running track and at this site nicknamed skittles pond. among the first to arrive at k-2 defense department employee, mike. >> i served as part of a small team that provided support to our special operators going further down range into afghanistan. >> reporter: but just says into his mission, he says local workers hired to build a barrier were getting sick. >> they were fainting, and getting nauseous. >> reporter: he was asked to identify testing sites across the base. >> the first test site we dug a liquid substance up, gold in color and smelled like jet fuel, which made sense because they had tanks of fuel there that had probably been leaking since the soviet day. >> reporter: he was also asked to gather intelligence on the base's history. >> we learned that the soviets had had a chemical weapons decontamination unit adjacent to

our camp. >> reporter: low resolution satelli satellite imagery shows the aftermath of a massive explosion in 1993 at the depot. he says the explosion scattered toxic material, including asbestos, and refined form of uranium ore called yellow cake. >> how high were the readings? >> seven to nine times higher normal background radiation. they found a fragment that was handed to me bagged and was described as this is a piece of yellow cake. >> reporter: you're saying that the explosion in 1993 pulverized yellow cake uranium and spread it across the base? >> it is my understanding based on the readings. >> reporter: a base surgeon was also concerned. he wrote this environmental exposure memo obtained by central nervous systcbs news for his unit's permanent record in case they got sick. it documents arsenic and cyanide

present in the soil, air and water. doug wilson and his wife crystal were stunned by what we learned. >> disappointed's not even the right word. >> that's crazy that they would let us work in that kind of environment. >> reporter: the va found no link between wilson's diagnosed medical condition and military service. he appealed the decision with a letter of support from his oncologist, stating his cancer is more than likely connected to toxic exposure. a year later, the appeal is still pending. >> reporter: if the va acknowledged your brain cancer is connected to your service, what difference would it make? >> it would open up a flood of programs. >> reporter: like grants to make their home more wheelchair accessible and more money for their family's future. >> almost $2,000 more a month. >> what difference would that make to your family? >> oh, goodness, a huge difference. >> reporter: he only learned a

few months ago that so many service members were suffering. >> they were the finest group of americans i've ever served with, and these were the people that were first in. >> reporter: in a statement, a va spokesperson said disability claims are decided on a case by case basis and the va is closely following the possible health effect of k-2 deployment. in a preliminary review, the va found the death rate of k-2 veterans is lower than the general population. a larger study is new vicks immunity zzzs gummies are fortified with zinc and elderberry to sustain a healthy immune system plus melatonin for restorative sleep because being run down, is not an option. recharge your nights to take on your days with new vicks immunity zzzs. - hey kaleb, what's up? how you doing? - hey, i'm good, guess what, i just had my 13th surgery. - really? i just had my 17th surgery. - well, you beat me. - well, i am a little bit older than you.

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election say is just a week away but it could take days or longer to declare a winner. as barry petersen reports, patience is already in short supply. >> reporter: you've seen the pictures. wherever you vote this year, you know there's a good chance you need to be ready to wait and wait and wait. >> we've been here eight hours and 30 minutes. >> reporter: at the polls, at the grocery store, in traffic, we americans are really waiting. but consider this. even before the pandemic, we spent an estimated two years of our lives waiting in lines.

>> open up! open up! >> reporter: and with covid cases on the rise again, it's fair to say many of us just can't wait for things to get back to normal. but it turns out impatience may be almost as dangerous as the virus itself. people are just so anxious to return to what used to be. it seems a dangerous trend. >> you know, there's an interesting study where they give people the choice to sit around and get bored or give themselves painful electric shock. and about 70% of men chose to give themselves painful electric shocks as opposed to sit around and get bored. people don't like to get bored. people do not like to be controlled. people do not like uncertainty. >> reporter: but that's only the half of it. the other half is our genes. this doctor founded an apartment that researchers and patients at the mayo clinic in rochester

minnesota. before the pandemic, he told us why. >> we are designed to be impatient. so, when little babies are born, they don't just wait for you to clean their diapers. they cry. when is the first time you preferred a slow elevator or loved slow internet connection. >> reporter: it turns out, how we handle ourselves in these uncertain times comes at a price. >> the opposite of patience is not impatince. the opposite of patience is anxious, injured, addicted, lonely and dead. >> reporter: it literally can kill you. >> it can. an episode of explosive anger can increase your increase of heart attack and sudden death by two to eight fold for the next few hours. >> reporter: wow. if that's not alarming enough, he says that patients can even have a long-term effect on your dna. >> if we were to take your blood

sample and measure your telomeres which are at the end of chromosomes, the sharper they are, the older you are. >> so, people are making themselves older by being impatient. >> yeah, some people say the only thing that gets faster with impatience is aging. >> reporter: and impatience has an evil twin brother, stress. >> try to stay as relaxed as possible. >> reporter: i took the mayo clinic stress test designed to simulate the stress of everyday life. i must do things like keep squeezing a grip. >> squeeze a little more. >> reporter: or endure three minutes keeping a hand in ice couped water. really and truly, that hurts. the results, dramatically higher blood pressure and changes to the heart beat. the test was overseen by dr.

