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Aug-09-2010 02:11
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Camp Lejeune's Sickness and Unexpected Déjà Vu
Dave Bedworth Salem-News.comThe people who fight this battle every day are ill veterans and family members. They have no champion, no General, no Admiral.
 Camp Lejeune's health factor is a real question. |
(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) - “Kidney Cancer – first dad now mom” was the title of the first posting I saw on the Discussion Board of the website “The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten”. The details of the posting made my heart sink into my boots. Once again, a new member had joined the discussion, looking for information and help. Once again, the story was tragic beyond belief. All as a result of exposure to contamination at Camp Lejeune. This member was only five years old when her father was stationed at Camp Lejeune and the family was allotted housing at Tarawa Terrace II.
Now both parents have kidney cancer with little financial or medical means to obtain needed treatment. The “Déjà Vu” feeling this story creates is tinged with both a sickening repetitiveness and anger that the government has not stepped forward to assist these victims of contamination.
As I conducted a little more research it appears that not all of the ongoing events are so colored with sadness. Indeed, a series of events are ongoing or in the pipeline that will bring our veterans and family members closer to the truth.
First, sick veterans and family members from the Camp Lejeune contamination era are meeting at various locations throughout the US. Meetings have already been held in Jacksonville, NC; Orlando, FL; Roanoke, VA; Virginia Beach, VA and Charlotte, NC. Future meetings are planned for Syracuse, NY; Pittsburgh, PA and other Florida cities. The meetings are sponsored by the Bell Legal Group who are gathering information in order to help those who may have a legal suit against the government for injuries. The meetings are bearing fruit in that the exchange of information is making participants more certain that the results of contamination are extensive and deadly. People who attend these meetings are discussing illness patters typical with those who have previously registered with the website. The shock and horror is, unfortunately, sending waves through a new group of people who are learning that their illnesses are potentially caused by their time at Camp Lejeune. Mike Partain’s words from the Virginia Beach meeting speak of this with clarity:
“One person stood out in particular, she is a mother with two children conceived/born at Camp Lejeune. She was unsure whether her daughter's ovarian cancer or her son's health problems were related to her family's exposure to the contaminated water. The look in her eyes when she made the realization was heart breaking. I saw the same terror in my own mother's eyes when she realized that the water she drank when she was pregnant with me caused my cancer and the many odd health problems I have experienced since childhood. It is every mother's worst nightmare - that something they did brought to harm their child. The pain and look of utter betrayal in this mother's eyes today almost brought me to tears and I had to look away to keep my composure.”
 Mike Partain's a Camp Lejeune breast cancer survivor |
Mike has breast cancer and has been determined to help those from Camp Lejeune who are ill as a result of exposure to contamination. We all owe Mike a great debt of gratitude for his efforts while fighting his terrible illness.
Second, Congressman Brad Miller, NC, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight is planning to hold a hearing whereby government agencies will be required to answer questions regarding the situation at Camp Lejeune. This will be an opportunity for America to learn the extent of potential contamination as the responses will be a matter of record. For those veterans and family members who struggle with illness every day, maybe this hearing will be cathartic in that some answers to their individual pain may come to light. It is also possible that the official responses required in this hearing will enable veterans to better document the link between their illnesses and contamination in order to support claims with the Veterans Administration and future litigation.
Third, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), tasked to research the extent of the contamination, is starting to put more of the pieces of the puzzle together. The resulting picture is providing more evidence of illness as other contaminants have been added to the list of toxic substances on their website. The efforts of the ATSDR have also provided a basis for the links between these substances and the bewildering array of illnesses that are being reported by the veterans and family members who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune. In the future, the ATSDR will produce results of water modeling at Camp Lejeune. These results will paint a very clear picture of what type and level of contamination existed in the past. From the data provided by water modeling the ATSDR will then be able to develop a more accurate Public Health Assessment and Morbidity Study.
