When Karen Swindler married Edward Swindler, Sr., she assumed it would be forever. She had no idea when she first met Ed at church, their romance would only last six years.
“I was 27, and he was 38,” said Swindler. “We met in church, we were part of an adult Sunday School class for singles. He basically just kind of smiled at me a lot. And then we had an occasion where we left church one Sunday, and I had a flat tire, and all the other men from the church just kind of sashayed past and didn’t offer to help. So, when he discovered that was going on, he raised sand in the parking lot of the church, ‘Why y’all not trying to help this lady with her flat tire?’ and he was just going off. So he changed it. And then we went to lunch and the rest is history.”
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They got married and had two little boys.
“He was a very strong man. He was jovial, the life of the party. Everybody loved him, his coworkers, and people in the neighborhood, especially when he had his walking mail route. He was a letter carrier in the Postal Service,” said Swindler. “You know, everybody got a strong greeting when he come down the street. ‘Hey, what’s up, hey.’ All the neighbors loved him. He used to bring home all kinds of Christmas gifts. They always gave him food and wine, anything they can think of. They loved the mailman. And that’s what he was known as in neighborhood.”
Life was good for a few years, but after Ed turned 43, he started having some problems.
“He had a satchel, he had a walking route. And so he started complaining about pain in his chest, he had a large mass, you could see it visible on his chest. So he said, ‘Well, that’s probably from walking with that mail sack’, and so he changed positions and got an indoor position. And at that point, it just kept getting worse and worse,” said Swindler. “He finally went to the doctor because the pain just got so bad. And he was treating him with muscle relaxers because no one had a clue. And within a week, he said, ‘Babe, I’m not feeling any better. I gotta go back.’ So he returned to the emergency room and they kept him this time, started running tests and biopsies on that mass. And that’s what they discovered the cancer.”
Ed was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that starts in the glands that line organs. However, in Ed’s case, they were never sure where exactly the cancer started because by the time it was discovered, Swindler said it had already invaded his entire abdominal cavity and had metastasized to his liver.
A devastating diagnosis for a young family with two sons under two.
“It was quite a challenge. I had to have a strong faith in God to get through that, because it was a handful. The kids, you know, he was in so much pain. I always had to keep the kids away from him, and I knew he loved them,” said Swindler. “My family was still in Detroit, so I didn’t have a whole lot of support from them. But I have really beautiful friends who are just like family. They used to come and help me with his doctor’s appointments and his chemo treatments and things like that.”
They took their last family portrait in August of 1991 when their sons were just one and two years old. Ed died in October of that year just four months after his diagnosis; he was 44 years old.
“I’ve never felt that kind of love again after all these years, because, you know, he used to call me baby. I was his baby. That was my name,” said Swindler.
At the time of Ed’s death, Swindler had known he’d served in the Marine Corps and that Ed had served in Vietnam.
“He entered the military in 1967 and he was discharged in ‘72. He served a tour in Vietnam. He was injured in Vietnam due to shrapnel and received a Purple Heart for his valor, actually, two Purple Hearts,” said Swindler.
But she’d had no idea that Ed had been at Camp Lejeune as well during the time the water had been poisoned until 15 or 20 years after he died.
“I didn’t realize he was even there until I received a letter from the Department of Navy, saying that he resided there and they’re doing studies on toxic water, and just wanted me to register so I can receive additional correspondence and information about the water studies there. So that’s when I first knew he was at Camp Lejeune. I started looking through some of his things from the military that he’d saved.”
It turned out that not only had Ed started at Camp Lejeune, after being injured in Vietnam, he went back to Camp Lejeune as a captain for close to two years prior to his discharge.
“And I think about, the cancer that he suffered from and I always associated it with Agent Orange. And when I found out about Camp Lejeune, I’m like, ‘Wow, you didn’t have a fighting chance. You were exposed to Agent Orange as well as toxic water,’” said Swindler.
Now, more than 30 years later, Swindler is retired and dedicated to the process of getting Ed’s illness service connected and getting awarded the benefits and compensation they deserved all those years ago.
“When he passed, I knew nothing about having a Nexus letter and I applied for VA back then. And nothing, no one ever told me to get a Nexus letter. And I had a VA representative at the time, a volunteer representative. And we went to the application, the appeal, and they still said no, because they insist it’s cigarette smoking and possibly lung cancer. And all the doctors involved in his care, everyone is retired now. Now that I’m retired, I can put in 100% in this process, and I’m not going to give up,” said Swindler.
She’s now working with someone that said he will help her with the Nexus letter, finally. Swindler said she encourages everyone affected by the water situation at Camp Lejeune not to give up, either.
“Never give up. Never give up. This is real. And, you know, right now, we’re under time limitations, you have to file before August of next year,” said Swindler. “Be educated, you know, be open minded. We got to find our path in it, keep it moving. Because no one could tell your story better than you can. No one can advocate better than you can for yourself. And so we need to be advocates, you know, we need to know put our best foot forward and get this done and honor the memory of our loved ones.”
In the meantime, Swindler will continue to take comfort in the legacy her husband left behind.
“I still meet people sometimes on occasions, they say, ‘Are you Edward Swindler’s wife?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah!’ And they say was a good man. Even just last year, I ran into one of his old supervisors, and he said he was a good man, we miss him.’ And 30 years later, they still know him and miss him,” said Swindler. “I think his spirit is still surrounding me, my life. And I find comfort in that. Because you just don’t meet a man like him again.”