Naval Station Great Lakes, located in North Chicago, Illinois on the western shore of Lake Michigan, has served as the United States Navy’s primary Midwest training installation and — since the consolidation of recruit training in the early 1990s — as the Navy’s sole Recruit Training Command (RTC), commonly known as boot camp. Naval Station Great Lakes has processed millions of Navy recruits through basic training, and the installation includes technical training schools for numerous Navy ratings. The station was established in 1905 and substantially expanded during World War I, with additional major expansion during World War II creating the barracks, classroom facilities, and training infrastructure that served through the Cold War era. Great Lakes’ WWII-era and Cold War facility construction incorporated asbestos-containing materials throughout the barracks, recruit training facilities, classrooms, and support buildings consistent with military construction specifications of those eras. Navy recruits, instructors, and permanent party personnel living and working in the asbestos-containing Great Lakes facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the facility construction throughout their assignment to the station.

Recruit Training Barracks and Facility Asbestos

Great Lakes’ recruit training facilities incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • WWII-era recruit barracks construction — the recruit barracks buildings at Naval Station Great Lakes constructed during the WWII expansion used wartime military construction with asbestos-containing floor tile in barracks living areas, asbestos-containing ceiling and overhead materials, and asbestos pipe insulation on the barracks building heating and domestic water systems. Navy recruits undergoing basic training and living in these WWII-era barracks accumulated background asbestos exposure from the barracks interior construction
  • Cold War recruit division facilities — Cold War-era recruit division facilities at Great Lakes used military construction materials with asbestos-containing products in the building construction consistent with mid-century construction specifications. Recruits living in Cold War-era barracks and instructors assigned to recruit training divisions at Great Lakes accumulated background asbestos exposure from the facility construction throughout their assignments
  • Recruit training drill halls and classroom buildings — the drill halls, classroom buildings, and recruit training support facilities at Great Lakes were constructed with military construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling products, and pipe insulation in the building systems. Recruit Division Commanders and instructors working daily in these facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the training facility construction

Technical School Facilities Asbestos

Great Lakes technical school buildings incorporated asbestos:

  • Rating school classroom and laboratory construction — the technical training school buildings at Great Lakes supporting Navy rating schools incorporated asbestos-containing construction materials in classroom, laboratory, and shop building construction consistent with Cold War-era military construction specifications. Navy students and instructors assigned to rating schools at Great Lakes accumulated background asbestos exposure from the school building construction during their training and instructor duty periods

Support Facility and Administrative Building Asbestos

Great Lakes support infrastructure incorporated asbestos:

  • Medical and administrative facility construction — the naval hospital, medical clinic buildings, administrative office buildings, and support facility construction at Naval Station Great Lakes used military construction materials with asbestos-containing building products consistent with WWII and Cold War military construction. Personnel working in these support facility buildings accumulated background asbestos exposure from the facility construction materials

VA Claims for Naval Station Great Lakes Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval shore installations. Navy recruits, instructors, and permanent party personnel who served at Naval Station Great Lakes and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.