Camp Lejeune

Here's an example of sharing your voice, telling others to do so — and being heard by your elected officials in Washington, DC.

Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune

From 1957 to 1987 — thirty years — the water supply at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was contaminated. "An estimated 750,000 people may have been exposed to probable and known human carcinogens," according to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. To date, it is the largest recorded environmental incident on a domestic Department of Defense installation.

People Shared their Voice about the Contamination

In the subsequent years, and decades, after the water contamination was detected, servicemembers and their families urged Congress to do something. And their stories were heart-felt. So much so that they inspired the POPVOX team to create the "+appreciate" function, enabling POPVOX users to say, "thank you — and I *appreciate* you taking the time to share your story." 

The Ensminger family's tragedy lead them to advocacy. As Jerry Ensminger explained on POPVOX about a Congressional proposal addressing the water contamination, originally called the Janey Ensminger Act:

1. "This bill is named after my deceased daughter, Jane Y. Ensminger. She was the only one of my four children to have been conceived, carried, or born while living aboard Camp Lejeune. When Janey was six years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia and died shortly after her ninth birthday. Fourteen years later I discovered that the drinking water in several water distribution systems aboard Camp Lejeune were highly contaminated with a cocktail of chemicals (TCE, PCE, DCE, vinyl chloride, benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylene, and methylenechloride).

   One of the most shocking revelations I discovered in my nearly 15 year fight for justice on this issue was the fact that the Department of the Navy and United States Marine Corps knew about the presence of these chemicals in the water for nearly 5 years before they took any action to rectify the problem. They also had regulations which prohibited these chemicals from being in our water. All of us were at Camp Lejeune voluntarily serving to protect our nation, none of us expected or suspected that we were being poisoned by our own leaders…Jerry Ensminger."

   — jmeusmc (NC-7) (Link to comment) 

And they were joined by hundreds of other POPVOX users who weighed in on this issue. Here are just a few of their comments:

1. "My Mother died of several forms of cancer and my father had numerous pollups on his body, both were stationed at Camp LeJeune during the period of water contamination, and both died at young ages, I was stationed at Camp LeJeune during the contamination and I have experienced some of the same issues as my Mother and Father. I thank you for supporting this bill."

   — johnjhobrien (MO-5) (Link to comment) 

2. "I am truly happy that after all these years the service members that were station in Camp Lejeune will finally have the healthcare that they so despertally need. I too am a Mariine that was stationed in Camp Lejeune from 1976 trhough 1979, and I too am suffering from so many medical problems, Thank you so much for not leaving a service member behind."

   — domingo.aguilar (CA-8) (Link to comment) 

3. "I was stationed at Camp Lejeune in 1983 as a Navy Hospital Corpsman. I was diagnosed with advanced Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2005. My Doctor told me that it is caused by exposure to pesticides and other hazardous chemicals, and is incurable. I have undergone 32 rounds of chemotherapy at my own expense. I recently learned of this issue and feel that I remain faithful to my country, I now need my country to remain faithful to me, and my family, when I need to undergo further treatment. Semper Fi"

   — FreddyKeilman (NC-11) (Link to comment)

4. "I am the daughter, grand daughter, and great-great niece of United States Marines. There are four generations of Marines in my family. Both my grandfather and my father were stationed at MCB Camp Lejeune. My father, mother, and older sister lived in NCO housing aboard Lejeune, at Knox Trailer park, part of Tarawa Terrace. My mother was pregnant with me when my father was TAD to a Naval Air Station between his 2nd and 3rd tours in Viet Nam. They left Lejeune after living there for 3.5 years. We never knew why my mother became so ill when I was just a little girl. So many things went wrong so quickly. We felt CURSED. She had blood issues that no one could explain. Neurological problems that defied diagnosis. My grandmother raise me until I was about 12 and could mostly take care of myself because my family was in shambles. At 18 yrs old, my sister was operated for uterine tumors, which returned. She managed to give birth to 3 children, but suffered 6 miscarriages. Her first son was born 2 months premature, with Spina Bifida, & congenital heart defects. I could go on, but my family DESERVES fair treatment."

   — OhioJarheadBrat (OH-8) (Link to comment) 

Congress Listened

In August 2012, Congress passed the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act. It provides health care for Marines and family members who had lived on the base for at least 30 days and are suffering from related medical conditions. (Add your name to the Camp Lejeune registry, if you or your family are ill.) 

While veterans began receiving care immediately after the law passed in 2012, it has taken longer for the VA to establish a reimbursement policy for medical care provided to military families who once lived on the base and were also exposed to the toxins in the water supply. The VA this week announced final regulations on health care services for veterans who served at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between Jan. 1, 1957 and Dec. 31, 1987. The VA also developed regulations to reimburse eligible Camp Lejeune family members for outof- pocket health care costs incurred for any of the 15 covered medical conditions listed in the 2012 law after other health insurance coverage and reimbursement is received. (Family members will be eligible to apply for this benefit next month.) (Learn more.)

Next Steps in Congress

A 2013 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) study found that the drinking water was contaminated as far back as 1953, four years earlier than previously thought. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) have introduced legislation that would extend health care coverage for Camp Lejeune veterans and their families back to 1953:

• S 529

  Extending Health Care Coverage for Camp Lejeune Veterans and Families

  Would modify the commencement date of the period of service at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for eligibility for hospital care and medical services in connection with exposure to contaminated water to January 1, 1953

In addition, Rep. GK Butterfield (D-NC) and Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) introduced a bill that would "protect the ability of North Carolinians harmed by toxic chemicals to seek legal recourse, including Marines harmed by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune":

• HR 4993

  Seeking Legal Recourse

  (And S 2542 in the Senate.) To clarify the effect of State statutes of repose on the required commencement date for actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. "Clarifies that federal law preempts state laws that limit the timeframe in which damages could be recovered for injuries and diseases that often do not appear for decades after toxic exposure. " according to bill sponsors.

Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.