A Trust Betrayed: The Untold Story of Camp Lejeune and the Poisoning of Generations of Marines and Their Families (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)

For those that are survivors of the contamination, "A Trust Betrayed" is the definitive guide to where, why and how this happened and is mandatory reading. For others, this expose unravels the red tape and lays bare the details of the struggle for all to see.The line that riled me up was from page 241 in which Captain Kendra Hardesty, after finally pulling the misleading brochure from their website stated, "As soon as it is vetted and approved, it will be put back up. The Secretary of the Navy has seen it, and the commandant will see it soon." For me, this exemplifies the defiance of the Marine Corps toward the matter. Page 179 describes similar defiance, even taunting by Marine Corps officials.Next in line on my WTF scale is the $600k NAS contract with the Department of the Navy on page 205, casting doubt on NAS' position as an unbiased investigator in the matter.Chapter 15, "The Way to the Oval Office" is a perfect primer for anyone wondering where the lawsuits have gone and where they are situated today.Why a government or agency would do such things is a common question that most Americans ask that usually never gets answered because the truth gets wrapped in red tape and 86ed to the dusty, dark vaults. That the government and particular agencies did do this and how they did it - from 'gung ho, caution to the wind' to 'whoops, hope no one notices' to zany legal positions - is now on stark display.Although I have a ton more questions about the Camp Lejeune contamination, I now feel like some of them have been answered. "A Trust Betrayed" is one of the centerpieces of my Camp Lejeune library (as soon as I can put it down). Since I did not become aware of the contamination until 2010, when the brochure I got indicated that it involved Tarawa Terrace, a place I had rarely been during my tour, I was only vaguely aware that there was a lot of effort by people that had already occurred. It was great to see the names and stories of those people. It gave me a great appreciation for what they have done to unearth the contamination and the pain and difficulties they have endured. For my inquiring mind, it put the pieces in their place.

Until I read the book, I thought I had a good understanding of what happened. I was wrong. The book starts with an overview of who John A. Lejeune was and then you read chapter after chapter of solid facts that tell a story of cover up, deception, denial, and such outrageous mismanagement that if not done by a government agency, would surely end in jail time and massive lawsuits for any civilian entity. I'm confident General Lejeune is rolling over in his grave.The facts are documented. The Dept of Defense can continue this façade of denial and delay but it's gone too far to be swept under the rug. The amount of work done by those involved in uncovering this disaster is truly amazing.I don't think the full extent of those injured will be fully known for many years. The latency period for some cancers is still yet to come. It's past time to point fingers and blame anyone individual.In order to restore faith in our justice system there needs to be acceptance that those who stood up to defend our freedom suffered untold illnesses, not on the battle field, but on the home front that was to be there safe haven from war. Financial compensation needs to be paid to those who suffered or lost loved ones. The Veterans Administration needs to make Camp Lejeune a "Presumptive" category so that veterans don't have to beg for money to pay for daily living expenses because they are dying from cancer and losing everything they have. Military families who lived on base need to be compensated for their illnesses as well.No amount of money will compensate for the loss of a loved one. I do believe that the healing will start the moment that DoD steps up and takes responsibility and begins to financially compensate victims for their illnesses, loss of income, shortened life span, and reduction in quality of life.I hope our Supreme Court members get a chance to read this book before they rule on the upcoming case that will have a direct effect on Camp Lejeune victims.

It is a very good book, and reads nicely but very confusing and a lot of repeating tales

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this book since I was notified in September 2013 of my toxic exposure 26 years ago. Mike did a great job of covering the facts surrounding the history and cover ups involving Camp Lejeune. I think the leadership involved believes that if the facts continue to trickle out that the impact will be diminished. I would love to see some case studies and medical research conducted by Medical Colleges and published in Professional Medical Journals. It is so difficult for the Marines who were poisoned to get help because we are burdened with proving our conditions were caused by the contamination at Camp Lejeune. This is extremely difficult with no medical research, and the ATSDR slowly releasing the Birth Defects and Mortality study results while still not releasing the true actual numbers and specific conditions of the Marines that are suffering. At 48, I am one of the youngest of the exposed, yet the 15 conditions covered under the new law include infertility and miscarriage and is not retroactive. Almost every person surveyed lists "skin disorder", I hope that the detailed report from the ATSDR released later this year includes the specifics. Thank you Jerry and Mike for your dedication and perseverance. If it were not for you, I would still be missing the piece of the puzzle that explains my health conditions.