Military

The ship and its crew are in Alaska this summer to enforce fisheries regulations and provide search and rescue support. They are slated to depart again Monday.

A dozen senators have also called on the Veterans Administration to say why some of the WWII-era troops who were found by an NPR Investigation were denied benefits.

NPR Researcher Barbara Van Woerkom used documents and public databases to find 1,200 vets who participated in World War II secret chemical experiments. The Department of Veterans Affairs found 610.

The exercise normally happens every two years, but was canceled in 2013 due to budget sequestration. That time gap is part of the reason critics say communication from the military has been inadequate, leading to protests in several Southcentral communities last month.

As the new Choice program spreads across the country and takes hold in Alaska, vets and providers say it’s undoing parts of the Alaska-grown system that have worked well.

Ground water contamination at Eielson Air Force Base has spread off the facility. It is thought to originate from firefighting foam previously used there.