michael joiner. >> big rise in blood pressure. >> reporter: what i'm reminded of is being on the phone trying to get someone on customer service feeling like you're endlessly waiting. can that have a same effect on your body? >> absolutely, absolutely. people have a hard time understanding what they do and don't have control over. >> reporter: it can feel like the world is out of control these days, but we do have control over ourselves. >> if you choose to be patient, you're helping yourself. you're living longer and happier and you're helping your loved ones. being patient is a choice. >> reporter: he says the other word that will help us through the pandemic is resilience, and that will fire up your body. >> you do not have any bullets, you do not have any swords. you cannot fistfight with this virus. you can empower your immune cells to fight with this virus. and when you're resilient, your immune cells are stronger at waging that war. >> reporter: and boosting your

resilience can be a walk in the park, literally. >> there's so many element of nature that we respond to as humans. >> reporter: florence williams travelled the world learning about how nature can help us master impatience and make us healthier. >> the science is pretty clear on this. even after just 15 minutes of walking in a green space or a park, our blood pressure drops a little bit, our heart rate slows down, and even our stress hormones like cortisol lower. >> it's got to be all good, right? >> it boosts our moods very dramatically. >> reporter: no surprise. the frustration of lockdowns quickly gave way to people flooding the outdoors when they could and feeling better for it. and some take it to a new level of calm, doing something the japanese invented called forest bathing, basically hiking in slow motion. >> the benefit of slowing down is that your life isn't passing

you by. >> reporter: jane west is a psychologist who leads forest bathing sessions in the colorado rockies. >> i think being in a forest surrounded by green and wonderful smells allows us to be lost in this moment, adds if nothing else exists. and i know that's so hard to find these days, but it is doable. it's reachable. and i do this because it gives me those moments. >> reporter: the pandemic won't end any time soon, but the doctor insists we can turn our patience to good use if we just want to. is there an opportunity to make ourselves better by training ourselves about patience? >> absolutely. there is tremendous opportunity during this pandemic to rise because of it. >> reporter: that ability to rise above may be solely tested since, as we've heard, ballot counting could go on for days

after november 3rd. for american for

the los angeles dodgers will try to capture their first world series title in 32 years tonight in texas. the dodgered lead the series 3 games to 2. for a lot of fans watching and playing baseball is more than just a summer past time. here's steve hartman on the road. >> a couple of weeks ago, brian robinson and his son carter left this batting cage in montgomery, alabama, when a random stranger through him a high hard one to the heart. the note read hope someone can use some of these baseballs. i pitched them to my son and grandson for countless rounds. the writer went on to say that his family is now grown and gone, but what he wouldn't give to pitch a couple of buckets to them. if you are a father, cherish

these times. brian and his wife, stormy, read that note with tears in their eyes. >> it felt like a moment for us. >> it still does. >> it does. we need to soak in more of our kids and time with our kids. >> reporter: just the message the author intended. >> i was just hoping it would inspire some people. >> reporter: randy long used to love watching and coaching his kids, so much so that when he came across that old bucket of balls in his garage, he couldn't bring himself to just throw away the memories. he says he needed closure. >> it was like a good-bye, wasn't it? >> yeah, i think it was a sign off type thing. okay, you know, that chapter is gone. let's see what else is coming on. >> reporter: but unbeknownst to randy, his baseball days were headed into extra innings. randy learned about a boy in

carter's life. the boy lost both his grandfathers at a very young age. they never saw him play. >> we would love for you to watch. >> all right. >> reporter: randy said he would definitely be at the next game and then asked carter for a little catch. >> right where we're headed. you see the smile on my face, carter? this is bringing back memories. >> reporter: seems iowa isn't the only state with a field of dreams. >> it's what i've always wanted for him. >> i'm sure a lot of people across the country now are realizing that's not just a bucket of balls anymor anymore. >> reporter: no. it's a fountf youth and a binding force for generations. steven hartman, cbs news. on the road. and that's the "overnight news" for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs this morning" and follow us online all the time as

cbsnews.com. reporting from washington, i'm catherine herridge. it's tuesday, october 27th it's tuesday, october 27th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." heading to the high court. the white households a swearing in ceremony for amy coney barrett. the pivotal case she could rule on by election day. >> i have never been in a situation like this before. >> forced to leave. a growing wildfire is threatening homes in southern california as two firefighters get hurt fighting the flames. bound for the u.s. yet another hurricane is taking aim at the gulf coast. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie