFAS was used in military firefighter training exercises to extinguish fires that were intentionally ignited in pits.
Settlements With Chemical Giants Mark The Dawn Of PFAS Accountability
Above photo: Annie Ropeik/NHPR. Floodgates Are Open For Individual Cases. It’s been a busy June in the US District Court in Charleston, South Carolina! Military veterans and civilians with a likelihood of occupational exposure to per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS) ought to understand what’s been going on. On June 2, 2023, DuPont de Nemours, Chemours, and Corteva, three major producers of PFAS, announced that they had created a $1.2 billion fund for water utilities with PFAS contamination.
The Fate of the USS Bonhomme Richard
The Navy has convinced the public that its ships are protected against catastrophic fires because they are all outfitted with extremely sophisticated firefighting sprinkler systems equipped with aqueous film-forming foam known as AFFF, or “A triple F.” In the case of the tiniest flame, the sensitive system was designed to automatically douse a fire in just a few seconds, so we were led to believe.
The U.S. Military Is Poisoning Okinawa
Pat Elder | CovertAction Magazine - TRANSCEND Media Service 28 Dec 2022 – An Okinawan group of activists and physicians known as the Liaison to Protect the Lives of Citizens Against PFAS Contamination has taken the extraordinary step of collecting and analyzing blood samples from 387 residents of the tiny island who live near several U.S. military installations.
Column: Military will default to secrecy, as Red Hill shows
Many on Oahu have expressed the view that the U.S. Navy command is entirely incompetent in its response to last year’s fuel leak and the recent leak of firefighting foam containing highly concentrated carcinogenic PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” I don’t think so. You underestimate them at your own peril. The Pentagon and its officials have a game plan.
The U.S. military is poisoning Okinawa — Military Poisons
Blood testing confirms high levels of carcinogen PFAS in the blood of hundreds living close to US bases Japanese demand answers while Americans deny responsibility By Pat Elder December 1, 2022 Blood samples are taken on behalf of the Liaison to Protect the Lives of Citizens Against PFAS Contamination at a community center in Ginowan, Okinawa, July 10, 2022.
Herschel Walker, Kanye West
White supremacist-adjacent, MAGA-loving Black figures such as Kanye West would be dismissed as buffoons if they weren’t so dangerous. As they say in Philly, Kanye West f’d around and found out when he lost his spot on the Forbes list of billionaires. This, after Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga and others dropped their partnerships with Ye following anti-semitic comments the artist recently made on social media.
Ocasio Cortez Claps Back as Defeated DCCC Chair Lashes Out
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday evening rebuked outgoing Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who had earlier claimed in an interview with The New York Times that the progressive congresswoman contributed little to campaign efforts and suggested her policy priorities—several of them popular with Democratic voters—are harming the party.
Did Zoomers Just Usher in a New Political Era?
The pundits are mystified by Tuesday’s election outcome: they were certain a red wave was on its way. They missed the Zoomers. They missed the Fourth Turning. It’s been 76 years since the Silent Generation birthed the first Boomers after World War II in 1946. That’s exactly four times nineteen years per generation (4 x 19 = 76).From 1901 to today, we call these generations: Greatest, Silent, Boomers, Xers, Millennials, Zoomers, Alpha.
Firefighters Need to Have Their Blood Tested for PFAS
Four months have passed since the publication of Guidance on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes, a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, (National Academies). The National Academies are the premier American institutions created by President Lincoln in 1863 to investigate issues in science for the U.S. government.
In the clearing stands a boxer — Military Poisons
Diane Cotter is making the case for banning PFAS in firefighters’ turnout gear By Pat Elder October 7, 2022 Diane and Paul Cotter Diane Cotter is a fighter, a poetic figure, an American heroine, like David of old, armed with a slingshot, fighting Goliath. Paul Simon knew her kind.
Mandy Feindt - Military Poisons
“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.
Vouchers Harm Public Education by Siphoning Funds
Years ago, Florida’s Supreme Court found the State’s educational voucher program in violation of the Establishment Clause. State funds were going to parochial schools (among other organizations). Instead of recognizing their error and how much they’d spent defending the program in court, the so-called fiscal conservatives went in a different direction. They created a non-profit organization, where businesses could contribute funds to pay for vouchers.
Overturning Roe: The (colonial) Supreme Court
The United States Supreme Court’s history and jurisprudence is rooted in a colonial violence, Indigenous land dispossession, genocide, and slavery, but we are still surprised when, in 2022, it determines a woman no longer has a Constitutional right to bodily autonomy. Why?
South Florida Water Toxic, Officials Look the Other Way
Test results from nine cities in south Florida show the tap water is unsafe to drink due to the presence of PFAS. Drinking water in towns along the Atlantic coast contain high levels of carcinogenic and poly fluoroalkyl substances, except for the town of Highland Beach which had none of the toxins in its water. Per fluoro octanoic acid (PFOA) is one of the most lethal substances ever developed and there’s a lot of it in Delray Beach’s water.
EPA Announces New Drinking Water Advisories
The EPA has finally acknowledged that no amount of exposure to PFOA and PFOS, two types of PFAS in drinking water, is safe. We’ve known it for years. The EPA’s disclosure is the government’s way of saying that most Americans have been drinking poisoned water for a generation or longer – and continue to do so.
Iowa Supreme Court Deals Blow to Abortion Rights
The GOP-packed Iowa Supreme Court on Friday dealt a serious blow to abortion rights in the state amid heightened fears about the future of reproductive freedom nationwide. In a case challenging medically unnecessary restrictions, Iowa's high court determined that there is no fundamental right to abortion protected by the state constitution—which clears the way for state lawmakers to pass even stricter measures.
