Naval Air Station Olathe, located in Johnson County, Kansas in the Kansas City metropolitan area, operated from 1942 through 1970 as a Navy aviation training installation and later as a Navy Reserve air station. The facility trained pilots and aviation personnel during World War II and the Korean War era before transitioning to Reserve aviation functions in its final operational years. The installation’s closure in 1970 placed all asbestos exposure from its shore facilities in the period from 1942 through 1970 — entirely within the peak asbestos use era for Navy construction.

Shore Facility Asbestos

NAS Olathe’s facilities were constructed during the 1942 wartime mobilization and operated for nearly three decades under standard Navy shore installation maintenance. Buildings erected in the wartime period incorporated asbestos-containing materials standard in rapid military construction of that era:

  • Aviation hangars with asbestos-containing roofing and fireproofing consistent with World War II-era military construction standards
  • Steam and mechanical systems serving base facilities with asbestos pipe insulation and lagging installed during the 1940s and maintained through the late 1960s
  • Barracks, administrative buildings, and training facilities with asbestos floor tile, joint compound, and pipe insulation
  • Aviation maintenance shops where personnel maintained training and Reserve aircraft in asbestos-containing environments

Personnel who trained at NAS Olathe during World War II, the Korean War period, and the Reserve aviation era before the installation’s 1970 closure were present in facilities with asbestos-containing building materials throughout their assignment periods. The installation’s complete operational history falls within the timeframe when asbestos use in Navy shore construction was at or near its maximum.

VA Claims for NAS Olathe Veterans

VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance covers shore-duty asbestos exposure at Navy installations. Veterans who served at Naval Air Station Olathe at any point during its 1942–1970 operational period and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer should document their assignment through DD-214 records listing Naval Air Station Olathe or Olathe, KS.