BOSTON -- A Hanover Marine with incurable cancer said the government finally admitted that it contributed to the cause of his disease.

Paul Buckley, 46, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable form of cancer that attacks blood plasma, four years ago. He has maintained that water contamination at Camp Lejeune caused his cancer, the Patriot Ledger reported.

Last week, Buckley received a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs agreeing that the tainted water at the North Carolina base was linked to his illness. The decision grants a full service-related disability pension to Buckley.

Buckley said his cancer is incurable. He has undergone a bone marrow transplant and was on dialysis for a while because of kidney failure related to his cancer. He undergoes full medical checkups every four months, the paper said.

Buckley said he started exploring a link between his illness and Camp Lejeune's water after reading an article about a 1984 fuel spill close to where he lived on the base for several months, the paper reported.

An advocate for Camp Lejeune veterans told a North Carolina paper that two others have received full disabilities because of the base's water contamination.