Leo Case, a World War II tank commander who survived the battle of Iwo Jima and risked his life to save his crew during a clash in the South Pacific, died at the age of 58 from multiple cancers. Before his death, Case was stationed at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps training facility in North Carolina, where he was exposed to contaminated water in one of the largest water contamination cases in U.S. history. The contaminated water supply at Camp Lejeune was linked to chemicals that can cause severe health problems, including cardiac defects and cancer.
His granddaughter, Jessie Hoerman, has spent the past two years gathering a collection of records to prove that her grandfather was sickened from his time at Camp Lejeune. Hoerman has collected muster rolls, yearbooks, and other materials to support her family’s claim and plans to share this information with other veterans and their families who may be facing similar challenges with water contamination cases.
Case’s death in 1976 from bowel, colon, liver, and lung cancer was investigated by the Veterans Administration hospital in Syracuse, New York, which found no evidence of any hereditary or infectious disease. Hoerman’s research was sparked by the expansion of benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances, leading her to seek justice for her grandfather and potentially help thousands of other veterans affected by water contamination at Camp Lejeune.
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