Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation

Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation
July 07, 2011 9:47 AM
HOPE HODGE
An award-winning new documentary about a search for answers regarding a period of water contamination aboard Camp Lejeune received standing ovations at a screening recently inside the U.S. Capitol.

The film, Semper Fi: Always Faithful, tells the story of Onslow County resident and former Camp Lejeune Marine Jerry Ensminger, who began a single-minded fight to learn the truth after he discovered that a three-decade period of water contamination in base housing areas could be responsible for the leukemia death of his 9-year-old daughter Janey in 1985.

It was screened on June 23 by Rep. Brad Miller, D-NC, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC, and sponsored by Sen. Kay Hagan, D-NC, and Rep.John Dingell, D-MI, all endorsers of legislation that would grant care through the department of Veterans Affairs to former Lejeune troops and family members affected by exposure to base water.

Miller, who introduced the film, said he had been won to the cause by the persistence and dedication of advocates like Ensminger.
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Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation

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Pension comes just in time for disabled South Bend veteran
KEVIN ALLEN
South Bend Tribune Staff Writer
5:38 p.m. EDT, July 7, 2011

SOUTH BEND — Eileen Sullivan looks back a little more than a month ago and, understandably, says she was a basket case.

Her husband, John, suffers from seizures, debilitating joint and muscle pain, and other health issues he blames on exposure to contaminated water while serving in the Marine Corps in the 1980s.

John already was unable to work, as his health was declining. Eileen was spending so much time caring for him, she couldn’t find a job on the side.

The Sullivans had been waiting 16 months for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to determine John’s eligibility for a pension.

The couple were on the verge of losing their home near Edison Park. They struggled to fill their car’s gas tank, not to mention buy food for themselves and their two daughters, ages 8 and 13.

Then, on June 4, they received some relief.

Eileen said a VA official called to say John’s pension request was approved. The 45-year-old was classified as disabled and would begin receiving a monthly check of about $1,600 as well as a lump sum of roughly $11,000 in retroactive pension payments.
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Pension comes just in time for disabled South Bend veteran