Many young people have to consider the possibility of joining the military.

 

CNN covered this controversy most recently: an estimated 20 men who spent time at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between the 1960s and 1980s have breast cancer. Some may die, simply because they served their country. It's one thing to get cancer from drinking the water in a foreign country. It is another thing to be on American soil, drinking water supplied by your own military base.

 

Not so for the 20 men who suffered and are still suffering the consequences of drinking contaminated water. One man had a 9-year-old daughter who died from leukemia, as exposed on CNN last week. These men share one link: they all served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at Camp Lejeune.

 

Evidence confirms that the water at Camp Lejeune became highly contaminated at some point. These men all consumed great amounts of water on the base. Although the USMC knew of this contamination, the problem wasn't taken care of quickly enough to prevent the soldiers from being exposed to cancer and passing it along to the next generation. 

 

If we can't count on America to provide safe-to-consume water for soldiers, how can we count on the government to keep water clean for its citizens?