Leo Case was a World War II tank commander who survived the battle of Iwo Jima and risked his life to save his crew during a clash in the South Pacific. However, he passed away at 58 from multiple cancers. His granddaughter, Jessie Hoerman, has spent two years collecting records to prove that he was sickened at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps training facility in North Carolina, where he was stationed after his service in World War II. Hoerman has amassed an archive of materials that she believes could help other veterans and their families with challenging water contamination cases related to Camp Lejeune.
Up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from August 1953 to December 1987 may have been exposed to a drinking water supply contaminated with chemicals linked to severe health problems. The contamination was caused by various sources, including waste from a dry-cleaning facility and leaks from underground storage tanks on the base. High levels of chemicals like trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene were found, which can lead to diseases like cardiac defects and cancer.
Leo Case died of bowel, colon, liver, and lung cancer in 1976, and the Veterans Administration hospital that treated him found no evidence of hereditary or infectious disease. Hoerman began investigating her grandfather’s history after the PACT Act of 2022 expanded benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances. She plans to share her collection of Camp Lejeune materials to help other families affected by the water contamination issues.
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