You've heard it on the radio, seen it on television or perhaps received spam emails or robocalls, all of them repeating the same message: You may be entitled to significant compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.

So, what’s the story here?

Passed in August as part of the PACT Act of 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides financial restitution to Marines, armed forces personnel and family members for toxic exposures they experienced while stationed at the Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC.

As early as 1953, residents were exposed to highly concentrated, toxic water contamination caused by leaking fuel storage tanks and chemical cleaning agents used on-site that included VOCs, TCE, and PCE. First brought to light in the 1980s by an EPA Superfund review, Marine leadership hid or denied these findings for decades, jeopardizing the lives of an untold number of dedicated Marines and their families.

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger was a devoted Marine drill instructor for nearly twenty-five years. When Jerry's nine-year old daughter Janey died of a rare type of leukemia, his world collapsed. As a grief-stricken father, he struggled for years to make sense of what happened. His search for answers led to the shocking discovery of the Marine Corps' cover-up of one of the largest water contamination incidents in U.S. history.

The Bullfrog Films release Semper Fi: Always Faithful follows Jerry's mission to expose the Marine Corps and force them to live up to their motto to the thousands of soldiers and their families exposed to toxic chemicals. His fight reveals a grave injustice at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune and a looming environmental crisis at military sites across the country.

Semper Fi is available on DVD with public performance rights for school and library purchase or rental. Academic streaming can be licensed from Docuseek. Campus and community groups interested in hosting a community screening can book now through Bullfrog Communities.

“Riveting...[Sgt. Ensminger] defied the Marine Corp's denial and cover-up, congressional indifference, and government bureaucracy to win a federal bill offering full health services for up to a million people presumed exposed at Camp Lejeune. Camp Lejeune is the military's Love Canal, and Semper Fi brilliantly captures the citizen science investigation, strategic activism, and environmental justice that prevailed."

—H. Patricia Hynes, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Author, The Recurring Silent Spring

“A powerful film about an unlikely grassroots movement. Former U.S. marines and their families, who suffered devastating health consequences from environmental contamination, fought government secrecy and obstruction to uncover the sources and seek compensation. Semper Fi conveys their story in a low-key, yet effective way, balancing personal background with the details of the political process and the effect of television coverage."

—Matthew Evangelista, Professor of History and Political Science, Cornell University, Author, Law, Ethics, and the War on Terror

To order Semper Fi: Always Faithful on DVD with public performance rights for educational use,

visit the Bullfrog Films online catalog.

Order by phone at (610) 779-8226

or email us at info@bullfrogfilms.com

Bullfrog Films is the oldest and largest publisher of documentary films about the environment in the United States. We define "environment" broadly, and our catalog includes programs on ecology, energy, agriculture, indigenous peoples, women's studies, environmental justice, international relations, sustainable development, anthropology, economics, ethics, and conflict resolution.