From Camp Lejeune to South Bend: Marine veteran’s battle with male breast cancer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - President Trump is making promises on the campaign trail, and one in particular hits close to home for a South Bend Marine veteran and cancer survivor.

At a North Carolina rally, Trump had a promise for veterans sickened by contaminated water decades ago.

“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible,” Trump said. “If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it, and it’s going to be finally over with.”

The money is part of a class action lawsuit over toxic chemical exposures at the Camp Lejeune Marine base in North Carolina from the early 1950s to 1985.

James Welch was there from 1969-70. He stayed in the U.S. during the Vietnam War, but found a bigger battle at home.

“Even though I didn’t go to Vietnam, I mean, I had Westpac orders, but another guy with the same MOS, he wanted to volunteer,” Welch said. “I smiled and said, ‘Go ahead.’ But maybe I might’ve been better off over there. I might not have had all these diseases if I would have went over there.”

At 77 years old, Welch is a Parkinson’s patient and cancer survivor.

“I was taking a shower, and I felt a little lump,” Welch said.

According to him, doctors were not concerned at first.

“About four months later, I went back to him. I said, ‘The lump’s getting a little bit larger.’ He said, ‘Well, we’ll send you in for a mammogram,’” Welch explained. “I said, ‘A mammogram?’ I said, ‘I thought that was for women.’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Men get them, too.’”

Oncologist Dr. Muhammad Hussain said male breast cancer is not that common, but can result in poor outcomes if missed.

According to Hussain, males need to be vigilant.

“There’s no standardized recommendation for screening for men,” Hussain said. “When you find a lump or a bump or any sort of skin changes in the chest, regardless if you’re male or female, you want to make sure a physician takes a look at that.”

Welch has surgery and several rounds of chemo and radiation. He joined the class action lawsuit in 2021, but has yet to see a dime.

He checks his claim every few months.

While Welch is glad to see the recent attention to Camp Lejeune claims, he wishes the president didn’t make it so political — because for Welch, it’s personal.

“Well, what are they waiting on? Are they waiting on all of us to die before they make the settlement?” he said.

Welch is officially five years out from his cancer battle and just got a good result from his latest mammogram.

He plans to walk in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Saturday in South Bend’s Howard Park. The event offers support for men and woman still fighting breast cancer.

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