Free Republic

There’s no deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits. But if you file your PACT Act claim—or quickly submit your intent to file—by August 9, 2023, you may receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022. So don’t wait, apply today. The PACT Act and your VA benefits The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The PACT Act adds to the list of health conditions that we assume (or “presume”) are caused by exposure to these substances. This law helps us provide...

Three people found dead in a vehicle at a North Carolina gas station Sunday were Marine lance corporals based at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.

The first lawsuits under the PACT Act were filed Thursday, one day after the passage of new protections for those exposed to toxic chemicals at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed the PACT Act, which encompasses the Camp Lejeune Justice Act along with other legal matters pertaining to toxic exposures related to military service. The new measure signed into law gives service members more power to sue over the issue. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act benefits veterans and families possibly harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals in the drinking water on the North Carolina military...

The Marine Corps is conducting random drug testing at one base in North Carolina because of reports that personnel there are using the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD. The 2nd Marine Division in Jacksonville, North Carolina, has conducted nearly 4,000 random tests for LSD since the start of the summer. Maj. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the division commander, said the recent rise in LSD use among sailors and Marines on the base has prompted them to change how they test for illegal substances. In the past, the Department of Defense drug lab only accepted individual samples...

Cape Lejeune Marine Corps Base on the North Carolina coast has issued a safety alert after multiple people reported being attacked at the military facility by coyotes. At least four attacks have occurred recently on the eastern side of the base, near the Wallace Creek area, officials said in a Facebook post. Investigators did not give details of the injuries, but noted all victims “were running after dark in the vicinity.” The latest attack occurred at 4 a.m. Sept. 23. All the victims reported being near offices of the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group Command when attacked, officials said....

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., were preparing for their upcoming deployment to the Middle East, they faced an unusual challenge: the beach they needed to train on had been washed away by Hurricane Florence. Using bulldozers and other equipment, they moved enough sand to rebuild a portion of Onslow Beach so Marines could practice moving on and off landing craft and get certified for their deployment. But almost immediately afterward, the ocean swept away the sand. Marine leaders are saying it will cost around $3.6 billion to repair the extensive damage to Camp Lejeune caused by...

Decorated married Marine colonel, 56, who sexually abused daughter, 6, of one of the men serving under him, is sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4871880/Marine-colonel-guilty-sexually-abusing-child.html#ixzz4sNrLcR98 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

<p>CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) - There will be no Article 32 hearing for the Camp Lejeune Colonel accused of sexually assaulting a child.</p> <p>55 year old Colonel Daniel Wilson of Mason, Washington, reportedly waived his right to the hearing, which is the military version of a civilian grand jury which determines if there is probable cause of a crime involving the accused. That's according to the online website Headquarters Marine Corps.</p>

We have just received information that a certain Marine Corps INFANTRY BATTALION currently stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina has been placed in an ALERT STATUS. All leave has been cancelled for the unit, and all Marines have been ordered back to base immediately! Camp Lejeune Camp Lejeune is located only a few hours away, by HUMVEE, from Charlotte, North Carolina. We are unable to confirm if this is related to the Insurrection in Charlotte. However, this is the closest location of US Military Troops to Charlotte. We will continue to bring your the latest news as it develops. Also,...

Marine who was court-martialed after putting up Bible verse at her desk loses First Amendment appeal in 'outrageous' federal court decisionA Marine who was court-martialed after refusing to take biblical verses down from her desk has lost her federal appeal, in a decision her representative called 'outrageous'. Marine Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling lost a 2014 court-martial at her base in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, based in part on her refusal to remove the verses. She challenged that action but was told Wednesday that she had lost the case after it was ruled that the order was not a 'substantial burden'...

ATLANTA — Before a military helicopter disappeared into a thick bank of fog off the Florida coast, killing all 11 servicemen aboard, military officials had conducted an “operational risk assessment” and determined that the weather was safe enough to fly in, Maj. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, commander of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, said Friday. But once the two helicopters participating in the Tuesday evening exercise were aloft, a decision was made to turn back, General Osterman said. And only one helicopter made it back. The details of the Black Hawk helicopter’s final flight were disclosed at a...

