Chance, 55, who was working on his bachelor’s degree at the time, couldn’t reconcile how the country had let such an important site — both environmentally and historically — fall into such neglect. Pollution, invasive plants, and sediment have overtaken the once pristine waters, so much so that the Environmental Protection Agency has enacted a fish advisory to prevent people from eating fish caught in the area since 1998.

A retired Navy Seabee senior chief, Chance credits his 21 years in the Construction Battalions with first putting him in the headspace of how to give back to his community. But it was after retirement, during a university trip, that Chance asked Hawaii State Legislature Representative Ty Cullen if anyone was going to do anything about the state of the shore, a once thriving ecosystem turned superfund site.

“Community-led efforts face challenges when getting proper authorization to do cleanups, making it difficult to coordinate on a consistent basis,” Cullen told Military Times.

Chance realized that an earnest cleanup would be next to impossible. And that gave him an idea.

“Being a Seabee, we have a saying: the difficult task we do at once, the impossible takes a bit longer,” Chance said. “It’s not just a mantra. That’s our DNA.”

That’s when Chance decided to start a non-profit organization dedicated to cleaning up Pearl Harbor in April of 2015. At the suggestion of his classmate, Jasmine Choy, Chance named his organization Hui O Ho’Ohonua, a Hawaiian phrase that roughly translates to “a group of people united for a purpose to set the earth right.” Hui O Ho’Ohonua, or HOH808, was officially incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit that December, and adapted a familiar Seabees mentality as the core of their mission: “Impossible is where we start.”

But once the adrenaline wore off, Chance grew overwhelmed.

The military, along with several other sectors, like agriculture, have all contributed to the negative impact on the local environment and culture. Long before it was the site of the attack that dragged the U.S. into World War II, Hawaii had a fraught history with the mainland. The monarchy was overthrown by a group of Americans in 1893, and annexed by the U.S. two years later.

“How is a non-Hawaiian — a white person — going to start a Hawaiian nonprofit?” Chance asked himself.

During his service as a Seabee, Chance was deployed to several locations to help build essential infrastructure. Thinking back to those experiences, Chance began brainstorming ways in which he could take on this project without steamrolling the local community.

“We Seabees do incredible things all around the world,” Chance said. “When we get to these places, we have to work with the local community.”

After his time in the Navy, Chance struggled with the transition to civilian life. Though he always knew he had wanted the military to be chapter in his life, and not his entire life, it wasn’t until a friend suggested social work that Chance really felt he’d found new purpose. Eventually, he earned his master’s of social work from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He credits his Seabee experience with giving him all the tools he needed to take on the onerous task of a superfund site cleanup, and his education with the awareness to do it right.

“We (at HOH808) are very sensitive to the fact that we don’t want to be the white saviors or the colonial environmentalists,” Chance said. “We have cultural advisors that everything gets vetted through, and we don’t do anything until they give us the thumbs up.”

The organization’s first cleanup consisted of just Chance and one other person. Eventually, members of the community began showing up to help, and the organization itself grew — all with the shared goal of trying to restore land that had been through occupation, war, and years of pollution.

On HOH808′s website, the organization states its primary mission is to “end the perpetuation of historical trauma to the land, water, and people in the `Ewa Moku on `Oahu.” It’s a daunting goal, but in just a few years the organization has already made a noticeable dent.

“You immediately recognize the impact of their work the moment you enter the park, especially on the invasive mangrove removal, replanting of native fauna, and maintenance on Honouliuli stream that has been done to address the heavy flooding concerns,” Cullen, the state legislator, said of the organization’s impact. “They have brought many members of the community together and ultimately gave the community a sense of pride in the restoration of the area.”

In addition to the ongoing restoration of Pu`uloa’s physical environment, Chance and his organization have spearheaded significant changes to the cultural and political landscape of Pu`uloa and the greater community. With Cullen’s support, Chance has successfully lobbied the state legislature of Hawaii to restore and protect the region’s legacy. In 2017 the West Loch Shoreline Park in Oahu was officially renamed to Kapapapuhi Point Park to honor it’s original Hawaiian name. In 2018, he helped establish Malama Pu’uloa Month, an official state celebration of the cultural, historical, and environmental importance of the Pu’uloa region every fall. This year’s celebration runs through Oct. 31. Though these changes don’t have the visual impact of a cleaner shore or more sparkling water, in many ways they mean even more to the community.

