For decades, service members and their families were exposed to toxic water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina – water that later sickened thousands of them with serious and often terminal conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, infant deformities, miscarriages and more.
In 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act became law as part of the PACT Act, a hugely important step for those affected.
But because of some technical issues with the law’s language, just a handful of the 500,000-plus claims have been settled. Victims have waited years, aggrieved by the deaths of loved ones that have been linked to the contaminated water.
Those affected cannot wait any longer.
Congress can now pass the Camp Lejeune Technical Corrections (HR 8535) and Senate companion the Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act (S. 5257) bills, to clarify some of the law’s ambiguities and cap attorneys’ fees. It is time to pass this law now.
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There are a few problems that the new law will address.
First, it would ensure a jury trial for those sickened at Camp Lejeune. Recent court rulings have eliminated jury trials for these claims – but jury trials are something that all Americans deserve and taking it off the table for those who served our country is an injustice. The new law would unequivocally reinsert the right to a jury trial.
Second, the new law would ensure faster trials; clearing a backlog that has delayed these cases for years and giving veterans their long awaited day in court.
The new law would also cap litigation fees fairly, allowing access to strong legal representation and fair compensation for veterans and their families.
Few veterans would freely choose to navigate this complex legal process by themselves – but after volunteering to defend our country, they also deserve the right to hire the lawyers they want, and the lawyers who can win.
The medical and psychological impacts of the toxic water at Camp Lejeune are severe and enduring.
Veterans and their families are facing significant health challenges, and the delays in compensation add insult to injury.
As executive director of the Special Operations Association of America, I know firsthand what our Marines do.
Camp Lejeune is home to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), the product of Marine Force Reconnaissance units who conducted amazing feats of bravery in Vietnam only to come home to poisoned water in their own houses. These service members laid the groundwork for modern Marine special operators and deserve better.
We are unconventional, and we stand up for situations that require a different approach. We have seen what Camp Lejeune’s veterans have been through, and we are here to engage.
We have answered the call to serve our nation before, and service doesn’t end when you take the uniform off. I was never a good soldier – always late in the wrong uniform and needing a haircut, but one thing stuck with me as a non-commissioned officer: the definition of responsibility is being accountable for everything you do and, most importantly, everything you do not do.
To stay silent on this issue is to fail those service members who gave so much for our freedom and choice – they deserve the same.
Organizations like ours that work to support our veterans are here for that reason – we do and say things our government cannot or will not.
Right now — this year, not later — Congress has an opportunity to give back to the veterans of Camp Lejeune, who are already owed so much. We stand with our veterans and urge the support of this crucial law to ensure they can finally, swiftly, get the justice they deserve.
David Cook is the Executive Director of the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), and is a U.S. Army special operations veteran.
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