Savannah, Ga., Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On November 17, 18 and 19, the retired Marine who uncovered the truth about the largest and deadliest drinking water spill in U.S. history will join others Victims and Attorneys with Camp Lejeune Legal in an ongoing series of town halls in cities across America. Upcoming events with Jerry Ensminger and Mike Partain in Beaufort, SC, Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, SC are open to the public and will provide information to help those harmed by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Know your rights.
Both Ensminger and Partain are available for interviews ahead of the town halls.
This year, the government has finally acknowledged the damage caused by pollution at Camp Lejeune decades ago. Still, catastrophic water pollution at military sites across the country continues to this day, along with attempts by leaders to cover up the damage. Just last year, a jet fuel spill at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii caused thousands of military members, but senior leaders said the water was safe to drink.
WHAT
For decades, large amounts of cancer-causing chemicals were leaching into the groundwater at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the largest naval base on the East Coast. Indiscriminate dumping of waste in landfills, leaking fuel tanks, and other sources of contamination poisoned the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of veterans, their families — including unborn children — and workers at the Advanced Forces Training Base, leading to birth defects and devastating, often fatal, diseases such as leukemia and breast cancer.
The Marine Corps knew about contaminated wells for years but didn’t shut them down. Even after the pollution was discovered, the Department of Defense stymied efforts to understand the extent of the damage. The government downplayed the dangers of the chemicals and failed to inform potential victims of their exposure, so veterans and their families did not learn why they became ill until many years after their initial illness.
The story goes on
After decades of political bickering and efforts to silence facts about the extent of the contamination, President Biden signed the Honoring our PACT Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, into law in August. Now victims who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days or were exposed in utero between 1953 and 1987 can take legal action against the US government for being exposed to toxic water at the base.
Nearly 20,000 people living in Georgia and South Carolina have enlisted in the Marine Corps for living or working at Camp Lejeune in 1987 or earlier.
WHO
Jerry Ensminger is a true hero and truth seeker from Camp Lejeune. Ensminger, a retired Marine Master Sergeant, lived on the base with his wife, who became pregnant with their daughter, Janey, in 1975. Janey was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 6 years old. She died about two years later. Described as a “force of nature,” Ensminger has devoted his life to fighting for other poisoned Camp Lejeune victims, testifying in congressional hearings and investigating the contamination even as the government fought claims from victims seeking compensation.
Mike Partain is the son of a Marine. He was conceived and born at Camp Lejeune. Partain joined the fight for the victims of Camp Lejeune after being diagnosed with male breast cancer at the age of 39. He has worked tirelessly to uncover the true story of the contamination and to locate other men who have developed breast cancer after spending time on the base. Partain and Ensminger both starred in an award-winning documentary about the Camp Lejeune contamination called Semper Fi: Always Faithful.
More information: https://camplejeunelegal.com/
WHEN WHERE
11/17/22
6 p.m
VFW Post 8760
37 Schloss-Felsen-Straße.
Beaufort, SC, 29906
11/18/22
6 p.m
Richmond Hill town center
520 Zedernstr.
Richmond Hill, Georgia, 31324
11/19/22
10 am
Marriott at the Sabel Palm Room
1 hotel circle
Hilton Head Island, SC, 29928
CONTACT: Brian Chasnoff Camp Lejeune Legal 210-259-9582 bchasnoff@camplejeunelegal.com
