Located at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph, Missouri, the installation traces back to 1942, when Rosecrans Field was established as part of the Army Air Forces' Air Transport Command. Today, it's home to the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard, which operates the C-130H Hercules for tactical airlift, cargo delivery, and humanitarian missions, along with the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. Many of the base's original buildings and support infrastructure date to the World War II and Cold War eras, when asbestos-containing construction materials were standard throughout military installations.
AFFF exposure at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
Official Air National Guard environmental investigations identify a Fire Training Area, tracked as FTA 2 or Environmental Restoration Program Site 2, located near the southwestern portion of the installation. This site supported firefighter training exercises tied to the base's C-130 mission, which required firefighters to stay proficient in responding to aircraft emergencies and aviation fuel fires.
That readiness depended on frequent, hands-on practice rather than occasional drills:
- Instructors led aircraft crash rescue exercises using live fuel fires.
- Crews practiced aviation fuel fire suppression as part of certification requirements.
- Firefighters mixed foam concentrate and applied it during training burns.
- Apparatus operators tested foam proportioning equipment to keep ratios accurate.
- Everyone cleaned firefighting vehicles and equipment once each exercise wrapped.
- Maintenance staff kept foam storage systems running between sessions.
Air National Guard firefighters and Air Force Fire Protection Specialists carried the bulk of this exposure, joined by Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting personnel, firefighter trainees, fire instructors, fire apparatus operators, and the staff who maintained foam systems and firefighting vehicles.
The PFAS chemicals in AFFF carry an established link to two types of cancer among firefighters exposed to it repeatedly over time:
Time spent training regularly at FTA 2 falls squarely into that exposure pattern. Anyone who served as a firefighter at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base and has since been diagnosed with one of these cancers should have their history reviewed to see whether they're eligible to file a claim.
Asbestos exposure at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base's hangars, fire station, and administrative buildings went up during the mid-20th century, a period when asbestos was the default choice for anything needing fire resistance or insulation. That legacy shows up in a range of materials still tied to the installation:
Not every job on base carried the same risk. Some trades spent their days working directly with these materials, while others encountered them only occasionally during larger projects:
Much of the installation's infrastructure dates to periods when asbestos was widely used in military construction, and personnel responsible for maintaining aircraft facilities, utility systems, and support buildings serviced these materials throughout the base's operational history. Diagnosis is where asbestos exposure gets complicated, since mesothelioma and lung cancer, the two conditions most closely linked to this kind of work, often don't surface for 20 to 50 years after someone was first exposed. A veteran who served at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base's older buildings decades ago may now be seeing symptoms for the first time, with no obvious reason to connect them to their service. If that sounds like your situation, reach out to our team so we can look into whether you qualify to file.