Overview of Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a sprawling military installation located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Covering over 246 square miles and bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Camp Lejeune serves as a major training base for amphibious operations. Since its establishment in the early 1940s, Lejeune has been integral to the Marine Corps’ expeditionary mission. It is home to several major commands, schools, and over 43,000 Marines.
Life at Camp Lejeune centers around preparing troops for combat and peacekeeping missions abroad. Marine Expeditionary Units receive advanced training at Camp Lejeune facilities before rapid deployment around the globe. While integral to the Marine Corps’ readiness and capabilities, Camp Lejeune has also faced controversies over the years – most notably in regard to drinking water contamination and its health effects on base residents.
The Founding and Historical Significance
Camp Lejeune traces its roots back to 1941, when the Marine Corps acquired land in Onslow County for a new training facility. The site, situated between the deepwater ports of Morehead City and Wilmington, was ideally suited for amphibious assault exercises. Construction began on Marine Barracks New River led by Lt. Col. William P.T. Hill. The new base was soon renamed Camp Lejeune, after the late 13th Marine Corps Commandant Lt. General John Archer Lejeune.
During World War II, the fledging installation hosted up to 20,000 Marines. It served as one of three main boot camp sites, along with Parris Island and San Diego. Camp Lejeune trained infantry and artillery troops who went on to serve with distinction in the Pacific theater.
In the decades after WWII, Camp Lejeune continued to grow in size and capacity. More training camps, schools, and centers of excellence were established on base. Thousands of Marines destined for Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East cut their teeth at Lejeune. The famous 10th Marines artillery unit was also reactivated at Camp Lejeune during this period.
Today Camp Lejeune serves as the home base for II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and II MEF Information Group. These are premier warfighting commands, specializing in everything from frontline infantry assaults to combat service support. Lejeune remains a critical site for honing the combat skills, mobility, and self-sufficiency of Marines across the Corps.
Life on Base: Community and Daily Living
With its miles of beaches, pine forests, and riverfront property, Camp Lejeune resembles a sprawling wilderness resort as much as military installation. Still, amenities and facilities abound for the Marines, Sailors, families, and civilian employees who call Camp Lejeune their home base.
Housing options on Lejeune range from historic officers’ homes to modern apartment-style dwellings. Most base residents live in mid-rise apartment buildings concentrated in communities like Midway Park, Tarawa Terrace, Berkeley Manor and Hospital Point. Exchange services, gas stations, childcare facilities, schools, and recreation centers are all conveniently located. Families can take advantage of robust educational, spiritual, and counseling services provided by the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) division. The base exchanges operate retail stores, fast food franchises, and casual dining options.
Single Marines residing on base have access to four guest houses as well as housing within designated barracks. Clubs, athletic facilities, entertainment centers and beaches provide social and off-duty recreational opportunities for eligible service members. The famous Sgt. Grit Marine Corps store operates on base, selling apparel, gift items, and Marine Corps branded merchandise.
Medical and dental services are available to Marines and authorized family members through the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. Specialty care and emergency services require referral to civilian providers, normally covered through Tricare insurance plans. MCCS One Source counselors assist families with issues like parenting, relocations, finances, education, elder-care, and pre-deployment.
Training Grounds: Preparing America’s Marines
Camp Lejeune boasts state-of-the-art training venues designed to mimic modern military engagements and peacekeeping missions:
- The Greater Sandy Run Training Area offers 80 live-fire ranges over 23,000 remote acres. Dynamic scenarios test the skills of Marines across the warfare spectrum – from artillery and heavy weapons live fire to Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT).
- The Mountain Warfare Training Area features classrooms and specialized equipment for cold weather and alpine environments. Recreating high-altitude mountain conditions, it provides crucial training for global crisis response.
- The Camp Lejeune Ranges support a wide array of training requirements – from target practice and qualifying with individual weapons to combined arms exercises and mechanized assaults. The complex integrates several satellite facilities into coordinated training events.
- The Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools system puts equipment repair, maintenance, and supply chain skills into practice within a realistic logistical environment. As the Corps transitions to a more distributed, mobile force posture, these competencies grow ever more valuable.
- Camp Geiger and the Schools of Infantry constitute a major entry point for newly-minted Marines. After initial screening and basic training, Lejeune is where young Marines go to learn infantry tactics and key combat skills. Graduates across dozens of occupational specialties begin their careers here before joining operational forces.
Water Contamination Crisis: An Overview
Alongside its impressive history lies a more ignominious chapter – dangerous chemical contaminants present in base tap water supplies from 1953 to 1987. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) made their way into certain drinking water distribution systems, exposing personnel and families residing in base housing communities.
It began with improper disposal methods for industrial solvents and degreasing chemicals used on base. Containers of these toxicants were routinely buried or dumped near base wells supplying potable water to base residents. Dangerous chemicals like trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride infiltrated water sources through leaks in landfill equipment and underground storage tanks over time.
Base leadership discovered VOCs in the water supply as early as 1982. But lacking regulatory guidelines, they opted not to shut down contaminated wells. An official notification didn’t occur until the Base Commander released a general letter in late 1984 after dangerous levels of TCE were verified. Residents of Tarawa Terrace received a similar written notice.
