Navy Vice Adm. John Wade sat down with HPR on Monday afternoon for a candid conversation about leading the mission to defuel the aging Red Hill facility and handing over this next phase of shutting it down.
"While there has been criticism, I accept it because I know that people are angry, frustrated, disappointed. But again, all I could do was focus on what I could control, and that was to be safe and to do it as quickly as possible, and then to execute it flawlessly," said Wade, the commander of Joint Task Force - Red Hill. "I had many sleepless nights, but that's OK. You know, I was asked to lead this team. And I didn't want to fail."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given the Department of Defense's joint task force the nod to hand over the next phase to the Navy Closure Task Force. This clears the way for the transfer of command to focus on removing the sludge in the massive underground fuel tanks.
Wade was under tremendous pressure to safely defuel the Navy's Red Hill fuel storage facility after thousands of gallons leaked in 2021 — which led to contaminated drinking water for military families on the Navy's water system. The task force finished gravity-draining 104 million gallons of fuel in December.
"Of course, I wish the unfortunate events of '21 did not happen. But, you know, I signed an oath, swore an oath to serve our country and our people. And so this is what I was asked to do. And I was proud to and privileged to serve the people of Hawaiʻi, and do something important for the environment," Wade added.
State lawmakers honored Wade and his team earlier this month for their efforts. Sen. Glenn Wakai said in a statement, "Wade held numerous town hall meetings where he was confronted by angry service members, their families, and environmentalists. In all cases I witnessed, he responded to furious criticisms with respect and grace."
Wade said receiving the recognition from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature was one of the most humbling experiences of his professional career.
"It is my hope that what we did, in some small way, allows everyone, all of us collectively, the communities of Hawaiʻi, everyone here to move forward and to also continue the healing process," he said.
Wade also shared how much he has learned about the history and culture of the Red Hill area, or Kapūkakī.
"I also learned that the connection between people, land, water and everything, flora, fauna, and that there is a spiritual responsibility, sacred responsibility probably the better word, for environmental stewardship," he said.
He has been preparing Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett to take over the next phase of closing the 80-year-old facility.
"I know him personally. I know him professionally. He too understands the importance and the enormity of the mission to safely and expeditiously close the facility and do the environmental remediation," Wade said.
"There's new challenges. There's new risks, but he's the right leader at the right time. And he's ready to take this mission on."
The military has said it plans to close the Red Hill facility by January 2027.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 26, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
