BOSTON -- With less than 2,000 American men diagnosed with breast cancer each year, a cluster of 64 men developing the disease with a link to a small area has captured the attention of doctors.

The men have all been stationed at some point at the Marine Corps Fort Lejeune in North Carolina.

"My thought was how could I possibly have breast cancer? I'm a man," said Teddy Richardson, a former Marine diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

"It was just complete shock and out of the blue," said Mike Partain, who was diagnosed in 2007. "I was 39 years old when I was diagnosed."

Partain knew it was unusual to be diagnosed with this disease, especially at such a young age. He started asking questions.

"We've gone from just me to 64 men with male breast cancer," Partain said. "The only commonality that we have is that at some point in our life we either lived at Camp Lejeune or served at Camp Lejeune and we now have male breast cancer. That's no accident."

Partain is active in a group called The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten that is determined to solve the mystery of how so many military men have this unusual disease. He found a partner in the Boston-based Art Because Breast Cancer Foundation which funds research studying environmental links to breast cancer.

"We have here a cluster, the single largest cluster of male breast cancer that we have ever identified that we can look at," said Ellie Anbinder, executive director of Art Because.

Through the help of donors, more than a dozen military men were brought to Boston to pose for a calendar. It will be released in October and will fund a study into the link between the environment and male breast cancer.

One of the models is Peter Devereaux, of North Andover, who was diagnosed in 2008 with breast cancer that has since spread to other parts of his body. He received a letter two years ago from the Marine Corps notifying him he may have come into contact with contaminated water at the base.

"It was the first time that a light went off really for me because I was trying to figure it out. I'm a fairly healthy guy. Boom, where did it come from?" he said.

Contaminates were found in the water supply at the North Carolina base in the early 1980s, but the Marine Corps said studies have not determined a link between exposure to the water and illnesses suffered by those who lived there.

That's not the answer the Marines want to hear.

"It's been real frustrating and for them to deny for so long," said Richardson, who lived on the base in the early 1970s.

Partain was born there -- the son and grandson of Marines.

"It's good that finally somebody unbiased is going to do a study on this because no one's looking at it. To me it's a clear indication that we are affecting our environment," said Partain. "Men with breast cancer, Marines. When you think about marines, the last thing you think about is male breast cancer in a Marine."

Partain said so far, 3,301 Massachusetts residents have registered with the Marine Corps indicating they may have been exposed to contaminated water at the base.