Originally named the SS Hastings Victory, the USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro was a Boulder Victory cargo ship built by the Permanente Metals Corporation in 1944. It was subsequently acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1946 when it underwent a name change. The ship was designed to serve during World War II, but it also operated during the Korean War. For the activity she performed, she earned two battle stars for the Korean War operations, whereas the crew who served on the ship received the National Defense Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Korean Service Medal. In 1982, the USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro was sold for scrapping.
Since asbestos was a highly prevalent building material in the middle of the last century, the USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro had over 300 dangerous products aboard. Exposure to asbestos is responsible for the development of terrible diseases, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. For this reason, veterans who served aboard the ship need to undergo periodical medical examinations to timely find out about a potential disease they may have developed.
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