he deadly VX nerve agent is slowly disappearing out of Wabash Valley lives. It's been less than two weeks, but the VX nerve agent is slowly being neutralized. Out of almost 1300 tons, at least 180 gallons have been neutralized. The neutralization will take a couple of years, but once it's done the base will close.

The quiet town of Newport, Indiana has lived down the road from the deadly VXnerve agent for decades. Even though one drop of the chemical could kill a grown man, Newport has remained undisturbed. Although it wasn't always like this. "They came from all over and they faced the east and they prayed and they prayed to stop doing what we we're doing," says Mary Dougherty, a Newport resident.

Mary Dougherty was around 14 when VX came into her life. And she'll never forget the controversy. Now years have gone by without a hitch, and she's hoping it will stay that way throughout the neutralization process. "I feel safe. I'm pretty confident our government knows what they're doing," says Dougherty.

And after the VX is taken care of, the Newport Chemical Depot will close down. The base is on the Pentagon's list for base closings. The job security will last a couple of years, but then they'll have to move on which some have already done. "They let a lot of people go around here, and they had been employed over there a long time," says Dougherty.

For now employees will continue to neutralize VX, and the town of Newport will continue to remain undisturbed.

So far there has been one small problem during neutralization. The speed at which the VX nerve agent was fed into two chemical reactors had to be adjusted when the temperature inside the reactor rose slightly.

An army spokewoman says the problem was easily corrected.