<p>Search-and-rescue crews are looking for seven Marines and four soldiers after an Army helicopter crashed late Tuesday during a routine night training exercise in the Florida Panhandle.</p> <p>Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told the Associated Press that the helicopter was reported missing at around 8:30 p.m. local time and crews found debris from the crash at around 2 a.m. Wednesday.</p>

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a blow to North Carolina families trying to sue over groundwater contamination at a big Marine Corps base. In a technical decision with real-world consequences, the court upheld North Carolina’s limits on how long people have to bring certain pollution-related lawsuits. By upholding the state’s 10-year limit, called a statute of repose, the court effectively undercut lawsuits centering on Camp Lejeune. “Time is the controlling factor,” Justice Anthony Kennedy declared.

Authorities say the shooter at the Marine Corps base camp is no longer active A Marine fatally shot a fellow service member at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina Tuesday, the base said in a statement. The shooting occurred at around 5:30 p.m. The gunman, a Marine standing guard at the base’s main gate, discharged an M4 rifle, killing another guard. Camp Lejeune’s provost marshal said the shooting is not thought to be an act of terrorism and that the shooter is no longer active.

Independence Day celebrations have been canceled at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and at the Army's Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina. The annual July Fourth celebration also has been scrapped at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga. The reason is money — namely the lack of it.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C.– Two Camp Lejeune Marines returned home early Sunday morning to find two men in their house. The intruders didn't make it out of the house alive. 33-year-old, Maurice Skinner and 33-year-old, Diego Everette were identified by police as the men killed in the burglary attempt. Both men are from Jacksonville. Skinner and Everette were pronounced dead at the scene, but according to Jacksonville Police Chief, Mike Yaniero it is unlikely that anyone will be charged in the shooting. "The investigation is ongoing, however at this time there is no evidence to suggest that criminal charges be filed." Chief...

I just love this one. Damn .. I wish there had been security cameras to record this for prosperity. The locale is Jacksonville, North Carolina. Now if you know Jacksonville, NC, you will know that this is not the place you want to screw around with people you aren’t all that familiar with. They train throat slitters there. Not the bad kind … the good kind. The kind that wear the uniforms of the U.S. Marine Corps (or, as Obama would pronounce it, “corpse”) and the U.S. Army. So here we have these two pretty perps, Maurice and Diego ---...

A COLONEL'S CAREER LOST FOR $65 - WHY DID ROBERT PETIT SELF-DESTRUCT? - MARINE COMMANDER OF 24TH EXPEDITIONARY UNIT AT CAMP LEJEUNE FOUND GUILTY OF SHOP- LIFTING AT LOCAL WAL-MART - CAUGHT HIDING PRINTER INK CARTRIDGES AND STP OIL TREATMENT BOTTLE UNDER JACKET - GETS 96 HOURS OF "COMMUNITY SERVICE" FROM SYMPATHETIC JUDGE - RELIEVED OF COMMAND BY MARINE CORPS - ENLISTED AS GRUNT BACK IN 1978 - KLEPTOMANIAC? - TIME TO RETIRE © 2011 MilitaryCorruption.com This is a sad story all around. One of those that cause you to scratch your head and wonder WHY? Why would a respected...

Camp Lejeune Marines To Libya By Shumuriel Ratliff / Reporter POSTED: 6:22 pm EDT March 20, 2011 We've seen Camp Lejuene marines in Iraq and Afghanistan and now they are joining the fight against Libya. 2200 marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or 26th MEU will take part. Their mission is to help end the violence directed at the Libyan people. "In Libya right now they are doing exactly what we need them to do. They are doing what they are told and right now that's protecting Libyan people against Qadhafi forces," said Captain Timothy Patrick, a marine with...

An employee at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune has won a victory for free speech. After his son was killed in the USS Cole attack, he put decals on his vehicle pointing out the link between Islam and terrorism. Marine Corps officials told him to remove the decals or he couldn't park on federal property because they were offensive. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps allowed pro-Islamic decals. A Federal judge ruled this week he could keep the anti-Islamic decals as long as the military allowed the pro-Islamic ones. ARLINGTON, Va. — After his son was killed in the attack on the USS...