The commander of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam stepped down Tuesday in a routine change-of-command ceremony aboard the USS Missouri Memorial. Capt. Mark Sohaney took the reins from Capt. Erik Spitzer, who assumed command of the base in July 2020.
Over the course of his tenure, Spitzer oversaw daily business at the base as COVID-19 posed challenges for operations, and later as the military struggled to respond to the contamination of the Navy water system that serves 93,000 Oahu residents by fuel from the Navy’s underground Red Hill facility.
“I cannot thank you enough for all you do each and every day for this amazing and historical installation,” Spitzer said as he addressed troops. “Your commitment, resilience and teamwork here is phenomenal, and what you accomplish each and every day, despite the obstacles and challenges, is truly inspirational.”
The water contamination led to a crisis of confidence in Navy leadership among troops and military families. Spitzer would be among the Navy officials who later apologized for his handling of the early days of the water crisis.
Spitzer wrote Nov. 29 in a message to residents, “I can tell you at this point that there are no immediate indications that the water is not safe. … My staff and I are drinking the water on base this morning, and many of my team live in housing and drink and use the water as well.”
On Dec. 5 in a post to
the base’s Facebook page, he told residents that “if there was one day I had a chance to do over, it would be that day.”
“I regret I did not tell our families not to drink the water. I am deeply remorseful. My apologies to you all,” he wrote. “I said in my notification that my staff and I were drinking the water. That was not a cover, we were. We truly thought the testing results indicated the water was safe to drink.”
During the ceremony, Rear Adm. Timothy Kott, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, presented him the Legion of Merit, a military award “for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.”
