Serving in the United States military is one of if not the greatest honor of service an American can provide. When the United States government knowingly puts members of the military in harm’s way, the honor of service becomes tainted for the rest of a soldier’s lifetime. For more than three decades, the United States government knew about the toxic cocktail of chemicals poisoning the water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which sits along the Atlantic Coast about halfway between Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Charleson, South Carolina.
The tragic tale of Camp Lejeune and how the military base has irrevocably destroyed the lives of thousands of American military members has morphed from a late-night series of infomercials run by prominent law forms to a major national story that has become part of the nightly news. Based in Jacksonville, North Carolina, the marine training center contains more than 14 miles of sandy beaches that make Camp Lejeune one of the most ideal settings to train military members to conduct amphibious assaults. The camp’s convenient location along the Atlantic Coast provides marines with comprehensive training that takes place between two deep-water ports that facilitate super-fast deployments during times of war.
From August 1953, which represented the height of the Korean War, until December 1987, military members stationed at Camp Lejeune and their family members drank and bathed in contaminated water that contained incredibly high concentrations of dangerous chemicals. Many of the military members and their families exposed to the harsh chemicals eventually developed severe health issues, including terminal cancers. The combination of prolonged exposure to potentially deadly chemicals and the lack of action taken by the United States government to address the serious health crisis has led to the filing of both individual lawsuits, as well as large class actions that involve thousands of former military service members.
If you served, worked, or lived at or near Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987, you might qualify to receive compensation from the United States government for contracting an illness associated with more than 30 years of exposure to toxic chemicals contaminating the groundwater. Schedule a free case evaluation with an attorney from Morgan and Morgan to determine what caused Camp Lejeune water contamination, as well as whether you deserve compensation to recover financial losses.