Assange Still Enduring Unbearable Persecution for Exposing US War Crimes
Ever since U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel formally ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. last week, press freedom advocates around the world have been mobilizing. Assange Defense, on whose advisory board I serve, is organizing a national and international campaign to pressure U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden to drop the extradition request and dismiss the charges against Assange. The stakes could not be higher.
Top Gun Maverick Sets a New Standard For State-Orchestrated, Pro-Military, Mass Indoctrination
Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist for Hitler’s Nazi Party, would be in awe of the film’s director, Joseph Kosinski I saw Top Gun: Maverick yesterday. It was absolutely horrible. The film sets a new standard for state-orchestrated, pro-military, mass indoctrination. Goebbels, chief propagandist for Hitler’s Nazi Party, would be in awe of the shiny death plane and the spotlights and the movie star in his tuxedo. Tom Cruise stars as Captain Pete Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick.
Top Gun Maverick - A Counter-Narrative
I saw “Top Gun: Maverick” yesterday. It was absolutely horrible. The film sets a new standard for state-orchestrated, pro-military, mass indoctrination. Goebbels, chief propagandist for Hitler’s Nazi Party, would be in awe of the shiny death plane and the spotlights and the movie star in his tuxedo. Tom Cruise stars as Captain Pete Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick.
Top Gun Maverick – A Counter-Narrative - PopularResistance.Org
Above Photo: Tom Cruise attends the UK premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” at Leicester Square on May 19, 2022, in London. (Eamonn M. McCormack / Getty Images for Paramount Pictures). I saw “Top Gun: Maverick” yesterday. It was absolutely horrible. The film sets a new standard for state-orchestrated, pro-military, mass indoctrination. Goebbels, chief propagandist for Hitler’s Nazi Party, would be in awe of the shiny death plane and the spotlights and the movie star in his tuxedo.
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Contaminates The Neuse River And The Goldsboro, North Carolina Region With PFAS
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Contaminates The Neuse River And The Goldsboro, North Carolina Region With PFAS By Pat Elder, Military Poisons.
Maine Environmental Group finds high levels of PFAS in the Androscoggin River — Military Poisons
By Pat Elder January 3, 2022 In addition to the PFAS test, Ed Friedman measures specific conductivity for a general measure of water quality. - Photo: Pat Elder Ed Friedman with Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) in Bowdoinham, Maine teamed up with local activists and other FOMB members Barbara West and Martha Spiess to test for PFAS in the Androscoggin River and a nearby stream that empties into it. They found alarming levels of the cancer-causing chemicals.
Minnesota's Poisoned Fish
Fish from a PFAS-contaminated lake is sold out of state. Caveat emptor - Let the buyer beware The state allows pregnant women to consume high amounts of PFAS in fish Invasive carp cause serious damage to native fish populations in the Mississippi River and the lakes and rivers throughout the Midwest because they out-compete native species for food and space. The fish are wild and thrash about as they sail through the air, sometimes smacking fishers in the face.
Potomac River in Washington is contaminated with toxic PFAS — Military Poisons
Pat Elder October 14, 2021 Bass fishing where treated sewer water is discharged into the Potomac River at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC A water sample collected from the Potomac River near the outfall of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant showed a total of 39.8 parts per trillion (ppt) for 8 compounds of PFAS. PFAS are per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances. They are highly toxic and many are known to bioaccumulate in fish.
Germans, Japanese, and Marylanders Are Poisoned by the U.S. Military - Global Research
All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch.
U.S. Military Bases and Airfields Are Contaminating Potomac River with “Astronomical Levels” of Toxic Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances - Global Research
All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. *** As a matter of ritual, every U.S. president invariably gets up on his lectern and extols the United States as the greatest country in the world, claiming it has a duty to export its superior governing institutions all around the world.
Sewer Sludge from Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC is highly contaminated with PFAS — Military Poisons
Report by DC Statehood Green Party warns of the dangers of PFAS in the city. Greens point to toxic Bloom Soil Conditioner, a product of DC Water By Pat Elder July 31, 2021 DC Water treats wastewater from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Captain and the Foam — Military Poisons
The Navy is misleading a Maryland community on PFAS dangers By Pat Elder June 7, 2021 The Patuxent River Naval Air Station says the PFAS foam it sent down the drain on May 16 to the wastewater treatment plant operated by the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (METCOM) is safe. It’s not true. The foams are toxic and have been released into the environment.
Germans, Japanese and Marylanders are poisoned by the US military
By Pat Elder Pat Elder is an investigative journalist with Civilian Exposure, an organization based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that tracks how the military poisons people around the world. Pat’s focus is on documenting contamination caused by the U.S. military’s use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in routine fire-fighting drills. PFAS in fire-fighting foams used on basFes worldwide are contaminating the environment and endangering public health.
Letter to the Editor: PFAS Problem In St. Inigoes Creek
An open letter to: Heather Moritz, LEHS Director, Environmental Health Division St. Mary's County Health Department April 19, 2021 Dear Ms. Moritz, Thank you for getting back to me. I know how busy you must be. I applaud the St. Mary’s County Health Department’s response to the Covid pandemic. My wife, Nell and I are both doubly vaccinated.
PFOS in Michigan Fish
Fish testing program leads the nation while the state allows toxic fish to be consumed. In March, 2021, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy – Water Resources Division (EGLE-WRD) released data showing the levels of PFAS contamination in 2,841 fish caught in the state. PFAS is short for toxic per-and-poly fluoroalkyl substances. See the file, EGLE PFAS Filet Data 2, sorted by PFOS levels – from highest to lowest.
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