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The Untold Story Of Camp Lejeune

For more than three decades, hundreds of thousands of people were likely exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine base in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Fuel-farm leaks and the improper disposal of toxic substances from nearby buildings led to a level of chemicals often described as a "toxic stew." These contaminants have been linked to a series of birth defects and cancers affecting former Lejeune residents. Journalist Mike Magner explores the untold side of this disaster in his new book: the personal stories of affected veterans and their families and the response by the Marine Corps. 

Host Frank Stasio talks with Magner about the book, A Trust Betrayed: The Untold Story of Camp Lejeune and the Poisoning of Generations of Marines and Their Families (Merloyd Lawrence Books/Da Capo Press2014). He also speaks with two men who have been directly affected by the contamination: retired Marine Master Sgt.Jerry Ensminger and Mike Partain. 

The documentary Semper Fi: Always Faithful tells more of Jerry and Mike's stories. Here's a trailer:

Semper Fi: Always Faithful Trailer from Tied to the Tracks Films on Vimeo.

 

Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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