Naval Training Center Great Lakes, located in Great Lakes, Illinois north of Chicago on the western shore of Lake Michigan, has served as the primary naval recruit training facility for the Navy’s Midwest and national recruit intake since 1911 — and remains today the sole Navy recruit training command. NTC Great Lakes trained the majority of Navy enlisted personnel through Boot Camp (Recruit Training Command) throughout the Cold War, processing hundreds of thousands of sailors through the base during that period. The training center’s extensive WWII-era and postwar building infrastructure — including the iconic “Ship” recruit barracks buildings — contained asbestos-containing materials in their construction and mechanical systems throughout the Cold War training period.

WWII-Era Building Infrastructure and Asbestos

NTC Great Lakes was dramatically expanded during World War II to handle the wartime recruit influx, and the majority of the base’s functional building inventory dates to the WWII and early postwar period:

  • WWII-era recruit barracks — the large Ship barracks buildings and predecessor recruit housing built in the 1940s used asbestos floor tile, asbestos-containing ceiling tile, and asbestos in building mechanical systems throughout the barracks interiors
  • Training facility buildings — classroom buildings, gymnasium facilities, and training support structures built during the WWII and postwar expansion used asbestos-containing materials in their construction
  • Base steam heating distribution — NTC Great Lakes was served by a central steam heating plant with asbestos-insulated pipe distribution throughout the base building complex, running asbestos-insulated steam mains under the streets and into the buildings
  • Boiler plant operations — the central boiler plant serving the Great Lakes base steam heating system was maintained by Navy engineering personnel working with asbestos-insulated boiler equipment

Recruit Asbestos Exposure

Navy recruits who underwent Boot Camp at NTC Great Lakes during the Cold War era — the overwhelming majority of Navy enlisted veterans from the 1940s through the 1990s — were housed in WWII-era and postwar barracks with asbestos-containing flooring, ceilings, and mechanical systems throughout their 8-16 week recruit training cycle.

Permanent Party and Training Command Personnel

Navy permanent party personnel assigned to NTC Great Lakes — Recruit Division Commanders (RDCs), Navy school instructors, and base support personnel — worked and lived at the base in older buildings with asbestos-containing construction throughout their assignments, accumulating longer-duration asbestos exposure than the recruits passing through.

VA Claims for NTC Great Lakes Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at Navy installations. Veterans who served at NTC Great Lakes — whether as recruits or as permanent party — in older WWII-era facilities before the 1980s asbestos phase-down and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits based on asbestos in the base’s WWII-era building infrastructure.