“Tonyʻs impact is on-going,” said Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, an associate faculty specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu. “I appreciated that he helped bring back the Hawaiian name of Kapapaʻapuhi Point, and he is consistent in using the older name for Pearl Harbor, Puʻuloa. He also works to clean, clear and bring awareness to the needs of Puʻuloa in all he does and speaks about. His persistence inspires.”

With his experiences as a combat veteran and his work with homeless veterans in Hawaii, Chance believes the military made him uniquely prepared to take on the enormous task of trying to clean up a superfund site with a complicated history. But he doesn’t think he’s special for it.

“There’s so much untapped resources out there in retirees,” Chance said. “These are all people that have just incredible skill sets that aren’t being used.”

Chance is pushing for HOH808′s continued growth so that Pearl Harbor can return to its pre-colonial glory. In addition to the shoreline restoration project, the group has expanded to maintain other nearby parks and waterways, and pushes several grassroots education programs to teach young community members about everything from the area’s unique ecosystem to the importance of preserving indigenous history.

While he may have found his passion in restoring one specific place, he’s stresses that the core values he learned as a Seabee can apply to almost any problem.

“The things we’re learning here don’t just have an impact on Hawaii or this island,” he said. “This has a global impact. What we learn here can be used anywhere.”

“As the stewards of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it’s our honor to lead the centennial commemoration of this site,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery in a statement. “The Tomb has served as the heart of Arlington National Cemetery. It is a people’s memorial that inspires reflection on service, valor, sacrifice and mourning. As a sacred memorial site and the grave of three unknown American service members, the Tomb connects visitors with the legacy of the U.S. armed forces throughout the nation’s history.”

Arlington National Cemetery is holding the two-day event on Nov. 9 and 10, called The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemoration Public Flower Ceremony. Anyone interested can pay respects to the Unknown Soldier. In addition to allowing the public to walk directly next to the tomb for the first time in decades, those paying their respects will also be able to lay flowers without having to go through the usual request process to do so.

Usually, wreath-laying ceremonies are scheduled through a formal request process submitted by groups well in advance, and only four ceremonies can take place per day. The November event will allow those who register to pay their respects without the usual process’s limitations.

The memorial will be open for the flower ceremony from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the event’s two day run, and while visitors are encouraged to bring their own flowers, complimentary roses, daisies and sunflowers will also be available.

A representative from the Crow Nation will open the ceremony on Nov. 9 by reciting the same prayer given 100 years ago by American-Indian Chief Plenty Coup, and placing flowers on the tomb.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

The trailer for ABC’s 3212 UN-REDACTED dropped Tuesday in anticipation of the film’s Nov. 11 release on Hulu.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, Sgt. LaDavid Johnson and Staff Sgt. Bryan Black were killed Oct. 4, 2017, when militants ambushed the troops assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group.

Following a three-year investigation, the film examines both the lead-up and aftermath of the attack, putting special focus on the soldiers’ families as they hunt for answers. In the trailer, family members of the fallen tease the inconsistencies in reports given to them by officials.

Military officials conducted an investigation following the attack, which pointed to inadequate training and integration both before the deployment and on the ground in Niger.

Military leaders also claimed that the Army team filed inaccurate paperwork that withheld details on the nature of the mission.

Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier, appointed to lead the investigation, presented a summary of findings alongside other officials in May 2018, noting that much was still unknown.

“No single survivor of the attack that we interviewed had a complete picture of the events of the 3rd and 4th of October,” Cloutier said during a 2018 press briefing.

The documentary alleges that the Pentagon’s narrative included a cover-up intended to protect senior officers responsible for the mission’s failure. It includes interviews with the team’s commander, a Pentagon whistleblower, a former general in charge of special operations in Africa and most of the immediate family members of the four soldiers killed in action that day.

Director Brian Epstein worked with ABC News investigative reporter James Gordon Meek to compile the investigation. Meek previously worked as a counterterrorism advisor of the House Homeland Security Committee and has produced several ABC News investigative specials.

The French military announced last month that they believe a drone strike killed a top ISIS leader in Africa associated with the 2017 attack.

Watch the trailer for 3212 UN-REDACTED below.