Through all of the efforts by various parties to find out the truth of contamination at Camp Lejeune it is noted that there has been a serious absence of any senior leader, civilian or military, who has stepped forward to help. The people who fight this battle every day are ill veterans and family members. They have no champion, no General, no Admiral. It is if the veterans and family members are an embarrassment who need to go away and die quickly and quietly.
So I will end this article with a quote from English metaphysical poet John Donne whose words come from the early years of the Seventeenth Century:
“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
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Salem-News.com has a wide variety of contributing writers, but the most common thread may be issues related to veterans, and specifically, issues related to the Marine Corps. David Bedworth was the tenth former Marine to join the Salem-News.com writing team, and we are happy to welcome this former Lieutenant Colonel to our ranks. A disabling encounter with prostate and brain cancer have put David in a situation where he cannot work and has limited abilities as a result of treatment. However, brain surgery seems to have stimulated a long dormant creative surge in literature, music and poetry.
Dave is monitoring a number of ill veterans and family members who were exposed to contaminants at the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This is a subject that Salem-News.com has paid serious attention to for years, that we are increasing our coverage of at this point. Dave's joining our team will amplify our ability to pay more attention to Camp Lejeune, since our writers have concentrated primarily on exposing the contamination at MCAS El Toro, and we could not be more happy about it. You can write to Dave Bedworth at: bedworth53@gmail.com
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xoutbob September 21, 2010 8:51 pm (Pacific time)
They poisoned us, now they won't pay us. EAT THE APPLE AND F*CK THE CORPS'
Editor: Brother, I had friends with FTMC tattooeod across their knuckles.
Van August 11, 2010 9:02 am (Pacific time)
I've been following these issues for years and something I learned early on in my reasearch was that the ATSDR is a government agency and they have a tendancy to cover each others back. Benefit of doubt will go to the government no matter what. The government knows how wide spread this is and if all the contamination comes to light that we exposed our military personnel too, the lawsuits will fly. We contaminated bases and our military personnel worldwide and sadly to say Lejeune isn't the worst, just one of many places we've done these things. I believe this problem is so vast that the cleanup and taking care of all the sick would bankrupt this country.
G 2/3; August 10, 2010 10:49 pm (Pacific time)
I would've paid for a seat to have seen the look on the captains face! Embarrasing deserving officers was one of my specialties as a former ditty bopper.,the elite of the birds! They told us the M-16 was the finest most technologically advanced automatic weapon in the world for combat in 1966! THE Commnadant himself! We found out somebody lied to him. And A.O. and groundwater contamination? I don't believe "they" got our best interests at heart.,so we got to look out for each other. That's what I remember as being important. We didn't leave our dead behind then and we shouldn't do it now!! It's time to say "We've had enough God damn it!, we can't take any more!".,and senator Webb.,we're still waiting for your answer. The rest of us got to keep on screamin'!! Semper Fi.
