What did Marine Corps brass know about cancer-causing chemicals in the tap water at Camp Lejeune and when did they know it? Apparently the answer is they’ve known a great deal about it and for quite some time.
Massive amounts of benzene have been leaking from fuel tanks on the base for several or more decades, a fact that’s been established in various environmental reports. Moreover, Marines who served at Lejeune have complained for years about the contaminated water and the incidence of cancer in themselves and their families.
The Corps responds that it’s spent millions on outreach and studies of the contamination. The one thing the Corps hasn’t done is conduct a mortality study that would show conclusively whether there is a correlation between benzene in the water and cancer deaths among Marines stationed at Lejeune and their families.
The situation has gotten to the point where the Senate, in an uncharacteristic move, passed bipartisan legislation preventing the Corps from dismissing complaints from Marines about water quality before additional studies, including a mortality study, are conducted.
In the movie “A Few Good Men,” the Marine CO played by Jack Nicholson, when told by a young Marine lawyer that he wants the truth, screams the memorable line, “You can’t handle the truth.” It would seem that in the case of the contaminated water at Lejeune, it is the Marine Corps brass which can’t handle the truth.
The truth is that many of the Marines affected by the environmental pollution are the same men and women who lay their lives on the line for our country day in and day out. It is a sad commentary on America when we fail to ensure the well-being of our armed forces and that of their families.
We even send our troops into harm's way without adequate armor on their vehicles and protective cover on their persons, only to spend tax dollars on bonuses for the Wall Street crowd and high rollers in companies like AIG. Comparing apples to oranges you say? Tell that to the parents or spouse of a soldier whose vehicle didn’t have adequate protection when it ran over an IED in Iraq.
Nicholson’s character in the movie goes on to lecture the young officer: “We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something.” But where is that honor in real life when it comes to safeguarding the health of the Marines who served at Lejeune and their families?
The motto of the Corps is Semper Fidelis. In our darkest hours they have been just that – always faithful. But being faithful isn’t a one-way street. It doesn’t just apply to Marines in the field. It applies to Marine brass which has a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of the men and women in its command. And it applies to all Americans who enjoy the hard-won fruits of our freedom.
Law enforcement in the U.S. investigates and prosecutes environmental crime with ever-increasing vigor, to the point where it is commonplace to criminally charge senior management of violating companies. Why should Marine Corps senior management be any different? It’s time to fix the problem at Lejeune, help and compensate those Marines that have been adversely affected, and hold accountable those responsible for allowing it to occur because semper fi is a two-way street.
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