The Air Force estimates the squadron will include around 60 personnel and 27 aircraft. The first F-35A is scheduled to arrive at RAF Lakenheath later this year. The squadron was previously deactivated in 1991.

“There has been a great deal of work done to get us this far, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done prior to getting jets this winter,” said the squadron’s new commander, Lt. Col. Ian D. McLaughlin in a press release. “The 495th has a proud history and we’re excited to take the guidon forward to start building the foundation for first USAF F-35As stationed in Europe.”

The Air Force cited RAF Lakenheath’s infrastructure, airspace, and the existing partnership between the U.S. and the United Kingdom as prime motivators for the decision to host the squadron at the base. RAF Lakenheath currently serves as the Air Force’s only F-15 fighter wing in Europe, and is the largest U.S. Air Force-operated base in England. It’s located about 70 miles northeast of London.

The 495th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the “Valkyries” was reactivated on the 30th anniversary of its original designation as a fighter squadron.

Last month, Detroit VA Police Services received a tip from a confidential source alleging that a registered nurse had been selling falsely filled-out Centers for Disease Control vaccination to both veterans and non-veterans, according the court documents. Bethann Kierczak, 37, had access to unissued cards because she was one of the nurses responsible for administering the shot at the VA facility.

The criminal complaint against Kierczak includes excerpts from conversations she had over Facebook Messenger, one of the platforms she used to sell the cards, complete with emojis and “lols.” Kierczak charged between $100 and $200 for each card. The source had already had previous conversations about the cards with Kierczak when law enforcement began monitoring their interactions with the source’s help.

“If you don’t forget to grab me about 10 of those things.. cough cough” [winking emoji] Ya know,” the source wrote on May 22, according to the court file.

“I am here, I will do my best, this pharmacist seems to be a little protective of the cards, lol,” the nurse replied.

According to prosecutors:

Working with law enforcement, the confidential source was able to facilitate the purchase of a fake card, which Kierczak delivered to the source’s home. She gave the source information about manufacturer name, lot number, and realistic dates that the source could write on the card to ensure it was believable. The source also maintained continued contact with Kierczak, reaching out several times to purchase more cards throughout the summer. On Sept. 27, a warrant was issued for Kierczak’s arrest by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was arrested and charged on Sept. 29.

Kierczak was charged with theft of government property and theft or embezzlement related to a healthcare benefit program.

“VA’s COVID-19 safety protocols, including ensuring accurate vaccination records, exist to keep both veterans and VA’s healthcare workers safe during this global pandemic,” said Gavin McClaren, Acting Special Agent in Charge, VA-OIG, Central Field Office, in a statement issued by DOJ. “These charges symbolize VA OIG’s commitment to protecting the integrity of VA’s healthcare delivery system, and diligently investigating any potential criminal activity that could threaten the safety of its patients and employees.”

DOJ announced that a second individual was charged in an unrelated vaccination card crime the same day. Prosecutors say Rapheal Jarrell Smiley, 32, purchased and sold counterfeit cards purchased from China. Like Kierczak sold his fake cards over Facebook, as well as Instagram. He was charged with fraud involving department or agency seals, identity document fraud, and trafficking in counterfeit goods.

These cases come months after the department announced a dedicated task force to combat pandemic-related fraud. In the year preceding the announcement, DOJ said that almost 600 people were charged for COVID-19 related fraud crimes involving over $600 million. Thousands of fake vaccine cards have been seized by Customs and Border patrol across the country.

Kierczak’s case is being investigated by the VA’s Office of Inspector General, VA Police Detroit and the Medicare Fraud Strike Force partners, a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI and U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General.

Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Robert, and Marine Staff Sgt. Hollie Mulvihill, filed the complaint on Aug. 17 with Colorado’s U.S. district court, alleging that the Defense Department’s personnel vaccine rollout is illegal and unconstitutional. The lawsuit followed DoD’s August announcement that members of the military would be required to take the vaccine. The two troops believe they should be exempt from the vaccine mandate because they already had COVID-19, and they’re pushing to get the case certified as a class action lawsuit.

Court documents were filed just days before the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 23. The next day, the Pentagon released a memo confirming that mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 would only use drugs with full FDA licensure, though service members could voluntarily take any vaccine on the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization list and still be considered compliant with the mandate.

