Whistleblower Exposes ‘Substandard’ Health Treatment of Marines; Promptly Retaliated Against

Complaints of poor Marine mental health care at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina will be investigated by the Defense Department following a request from a North Carolina Congressman. The Congressman asked for the investigation following the release of documents pertaining to the September firing of a brain trauma specialist who worked as a contractor at Camp Lejuene and had made internal complaints about the facilities, quality of care, and poor security. Salon.com, which had originally reported on the firing, last week released the documents, which showed Camp Lejeune officials had changed the psychiatrist's performance evaluations from good to poor after he made the complaints.

GAP is no stranger to Marine Corps retaliation against whistleblowers. Franz Gayl, a former Marine and now civilian working for the Marines, faced unrelenting retaliation from blowing the whistle on the bureaucratic holdup of putting MRAP vehicles – which offer significantly greater protection to American troops than Humvees – in the field.

Gayl appeared on GAP's television program, Whistle Where You Work, to discuss the retaliation he has faced as a whislteblower. To watch the episode and learn more about Franz Gayl's courageous struggle, click here.