Leo Case, a World War II veteran and recipient of the Navy Cross, survived the battle of Iwo Jima, only to die of multiple cancers at the age of 58. He was one of the first service members diagnosed with illnesses related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps training facility in North Carolina. Case’s granddaughter, Jessie Hoerman, has spent the last two years collecting documents and materials that could help other veterans and their families with similar cases of water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Hoerman has amassed a large archive of records and plans to share them with other veterans affected by the water contamination. Up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 may have been exposed to chemicals in the water supply, which have been linked to severe health problems. The contamination at Camp Lejeune was caused by waste from a dry-cleaning facility and leaks from underground storage tanks. Leo Case died of bowel, colon, liver, and lung cancer, with no evidence of hereditary or infectious disease found by the Veterans Administration hospital that treated him. Hoerman began investigating her grandfather’s history following the expansion of benefits in the PACT Act of 2022, which provides assistance to veterans exposed to toxic substances such as burn pits.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
She tried to uncover evidence that her grandfather was poisoned at Camp Lejeune. The records she discovered may assist thousands.