Largely basing their argument on the COVID-19 vaccines’ expedited Emergency Use Authorization status, the plaintiffs cited a federal law, 50 U.S.C. 1520, that prohibits DoD from using human subjects for testing of chemical or biological agents. However, the vaccines approved for use in the U.S. were not considered experimental, a claim debunked by Reuters.

The service members call the vaccine requirement “a naked attempt to leverage the Plaintiffs’ military status against them in order to move forward with an unnecessary public health mandate,” according to court documents.

To back up their claim, the two troops cite Army Regulation 40-562, which allows exemptions to vaccine requirements can be granted if there is “evidence of immunity based on serologic tests, documented infection, or similar circumstances.” These regulations were written before the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented unprecedented infection and hospitalization rates across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone over 12 years old — including people that have already had the disease. In August, the agency released a study which found that unvaccinated people who had already had COVID-19 were more than twice as likely than vaccinated people to be reinfected. Additionally, previous research from the CDC found that unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from the infection.

Robert and Mulvihill also make the argument that the vaccine should not be compulsory if alternative treatments are available. They list Ivermectin — an anti-parasite medication that is primarily used to treat roundworms that has not been proven to be effective against COVID-19 — as a viable alternative. Ivermectin is not approved to treat COVID-19 and no reliable evidence supports its use for that purpose, according to researchers across universities in Germany.

However, one of the plaintiffs’ requests in the complaint is that the court “find that the use of investigational new drugs or drugs unapproved for their applied use is illegal.”

In addition to asking the court to declare the vaccine requirement illegal and exempt service-members from it, the plaintiffs ask the court to award them money for their attorneys’ fees and “any other relief” deemed appropriate. Both service members are based in North Carolina.

And while the most pressing threats come from Russia, perhaps the most dangerous come from China, according to a new report by Rand.

With the Chinese increasing aerial shows of force near Taiwan, and Russia continuing to engage in a low-level shooting war with Ukraine, Rand researched what dangers those potential adversaries could present to the U.S. and its allies and interests.

The report analyzed adversary military intervention since 1946 — activities like counterinsurgency, interdiction, intelligence, combat and more — and found that such moves are on the rise, especially from China. But interventions are smaller and less frequent now than they were during the Cold War, the report said. Still, several factors could contribute to an increase in tension between the U.S. and rival forces including China, Russia, and Iran.

Researchers analyzed historical data from these countries to identify warning signs and laid out which should be prioritized by the federal government. Four categories were used to determine likelihood of adversary intervention: geopolitics, domestic interests, ideation, and military capability or “enablers” within the country. The authors stressed that while these categories each contain several factors that might be signposts of future adversarial activity, they couldn’t identify factors that would guarantee an intervention.

Analyses pointed to China as the greatest risk for several reasons, including the country’s access to resources and its growing ambitions outside its own borders. Researchers warned that any sudden deterioration in the relationship between the U.S. and China could quickly lead to instability.

Increased military activity from Russia, writ large, indicated that the Kremlin may pose a more immediate threat than China, though not as large-scale. Researchers also concluded that domestic factors played only a small role in what might drive Russia toward intervention, compared to other key players. Rand said identifying and monitoring the warning signs laid out in their report could inform U.S. decisions on military posture and partnerships moving forward.

You can read the entire report here.

The Marine Corps Marathon weekend, slated for Oct. 29 through Oct. 31, is in its 46th year, and additionally features both 10 km and 50 km races that would have taken place between Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Now, runners will be able to participate virtually from wherever they live.

The announcement sparked backlash from some social media users, some saying the Marine Corps was bending to political pressure.

“Stop trying to keep everybody ‘safe,’” wrote Facebook user David Colegrove in a post that generated 122 “likes” as of Monday afternoon. “So tired of it. Life is full of risks. Stay home if you are scared.”

However, Rick Nealis, the director of the Marine Corps Marathon Organization, told Marine Corps Times that the cancellation of the in-person event was simply a decision made out of an abundance of caution in line with Department of Defense guidelines.

“The main focus of [those guidelines] is to protect the force,” Nealis said Monday.

Marine units help in the set up and execution of the in-person event.

While the organization had planned rigorous health screenings in order to create a safe in-person environment following 2020′s cancellation, Nealis said the Marine Corps couldn’t guarantee that health screenings or COVID-19 precautions would keep all of the potential 11,000 runners safe.

“Without that guarantee, the prudent measure was to cancel it,” he said.

