Camp Poison?

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

IDAHO STATESMAN
Camp Poison?
Retired Marine wants answers about contamination
Rajah Bose / Spokesman-Review
March 2, 2004

In January 2000, Tom Townsend was reading "Leatherneck," a journal for
Marine retirees, when he stumbled upon a small article titled, "Did you
drink Lejeune water during 1968 to 1985?"

The article described a federal survey of women who were pregnant during
that time at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Townsend´s son, Christopher, died in 1967, three months after his birth,
from a heart defect when the family lived at Lejeune, the largest Marine
base on the East Coast.

Townsend, a retired major from Moscow, now believes contaminated
drinking water on base caused Christopher´s death. For the past four
years, Townsend has been on a quest to force the Marine Corps to take
responsibility for it and for the illnesses of potentially thousands of
military personnel and their families who passed through Camp Lejeune.

The Marine Corps, responding in writing to questions from The
Spokesman-Review, said it "cares deeply about our current and former
Marines and their families" and supports federal efforts to find out who
might have been affected by contamination before there were federal
drinking water standards.

Townsend, 73, is joined by a network of fellow retired Marines who
believe the Corps has not done all it can to help them or identify
potential victims of the contamination.

"We have made life hell for the Marine Corps," Townsend said, "and
intend to continue doing so until we get some resolution or we die."

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/Story.asp?ID=62191

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPEO: A DECADE OF SUCCESS.  Your generous support will ensure that our
important work on military and environmental issues will continue.
Please consider one of our donation options.  Thank you.
http://www.groundspring.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2086-0|721-0