For decades, service members and their families were exposed to toxic water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina – water that subsequently sickened thousands of them with serious illnesses and often fatal such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, childhood malformations, miscarriages and much more.

In 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act became law as part of the PACT Act, an extremely important step for those affected.

But due to technical issues with the language of the law, only a handful of the more than 500,000 claims have been settled. The victims waited for years, saddened by the deaths of their loved ones linked to the contaminated water.

Those affected cannot wait any longer.

Congress may now pass the Camp Lejeune Technical Corrections Bill (H.R. 8535) and the Senate companion bill, the Securing Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act (S. 5257), to clarify certain ambiguities in the law and to cap lawyers’ fees. It is time to pass this law now.

RELATED

The new law will solve some problems.

First, it would guarantee a jury trial for sick people at Camp Lejeune. Recent court rulings have eliminated jury trials for these allegations – but jury trials are something all Americans deserve and taking them off the table for those who have served our country is an injustice. The new law would unequivocally reinstate the right to a jury trial.

Second, the new law would ensure faster trials; eliminate the backlog that has delayed these cases for years and give veterans their long-awaited day in court.

The new law would also fairly cap legal costs, allowing veterans and their families to have access to strong legal representation and fair compensation.

Few veterans would freely choose to navigate this complex legal process alone – but after volunteering to defend our country, they also deserve the right to hire lawyers of their choice and lawyers who can win.

The medical and psychological impacts of Camp Lejeune’s toxic water are serious and long-lasting.

Veterans and their families face significant health challenges, and delays in compensation only add insult to injury.

As executive director of the Special Operations Association of America, I know firsthand what our Marines are doing.

Camp Lejeune is home to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), the product of Marine Force reconnaissance units that performed incredible feats of valor in Vietnam only to return home to poisoned water in their own homes. These service members laid the foundation for modern Navy special operators and deserve better.

We are unconventional and we defend situations that require a different approach. We have seen what the veterans of Camp Lejeune experienced, and we are here to dialogue.

We have already answered the call to serve our nation, and service doesn’t stop when you take off the uniform. I was never a good soldier – always late in the wrong uniform and needing a haircut, but one thing stuck with me as an NCO: the definition of responsibility is being responsible for everything you do and, above all, everything you do. not do.

To remain silent on this issue is to betray the military who have given so much for our freedom and choice – they deserve the same.

Organizations like ours that work to support our veterans are here for that reason: we do and say things that our government can’t or won’t.

Right now – this year, not later – Congress has an opportunity to give back to the Camp Lejeune veterans, to whom so much is already owed. We stand with our veterans and urge support for this critical legislation to ensure they can finally and quickly get the justice they deserve.

David Cook is the Executive Director of the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) and a veteran of U.S. Army Special Operations.