Those who registered for the race will be entitled to a full refund, and Nealis said that runners who choose to participate remotely will likely receive a partial refund as well.

Nealis said that in its 46 year history, the race had never been canceled before the pandemic upended large gatherings. Even after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the race was carried on.

“The Marine Corps marathon was really the first major event in D.C. if not the United States, that took the streets back, we brought life back in a lot of ways.” Nealis said. “This is a different enemy.”

Other major marathon events across the U.S. had been pushed from spring to fall, like the Boston Marathon, to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. The Boston Marathon is set to take place in-person Oct. 11.

The New York City Marathon is scheduled for an in-person race Nov. 7.

And while those races will draw even larger crowds and therefore increased risks, Nealis said the Marine Corps is simply held to a higher standard.

“We do have a responsibility to the American public to take care of those Marines and sailors,” he said. “We’re accountable for our actions, even though it hurts that we have to cancel.”

Nealis said the organization is hopeful for an in-person race in 2022, and he’s confident it will be the biggest and greatest yet.

One of those recommendations was to nix prohibitive service dog policies. Previously, the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System required service dogs to complete a health screening, be trained in three assistance tasks, and wear identification. But VHA’s policy does not permit facility staff to require health screenings or identification, according to the VAOIG’s report.

The report, published Sept. 23, details a case of an unidentified veteran’s death by suicide after receiving services through VA facilities in Portland, Oregon and Palo Alto, California. Though the report notes that staff made a reasonable effort to provide most aspects of mental health care to the patient, who was showing signs of suicidal ideation, it states that the facilities in question failed to meet some of the policies required by the Veterans Health Administration.

The policies that staff fell short on included providing various suicide-prevention care and mental health treatment options, and not allowing the patient’s service dog to enter the facility.

The patient was assessed as being at high risk for suicide, and objected to attending certain appointments without the service dog. The Palo Alto VA facility imposed service dog requirements that were stricter than VHA’s official service dog policy, VAOIG found. The VAOIG report states that “failure to comply with VHA animal access policy may contribute to barriers in accessing VHA services for patients with service animals.”

The patient had told the facility that the 11-year-old service dog was their only support system.

Following the investigation, VAOIG issued seven recommendations to improve training, coordination, policy, and procedures related to mental health care at both facilities. Officials at both facilities concurred on all applicable recommendations, which included developing procedures consistent with the VHA’s behavioral report procedures, improving and expediting communication of key information with both patients and leadership, and monitoring staff for compliance to VHA policies, among others.

A final recommendation pushed the Palo Alto facility to update its service dog policy to match the VHA’s, which the facility concurred with and provided a completion date of May 2021.

Veterans experiencing a mental health emergency can contact the Veteran Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and select option 1 for a VA staffer. Veterans, troops or their family members can also text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for assistance.

An audit found that over $300 million, accounting for 9 percent of total prosthetic spending in 2019, went toward prosthetic-related equipment provided to veterans by vendors outside the VHA. The VHA then reimburses these vendors based on Medicare rates, because the administration doesn’t have its own pricing guidelines for such prosthetic and orthotic items provided to veterans through third-party vendors. The report found that this lack of an established pricing structure paired with a lack of oversight means that the office missed opportunities for cost savings on things like artificial limbs, shoes, and other related items.

In some cases, VAOIG found that facilities were reimbursing third-party vendors at rates that even exceeded those Medicare rates. Looking at a random sample, the audit identified approximately 41,300 out of 112,600 transactions that went beyond what was considered a reasonable rate of reimbursement. In some cases, facilities even overpaid vendors by different amounts for the same items, or recorded incorrect transaction data.

The report states that the audit team went so far as to ask VA and VHA officials which pricing methods might apply to these transactions, and officials said “it was not their responsibility to monitor laws and regulations.” Instead officials told the OIG that they operate under the assumption that the VA’s Office of Regulatory and Administration Affairs or the Office of General Counsel will advise when relevant laws or regulations go into effect. However, the report notes that those officers provided any such advisement.

To address the challenges leading to overspending in this sector of care, VAOIG issued a list of recommendations that included establishing clear pricing guidelines in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, and establishing a formal oversight structure that includes monitoring spending data more closely. VHA officials concurred with all of the recommendations, and laid out an action plan to address them with targeted completion dates spanning 2022.