camp lejeune water contamination 2019

“He started stumbling, not so much tripping over his feet, but tipping over. “If you ever met her during these times and you sat and talked with her, you wouldn’t know that she was in the pain that she was in,” he said. Heroes and Health Issues of 1,000,000 plus Marines Sitting in his recliner in the living room of his Hamlin Street home, he keeps his left hand tucked between thigh and chair arm. Homer fire contract with Summerhill set to expire Jan. 1, Copyright © 2016-2020 The Cortland Standard. Roger Morehouse of Cortland doesn’t sleep in his bedroom because he can’t make it up the stairs. The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune started in the early 1950s, and the most contaminated wells were shut down in 1985. “They could not do surgery due to the fact that it was already stage 4,” said Laura Boggs-Morehouse, Aaron’s wife and Roger’s daughter-in-law. Service members living on the base at the time, along with their families, were unknowingly drinking contaminated water, as well as cooking with it, bathing in it, and washing their clothes in it. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. By Shenandoah Briere, Local, News. “He’s planning it, I’m just going to be the labor building it.”. “He started by falling,” Sharon Stevans said. Many of them are there just for short periods during their training. “That’s been the biggest shock to me — I really thought that when you joined there’d be a contract to take care of you, to do the right thing by your men and your women and I haven’t found that to be true,” she said. Health Studies. “I only know what she’s told me,” said Tom Tedesco. The military disagrees. The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune started in the early 1950s and officials say it ended in 1985 when highly contaminated water wells were removed from service. She was 42. Many Camp Lejeune veterans and their families have waited, suffered, and yes even died waiting for this scientific evidence, they shouldn’t need to wait any longer for the help they deserve.”. Mike Stevans has little regard for the scars of war. The Janey Ensminger Act of 2019 requires ASTDR to review every three years the relationships between specific illnesses or conditions reported and time spent at Camp Lejeune, and to determine to what extent they may have been caused by toxic chemical exposure. Organization. Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune. “[N]o other military toxic exposure incident in our history has been documented nor studied as thoroughly as Camp Lejeune,” Sergeant Ensminger told the Committee. “She passed away because her immune system was shot still because of all the treatments she had to go through to save her life,” he said. Sharon Stevans initially suspected exposure to Agent Orange, but when she looked into it, she discovered the water issue at Camp Lejeune. In the 1980s, contaminants were found in several wells that provided drinking water at Camp Lejeune, N.C. VA has adopted a presumptive service connection for military service members exposed to contaminants in the Lejeune water supply who later developed one the following diseases: Adult leukemia; Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes; Bladder cancer; Kidney cancer; Liver cancer; Multiple myeloma 6 talking about this. Military EM in Okinawa exposed to contaminated defoliated dioxin herbicide. “It breaks our hearts that the veterans have risked their lives, that they’ve fought for this country and even though they come back they’re still dying for it,” Laura Boggs-Morehouse said. You may have other mental and physical conditions that are also considered service-connected – apply for those at the same time. The contaminants included the volatile organic compounds trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, benzene, and other compounds. The VA care has been good, she said, but the hardest part is trying to get through the bureaucracy. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims Presumptive List. The couple is leaning on friends and each other, but the hardest part remains, “knowing that time is running out,” Aaron Morehouse said. In GovTrack.us, a database of bills in the U.S. Congress. H.R. They’ve minimized it, they’ve swept it under the rug, they’ve denied most of the applications for health assistance from the families and the Marines.”. Those are what he kept; he sold many. While these were prevalent in extraordinary amounts in the groundwater and soil for decades at Lejeune, they are not the only chemicals that were found. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)and theCommunity Assistance Panel (CAP) invite you to two public meetings Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 9:00 a.m. ETandSaturday, Sept. 19 at 9:00 a.m. Tremors came, and now memory loss and “some cognitive changes” have been added to his symptoms. “Our Service members and their families should not be subjected to toxic substances and conditions while living and working on U.S. military installations. Years later, the problems arrived. Were you or someone you know at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987? Water contamination at Camp Lejeune existed for decades and exposed thousands of people to serious health risks. Cassandra Crosby, Claims Advocate Updated: May 6, 2020 Camp LeJeune Water Contamination Explained Over 1 million military personnel and their family members were stationed at the US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987. April 11, 2020 Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jon Tester (D-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have introduced S. 1563, The Janey Ensminger Act of 2019, to ensure individuals with diseases scientifically linked to toxic chemical exposure at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina receive proper medical care from the Veterans Administration (VA). Camp Lejeune VA Health and Disability Benefits - YouTube. “If you ask Dad how he’s doing with things, he says ‘I’m OK.’ I think he’s just trying to deal with it in his own way. The legislation was previously introduced in 2017. “I think he wanted to spend whatever time he had left not feeling like crap,” Laura Boggs-Morehouse said. Sharon Stevans initially suspected exposure to Agent Orange, but when she looked into it, she discovered the water issue at Camp Lejeune. Find commonly asked questions and answers … Scientific and medical evidence has shown an association between exposure to these contaminants during military service and development of certain diseases later on. “The VA claims process takes a long time and I don’t know why it takes that long and that’s for anything, not just Camp Lejeune.”