It wasn’t until 1987 that impacted wells were finally removed from service on orders from NC state regulators. Yet as late as 2002, the issue continued to plague the installation when tetrachloroethylene (PCE) infiltration exceeded EPA limits and mandated closing down seven additional base wells.
Estimates indicate nearly 1 million men, women, and children may have consumed dangerously contaminated water over the 30-plus years these wells remained active at Camp Lejeune.
Health Implications and Support for Veterans
The toxic water supply has since been tied to serious health ailments among Lejeune veterans and their families. Scientific studies drew probable links between chemical exposure and cancers, birth defects, miscarriages, and other ill effects.
After years of contentious debate over health impacts, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) now recognizes eight conditions on a presumptive basis:
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Parkinson’s disease
- Aplastic anemia / myelodysplastic syndromes
This affords disabled Veterans access to tax-free compensation benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and exemptions from medical copays. Veterans needing to establish exposure meeting requirements for Camp Lejeune veterans benefits should file an 1137 Claim Development form along with private medical records.
The VA also covers healthcare costs related to 15 broader conditions for Veterans exposed at Lejeune. Marine dependents and family members may also qualify for reimbursement of certain healthcare costs if they lived on base for 30+ days between 1953 and 1987.
In some cases, afflicted veterans and families pursued legal action against agencies like the US military, defense contractors, and regulatory bodies. After years of litigation, President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act in 2022 – allowing civil relief and settlements for victims.
Camp Lejeune Today: Continued Excellence in Training
Despite these environmental setbacks, Camp Lejeune emerged stronger in its commitment to prepare Marines for the harsh realities of modern warfare. Personnel continue to pursue high intensity combined arms training designed to build combat capabilities across ground, air, and sea domains.
Camp Lejeune now offers state-of-the-art amenities thanks to millions invested in new construction and renovations over the past decade. Its training grounds provide 32 artillery positions and 47 helicopter landing zones to facilitate dynamic training scenarios. Troops get hands-on practice with weapons systems, vehicles, aircraft, and tactical communications gear identical to warzone equipment.
Training Support Centers help rotational units prepare for upcoming deployments with gear issue, maintenance support, and logistical services before ships out. Broader quality of life offerings – family services, single Marine facilities, shopping & dining options and world-class recreation programs – continue improving as well. Prized assignments at Camp Lejeune remain a staple goal for Marines looking to join elite, tight-knit warfighting teams.
Educational and Family Support Services
Camp Lejeune proudly lives up to its motto as a “Warfighting Platform Where Marines Train, Fight & Win.” But commanders also recognize that taking care of families back home ensures our warfighters stay focused on their mission. Robust educational opportunities for military kids and expansive family offerings testify to this commitment.
Dependents from pre-school through 12th grade attend Department of Defense (DoDEA) accredited district schools on base. Heroes Elementary School, Tarawa Terrace Elementary School, Johnson Primary and Intermediate Schools, and Brewster Middle School are available for families residing on Camp Lejeune. Lejeune High School serves Marine dependents grades 9-12 from these primary schools as well as Marine Corps Air Station New River. With a diversified curriculum and stellar staff, Lejeune schools routinely rank above average on standardized tests.
The Marine & Family Programs Division enables access to childcare, relocation assistance, personal counseling, support groups, morale building events, and recreational retreats tailored to Marines, spouses, and offspring. These services prove invaluable helping families navigate deployments, PCS moves, and the everyday challenges of military life.
Economic Impact on Jacksonville and Surrounding Areas
Despite its self-contained nature, Camp Lejeune bolsters the local economy by over $4 billion when accounting for pay and benefits, construction, healthcare services, retail, utilities, education and more. Nearly a third of Jacksonville’s overall gross domestic product comes courtesy of Camp Lejeune.
Considering personnel levels remaining consistent over years, Lejeune’s economic footprint should endure throughout eastern North Carolina. Local municipalities continue partnering with Marine Corps leadership on transportation initiatives, infrastructure expansion, school funding, public services/health access and law enforcement augmentation. Community groups like the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce and the USO of North Carolina stand ready to help address needs of our Marines, Sailors and families.
Environmental Initiatives and Sustainability Efforts
Camp Lejeune constantly investigates and remediates lingering contamination to protect both people and ecosystems on and around base. Teams of environmental experts carefully monitor potential exposures while partnering with EPA regulators on long-term mitigation plans. Several impacted water systems now utilize sophisticated filtration methods to remove VOCs.
Progress continues in reclaiming landfills and groundwater sites using extraction wells, underground storage tank repairs, and containment solutions to prevent seepage of toxic substances. Millions fund ongoing environmental restoration and conservation projects under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. Camp Lejeune also actively protects vital wetland habitats, forestry areas, watersheds and endangered species across its extensive acreage through stewardship initiatives led by base conservation specialists.
The Marine Corps prides itself on resourcefulness – a trait it extends to energy efficiency and sustainability efforts. In 2012 Camp Lejeune opened a massive 42 acre solar farm, generating 10 percent of its electricity demand with 33,000 solar panels. Other initiatives include retrofitting heat and lighting systems with green technology, renovating aging structures to meet exacting sustainability benchmarks, as well as comprehensive recycling programs across the installation.
