Semper Fi: Always Faithful

Filmmakers Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon's Semper Fi follows the dogged quest of U.S. Marine Master Sergeant Jerry Ensminger, who—following the death of his nine-year-old daughter from a rare type of leukemia—discovered cancer clusters among other personnel who were also stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. It turned out that since 1958, dangerous chemical solvents used on the base—mostly cleaning solution—had been dumped into the water supply, poisoning generations of soldiers and their families. Although an independent inspector warned the brass about the toxins in the early 1980s, the Corps did nothing to alert potential victims—or assist with their healthcare while the ongoing inquest/stonewall moved agonizingly slow to officially recognize the deadly poisons as carcinogens. America's military, the documentary claims, is the nation's most prolific and pernicious polluter—adding that tumors, birth defects, and malignancies are epidemic at bases throughout the country. In addition to Ensminger we meet other Marines—one a pioneering woman—fighting their own battles, often in hospital wards. The sad 9/11-era irony of these troops being so utterly betrayed by their own hierarchy is self-evident and not belabored here. There is no right-wing-vs.-left-wing stance or scorekeeping, just a powerful story about a cover-up and one man's mission to reveal the truth. Recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $295 from Bullfrog Films, www.bullfrogfilms.com.] Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)