. “The Janey Ensminger Act of 2019 prioritizes science over politics and trusts the federal government’s independent scientific experts outside of the VA with decisions about medical coverage to ensure that every Camp Lejeune veteran gets the care they need and deserve.”, “If our servicemembers are exposed to toxic substances in the line of duty, it’s our duty to ensure they get the best care possible,” Senator Tester said. “He has a long list of stuff he wants to do but it’s a matter of his ability to do it,” Aaron Morehouse said, including building a screened area at his home where his cats could run. NjBigfoot . – Today, U.S. They’re handmade, every one. To provide for recovery by individuals who were stationed, lived, or worked at Camp Lejeune, for certain actions of omissions by the United States. Mike Stevans’ doctors say his neurological troubles are likely linked to his duty as a Marine at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, decades ago, and its contaminated water. Is it hereditary? The ducks and owls are still works of art, with hand-scribed feathers and are painted to match the breed. Veterans and families exposed Camp LeJeune was established in 1942 as a Marine Corps military base in Jacksonville, NC. “These kinds of degenerative diseases don’t lead to good things,” she said. Teal Barn Farms. It's also the site of what may be the largest water contamination in … The Janey Ensminger Act makes sure the cause of reported diseases continues to be determined by scientific data, not bureaucratic red tape.”, “While progress has been made to ensure that veterans and their families who were poisoned at Camp Lejeune receive the benefits they have long deserved, some victims are still not receiving the care to which they are entitled because the VA has refused to accept the most up to date scientific data and research available,” said Senator Tillis. Same with the owls, except the one Sharon Stevans specifically ordered from her husband. He felt like his legs weren’t connected to his brain anymore and he would just fall.”. The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune started in the early 1950s and ended in 1985 when highly contaminated water wells were removed from service. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) has determined a number of cancers and other diseases found in individuals who lived at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 are scientifically linked to exposure to contaminated well-water. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Benefits Legal Help. He became a Veterans Affairs officer and joined Cortland County in January. Uncertainties related to water contamination and adverse health effects have complicated reimbursements for medical costs and may have impacted the health of subsequent generations. She tried to sign him up for Veterans Affairs services related to Camp Lejeune in 2018; he was denied in 2019. “They really need to take care of people quicker — sooner rather than later,” he said. “I asked how do you get CML? News & Media Website. How do you get this because it was just out of the blue?” Tom Tedesco said. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jon Tester (D-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have introduced S. 1563, The Janey Ensminger Act of 2019, to ensure individuals with diseases scientifically linked to toxic chemical exposure at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina receive proper medical care from the Veterans Administration (VA). Years would pass before they would start the process to get benefits through Veterans Affair because they were in and out of hospitals, Tom Tedesco said. “The Marine Corps was supposed to have sent out letters to everybody — 900,000 people that were affected by this,” she said. When they did begin filling out the paperwork, it took forever. “Gradually, bit by bit, gradually you have your independence taken away from you.”. He decided to stop chemo in February. In June 2017, an expert in Camp Lejeune water contamination found that the Veteran’s prostate cancer was less likely than not “caused by or a result of his relatively brief exposure.” Specifically, the expert noted that the Veteran was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 at the age of 46, 26 years after being at Camp Lejeune. ATSDR’s Camp Lejeune studies of people exposed occupationally or environmentally to TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride and benzene. The night he was laying mines and called over to another soldier, only to find out he was a North Vietnamese soldier (no shooting involved) stands out. “That’s how we did it.”. She needed an advocate, so now she’s willing to be one for the Morehouses. “Much of the science is already in and more is coming in future study reports. Mike Stevans is one veteran, but not the only one, in the greater Cortland area dealing decades later with his time spent at Camp Lejeune. If you have qualifying service at Camp Lejeune and a current … Power tool accident. People. 127 likes. Specifically, from 1953 to 1987, everyone living or working at United States Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was exposed to a variety of toxins in the water. The USA Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune has had an unusual problem with solvent-contaminated water, going back many years. Thursday, February 18, 2016. It’s not covered by the VA benefits. I recently served as an expert witness regarding a Camp LeJeune veteran. Historically, Camp Lejeune served as one of three boot-camp facilities for the … The Navy’s announcement Thursday that it would deny 4,400 claims from Marines and their families who say contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused cancers and … “The slogan for the Marine Corps is Semper Fi — Always Faithful,” Sharon Stevans said. The Camp Lejeune water contamination problem occurred at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987. Perhaps it’s a conscious choice, perhaps not. You can read the text of the Janey Ensminger Act of 2019 here. “ since then he ’ s mad at the same time tremors came, and now memory and. Not including prostate cancer among the covered ailments from 1953 to 1987 from you. ” said! Chloride and benzene requires ASTDR to publish the classifications on the list is the leukemia she got..! Spread of the cancer can, with hand-scribed feathers and are painted to match the.! Feet, but the hardest part is trying to do some research to file a case our... Chemotherapy, said his son Aaron Morehouse said Faithful, ” he said to compensate these for! He served mostly at Camp Lejeune existed for decades and exposed thousands of people quicker — sooner rather than,... Much tripping over his feet, but when she grew too sick the companies. Could be because of the Janey Ensminger Act of 2019 here North Carolina, is home hundreds! 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