mary blakely August 10, 2010 8:01 am (Pacific time)
Great article John,you have once again captured the experience in a personal way.Being that I am also one of the thousands of children who has lost a parent to that water,I can easily see my life experience in your words.By sharing these stories with the public and informing others that have also been exposed to the chemicals that have wreaked total carnage on entire families,you most probably have saved a life.The only way that other victims are learning about their exposure in any meaningful way is from stories such as this.I learned about my families exposure from a news story on CNN about Mike Partain and other male breast cancer victims who only have being on Camp Lejeune in common.The powers that be at the DoN and DoD have planted various stories in the backs of magazines,but they do not contain an accurate depiction of the size or risk to the Vets and their families.I was even told by a Captain at a meeting in Atlanta at the,"CDC",called a,"CAP" that is scheduled every 3 months with,The Few The Proud The Forgotten,"a group of fellow contamination victims",that the Marine Corps has done it's very best to inform all of the exposed Vets and their affected loved ones.I told him that was not true because if the Marine Corps wanted something done it would be done right.I also told him he should not be wearing the uniform that he had on because he was a disgrace to the Corps!Semper FI!Mary Blakely
pjr August 9, 2010 4:47 pm (Pacific time)
Subject: RAP and Nesara NEWS: Health - BAKING SODA - MAPLE SYRUP CANCER TREATMENT RAP RESTORE AMERICA PLAN and Nesara NEWS: Health - BAKING SODA - MAPLE SYRUP CANCER TREATMENT Sunday, July 25, 2010 Health - BAKING SODA - MAPLE SYRUP CANCER TREATMENT Some common questions and answers about the cure: 1. While heating and mixing should the mixture become white like a foam or froth? Yes. 2. Should the mixture be taken orally while it's still hot, or should it be allowed to cool first? Allow to cool first. 3. Can the mixture be left standing overnight for use the next few days? Yes. 4. If the answer to 3 is 'yes'...should the mixture be reheated and stirred again, or can it be taken as is? No...take as is. This treatment is a combination of pure, 100% maple syrup and baking soda and was first reported on the Cancer Tutor site. When mixed and heated together, the maple syrup and baking soda bind together. The maple syrup targets cancer cells (which consume 15 times more glucose than normal cells) and the baking soda, which is dragged into the cancer cell by the maple syrup, being very alkaline, forces a rapid shift in pH, killing the cell. The actual formula is: mix one part "aluminum free" (Red Mill brand) baking soda...with three parts (100% pure organic) maple syrup in a small saucepan. (never over 120 degrees) Stir briskly and heat the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. Take 3 teaspoons daily for 1 to 2 months. Change diet to "NO" meat...sugar or white flour products. You may also wish to address your questions to Al and Jan Precht, email address, apricotal@gmail.com, as they are the authors of the information on the Cancer treatment process. For the full article go here: >>> http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/health/holistic_alternative_medicine/news.php?q=1209404469 If you have a friend battling Ulcerative Colitis the pro biotic called "VSL #3" is a wonder. A cancer drug called "IT 101" is the same as the maple and sodium bicarbonate mixture. Try entering the words "acidity in blood" on youtube for the importance of the Alkaline Diet. Posted by John MacHaffie at 7:12 AM Labels: Health
Bob August 9, 2010 2:59 pm (Pacific time)
Thanks for reporting the news of Lejeune's contaminated water wells and its tragic health effects on people. The Marine Corps' senior leadership has refused to accept any responsibility for serious diseases and deaths related to the contaminated well water. The NRC report in June 2009 gave them some cover until the report of benzene in the water wells was made public. It's not just a TCE/PCE as bad as these chemicals are, but multiple contaminants and a virtual toxic cocktail of carcinogens. And, for the record, Lejeune is not the only military installation on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund) with major contamination issues. At my last count, there were 130 bases on this list. This week I received a email from a retired Air Force Master Sergeant who sprayed AO at Andersen AFB in Guam and wanted to know what could be done to help the children affected by this herbicide. Andersen AFB is on the NPL list, too. I wish you the best of health. Keep up the good fight. Semper Fi.
spell check August 9, 2010 12:52 pm (Pacific time)
If you are going to use French references in your headlines, you might want to spell them correctly. Déjà Vu would be the correct spelling.
Editor:Thanks for your help.
Amanda August 9, 2010 11:58 am (Pacific time)
The worst thing is the deliberate cover-up over the years, and the continued denial of wrong....because they do not want to pay indemnity or close the damn camp and declare the area toxic. What a disgrace!!!!
John Hartung August 9, 2010 10:40 am (Pacific time)
To see more information go to: lifeaftercamplejeune.com
Thanks John
Editor: Thank you John and Semper fi.
G 2/3; August 9, 2010 5:16 am (Pacific time)
thanks sir.,a fine article. Between A.O. and depleted uranium in the Nam we got poisened water at bases in the states! I too am feeling diminished.
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