Lackland Air Force Base is located in San Antonio, Texas, and is part of Joint Base San Antonio. Today it is considered the “gateway” for modern Air Force careers, but before being combined with Randolph Air Force Base and Fort Sam Houston, Lackland had a long and distinguished history that dates back to World War II. Though it has a well-deserved reputation as the sole location for U.S. Air Force enlisted Basic Military Training, it has also been blamed for numerous cases of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases due to the extensive use of asbestos in the base’s various construction projects, as well as the exposure to the hazardous material from vehicles, aircraft, and other military equipment.
The History of Lackland Air Force Base
In June 1941, the U.S. War Department began construction of Lackland Air Force Base on a small parcel of land partitioned from an existing Army airfield called Kelly Field. That area had originally been used as a bivouac area and bombing range for advanced aviation cadets, but was quickly transformed with the installation of water lines, sewers, streets, and frame buildings with asbestos siding to house Air Corps replacement-training cadets, and the site was named the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, or SAACC.[1]
Nearly 2,000 cadets were in place by November 1941, but after Pearl Harbor, more men signed up to train as pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. The military redesignated the site as a preflight school and classification center, an expansion of responsibilities that led to even more construction being required. A preflight school and station hospital were built, as well as the new classification center, by the summer of 1943.[1]
Approximately 90,000 candidates for flight training passed through the preflight school during World War II. After the war’s end, the installation was redesignated as the San Antonio District, Army Air Forces Personnel Distribution Center. It took on the role of receiving veterans from combat zones and reassigning or separating them. Activities included rehabilitation and physical evaluation. It was then redesignated again as the Army Air Forces Military Training Center in 1946 and given the sole basic military training mission for the Army Air Force and became the site of the Officer Candidate School.[1]
After additional renamings and redesignations, the site was renamed the Lackland Military Training Center in 1959, but throughout its history, it remained solely responsible for the military indoctrination of basic trainees. During heightened times of military activity, it hosted increased numbers of enlistees, with its trainee population exceeding 55,000 in 1951, and populations of 20,000 and more during the mid-1960s surge for the Vietnam War. Its training responsibilities expanded to include air police training, cryptographic equipment maintenance training, sentry dog handler training, and the USAF Marksmanship Center, and after the closure of Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado, Lackland assumed responsibility for vehicle operator and maintenance, electronic principles, contracting, logistics plans, services, and supply.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used at Lackland Air Force Base?
Like many other U.S. Air Force bases and applications, the construction materials used in the creation of Lackland Air Force Base were heavily contaminated with asbestos. This was intentional: In the days before the material was identified as being carcinogenic, it was valued for its strength and ability to insulate against heat, flame, and sound. The military ordered its use in barracks and mess halls, administrative buildings, and infrastructure, as well as in various components of aircraft, radar stations, and military vehicles. It was a component of gaskets, valves, pumps, and brake lining, as well as insulation and fireproofing materials.
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at Lackland Air Force Base included:
- Adhesives
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Brakes
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Cargo bay insulation Adhesives
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- Heat shields for aircraft engines
- Heating systems in the cockpit
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Roofing adhesives
- Sealants
- Siding
- Soundproofing
- Valves
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Lackland Air Force Base?
Though asbestos does not pose a risk while in place and undisturbed, it easily breaks down into microscopic fibers and particles when it is manipulated, whether during construction, maintenance, and repair activities or when it breaks down with age. While Lackland’s use of asbestos in construction was not unusual, the base distinguished itself by the fact that facilities that were originally built before and during World War II remained on the base until the 1990s. Because asbestos was used by the military from the 1930s through 1980, this means that all of the buildings that were initially erected, as well as those that accommodated Lackland’s growth over the decades, exposed their residents, visitors, and others to the risk of asbestos-related diseases.
The same is true of those who interacted with the various aircraft, vehicles, and equipment on the base that relied on asbestos to operate. Asbestos in brake linings and pads, in the wiring of planes as well as throughout the base, in steam pipe and cockpit insulation, and heating systems, were all at risk. So too were family members of these individuals, who suffered secondary asbestos exposure carried into their homes on service member and civilian employee hair, skin, and clothing.
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Lackland Air Force Base included:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Airmen
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Aircraft mechanics
- Pilots
- Carpenters
The reality of asbestos exposure over the years of Lackland Air Force Base’s operations was made clear in 2019 when a group of military families filed a lawsuit citing dangerous living conditions in family barracks on the base. One family alleged their housing conditions led to a member of the household developing a lung mass, and several families alleged they had to dispose of their property due to asbestos exposure.[2]
Many Air Force veterans and others who worked or lived at Lackland Air Force Base and were exposed to the toxic material over the years have filed suit against the companies that manufactured or supplied asbestos-contaminated materials. These companies face accusations of negligence and product liability, and many have been required to pay millions in compensation by juries who agreed that they knew their products carried health risks but failed to provide warnings or take action to protect against exposure. Some asbestos companies have been forced into bankruptcy as a result of their liabilities, and as part of that process were required to set up trust funds to pay damages to those who suffered as a result of their actions.
Help for Lackland Air Force Base Asbestos Victims
While many Air Force veterans and others who worked at Lackland Air Force Base have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, COPD, and other asbestos-related diseases, it is a certainty that there will be more victims in the future. Asbestos-related diseases have a long period of latency: Some victims do not begin to manifest symptoms until fifty or sixty years after their exposure, and some of the carcinogenic material used at Lackland remained in place well into the 21st century.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after having been exposed to asbestos at Lackland Air Force Base, there are several resources and options available to you. The U.S. Veterans Administration has classified asbestos exposure during times of service as eligible for special disability compensation, and there are several VA Medical Centers that specialize in the treatment of asbestos-related diseases. You may also be eligible to file a claim with one of the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds or to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the companies that manufactured or supplied the carcinogenic material that caused your illness.
For more information on the benefits and compensation options available to you, contact an experienced and knowledgeable asbestos attorney. These professionals have spent years learning the nuances of asbestos-related cases and are best suited to provide you with the guidance that will serve you best.
