Leo Case, a World War II tank commander and recipient of the Navy Cross, died at the age of 58 from multiple cancers after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. His granddaughter, Jessie Hoerman, has spent two years gathering records to support her family’s claim that he was sickened at the Marine Corps training facility. Hoerman has amassed an archive of materials that she believes could help thousands of other veterans and their families with challenging water contamination cases.
Up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 may have been exposed to a contaminated water supply containing chemicals linked to severe health problems. The contamination came from various sources, including a nearby dry-cleaning facility and underground storage tank leaks on the base. The chemicals found in the water, such as trichloroethylene and benzene, are known to cause diseases like cancer and cardiac defects.
Leo Case died of bowel, colon, liver, and lung cancer in 1976, with no evidence of hereditary or infectious diseases found in his postmortem examination. Hoerman began her research into her grandfather’s history after the PACT Act of 2022 expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. She plans to share her collection of Camp Lejeune materials with other affected families to help them navigate their water contamination cases.
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