Episode #67
From Camp Lejeune to Capitol Hill: One Family's Fight for Justice
Recorded on September 11th, the 25th anniversary of 9/11, at Marine Hall on Fort Avenue in Locust Point, this episode of South Baltimore Now sits down with longtime South Baltimore residents Luis Martinez, Jr. and his wife, Lauren Elizabeth. Luis served in the Marine Corps and spent time at Camp Lejeune, later building a career in commercial construction and calling South Baltimore home. Years later, an infected tooth led to an oral cancer diagnosis that a doctor immediately connected to his time at Camp Lejeune. As Luis fought through surgery, recovery, and now a second diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer, Lauren became a full-time advocate, founding the Lejeune Justice Project to fight for veterans and families left behind by a VA disability system that hasn't updated its presumptive conditions list since 2017. This is a conversation about military brotherhood, an unexpected health battle, and one family's fight to turn their own hardship into lasting change for thousands of other Camp Lejeune veterans. Connect With Us South Baltimore Now Podcast https://southbaltimorenow.transistor.fm/ southbmore.com The Lejeune Justice Project FACEBOOK A Note From Us If this episode moved you even a little, don't just close the tab. Luis and Lauren aren't asking for sympathy, they're asking for momentum. Here's how you can help this week: Follow the Lejeune Justice Project on Facebook Talk about this episode. Send it to someone who served, or to anyone who might know a Camp Lejeune veteran still stuck in the VA claims process. You never know who's one conversation away from getting the help they need. Keep reading southbmore.com and tuning in here. Stories like this one are why we do this podcast, and your support is what lets us keep telling them. This fight is bigger than one family, but it started with one family standing up. Thanks for listening, and thanks for helping us carry this story forward.
