WASHINGTON, May 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, May 17th, Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) with the support of 20 other VSO’s wrote letters to the leadership of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Judiciary urging action on behalf of over one million members of the Uniformed Services, their family members, retirees, and survivors seeking justice for toxic water exposure at Camp Lejune.
The aforementioned VSO’s strongly supported the passage of the Camp Lejune Justice Act, which was signed into law included in the historic PACT Act nearly nine months ago. However, since the passage, the Navy has not settled any of the cases.
Responding to a recent filing from the Department of Justice in one of the cases the letter says, “The Department’s list of defenses implies the veterans and family members themselves could be culpable for their exposure, and it seems as if they may try to shift responsibility for the toxic water exposure at the base for nearly 35 years to those who suffered from it.”
“Our mission is to fight for those who have fought for us, passing the PACT Act was the first step in getting justice for these servicemembers and their families, but we won’t stop there,” said David Cook, Executive Director of Special Operations Association of America. “SOAA will continue the fight until every veteran who was poisoned by their own government gets justice.”
SOAA echoes the sentiment in a recent post on their website, “Not only did these families give the best years of their lives to serve this country – they were poisoned in the process.”
Read the full letter to the leadership of Judiciary committee here and to the Veterans’ Affairs committee here.
About Special Operations Association of America: We advocate for all past, present, and future members of the Special Operations community and their families. Fighting for those who fight for us to ensure the mission success and lethality of those that bear the greater burden. SOAA is a 501c19 Veterans Non-Profit organization, registered with the IRS.
Media Contact:
Steve Patterson
steve@soaa.org
301.602.3704
