Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, located in Havelock, Craven County, North Carolina, is the largest USMC air station in the United States and the home of the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) Cherry Point — the East Coast marine aviation industrial maintenance and overhaul facility. Established in 1941 and substantially expanded during WWII, MCAS Cherry Point has operated continuously as a major Marine Corps aviation installation with aircraft maintenance, training, and fleet readiness functions. Navy Hospital Corpsmen (HM), Aviation Maintenance ratings, and Navy personnel assigned to MCAS Cherry Point in support roles accumulated asbestos exposure from the extensive WWII-era and Cold War-era industrial, hangar, and administrative building stock throughout this large installation.

WWII-Era and Cold War Industrial Facilities and Asbestos

MCAS Cherry Point’s extensive industrial complex included asbestos-containing building stock:

  • NADEP aircraft maintenance and overhaul hangars — the Naval Aviation Depot hangars and aircraft overhaul facilities at Cherry Point were large industrial buildings of WWII-era construction using industrial building materials including asbestos-containing roofing insulation, asbestos pipe insulation on steam and hot water heating systems, and asbestos fireproofing on structural steel in the large-span hangar buildings. Navy and Marine Corps aviation maintenance workers in these hangars were in proximity to aging asbestos-containing industrial building materials throughout their assignments at Cherry Point
  • Aircraft engine test facility buildings — the aircraft engine test cells and engine overhaul buildings at NADEP Cherry Point used specialized industrial construction for sound attenuation and fire resistance, with asbestos-containing insulation materials in the engine test facility construction
  • WWII-era administrative and barracks buildings — the barracks, administrative buildings, and support facilities constructed during Cherry Point’s WWII expansion used standard period institutional building materials including asbestos ceiling tile, asbestos floor tile, and asbestos pipe insulation throughout the base support infrastructure

Aircraft Maintenance Operations and Asbestos

Aviation maintenance work at Cherry Point involved asbestos exposure pathways:

  • Aircraft brake systems — aircraft brake and friction component maintenance at Cherry Point’s maintenance and overhaul facilities involved asbestos-containing brake lining and friction material used in older aircraft landing gear and arresting gear systems, with maintenance operations on these components creating asbestos fiber during inspection and replacement operations
  • Aircraft insulation and gasket materials — aircraft maintenance at NADEP Cherry Point involved removal and replacement of aircraft insulation blankets and gasket materials in older aircraft that used asbestos-containing materials in these applications

VA Claims for MCAS Cherry Point Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at Marine Corps air stations. Navy personnel and veterans who served at MCAS Cherry Point in WWII-era or Cold War-era industrial, hangar, and administrative facilities and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.