out of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Thanks for sending to you and Pat. My daughter was born at the base hospital. Wurtsmith Air Force Base has been an integral part of the United States Air Force from the 1920's to June 3rd 1993. . [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. OSCODA, Mich. - Oscoda residents and PFAS activists today held a press conference on the shores of Van Etten Lake to set the record straight on the Air Force's contamination of their community from the former Wurtsmith Air . There are a lot of stories to tell. In 1955 Wurtsmith Air Force Base became an official permanent post in the United States Air Force, which meant that many new services were implemented on base. One example of this is autocross racing. [1]After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. The water table is about 10 feet below land surface in the western part of the Base and about 25 feet below land surface in the eastern part. When the Gulf War started in 1990, the 379, Bomber Wing sent B-52s as well as their accompanying KC-135s into the Middle East. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. It excelled in low-altitude ground support as a well-built and reliable aircraft capable of absorbing quite a bit of battle damage. All four of the the guys that were in that flight were from Tuskegee, Losinksi said. . The study doesn't estimate past concentrations or exposure dosage and was released with . The 5,223-acre Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Wurtsmith AFB) is located on the northeastern part of Michigans lower peninsula. [1] This includes on base housing, a daycare center for children, a doctor's office, a . Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. At one point, they had to use these toxic foam chemicals to put out a fire at the Oscoda High School in 1995. [3] Search Superfund Site Information. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Dec. 2016, cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0503675. This is a very big issue for the people of Oscoda and the surrounding areas for obvious reasons. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. [4] In the lateryears of World War II Wurtsmith Air Force Base was used as a fighter-interceptor training base and housed the 332d fighter group, which was part of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. This includes extra parts, munitions, fuel, and flight crews. Pieces include the engine, the tail, part of the door and the 37-millimeter cannon that fired through the propeller hub. I am not a doctor or attorney, and cannot give medical advice or legal advice. View All Homes - Homes for Rent According to the Air Force's account, in October 1977, a Wurtsmith base housing resident complained about a peculiar odor and taste in the drinking water. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of five, northern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. This remoteness of Wurtsmith Air Force Base, as well as common brotherhood of being in the United States Air Force resulted in a tight knit community formed by the airmen and their families. [1] This was followed by one and a half weeks of normal day to day activitiesuntil the flight crew relieved crew on ready alert in the bunkers.[1]. Groundwater data collected in 1999 at Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Michigan), Tyndall Air Force Base (Florida) and Naval Air Station Fallon (Nevada), where PFC concentrations ranged from below detection limit to over 14,000 g/L, suggest that any military site where AFFFs have been used is likely to have a dissolved plume containing . PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. I was stationed there 1978 -81 lived on base they never told us about the water being contaminated . While the vast majority of personnel on Wurtsmith Air, Force Base were not part of a flight crew rotating through ready alert, their, respective jobs all served to ensure those planes could take off at a moments, notice. These organizations primarily fall into seven types of activities: aviation, manufacturing, technology, medical, housing, education, community services and technology. It is primarily a large jet airplane salvage, jet engine maintenance and light general aviation . Wurtsmith Air, Force Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. [1] Wurtsmith Air Force Base was 2nd Lt. Nortons first, permanent duty station in the United States Air Force. [4] Its mission was tomaintain half of the fleet on a 15 minute alert, meaning the plane could be inthe air in 15 minutes, to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet preemptive missilestrike. Two years after release I started to experience very visible loss of musculature and strength. The main mission of Oscoda Army Air Field, at the time, was to defend Sault Ste. The gunnery range was tasked with training pilots from, Selfridge air base in the challenging maneuvers required to land a DeHavilland, biplane on the frozen lake Van Etten for the young Army Air Corps. Theseplanes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during thecold war. Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable. The intent is to create a self-help registry for those who were harmed by the extremely toxic organochlorine pesticide contamination detected at Military Family Housing. Published August 24, 2021 at 4:15 PM EDT. March 7, 1942: The first class of Tuskegee Airmen graduate from U.S. Army Air Force Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama. Call 205.328.9200 Claim Application. Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as Loud-Reames Aviation Field, a soft-surface landing site for Arm Air Corps aircraft from Selfridge Field. Marie and the straights of Mackinac. It was eerie, David Losinski said. It was a feeble effort, for the plane seemed to lift for only a few feet and then it crashed, nose first, into the water. It still haunts me today that we had to do that and were told to just follow orders. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to sou I recall we lost a tanker on touch and goes which had to be extinguished with a massive amount of this chemical. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. My ex wife has thyroid disease and auto immune disease. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. WAFB began operations in 1923, under the name of Camp Skeel, and was officially named the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953. From: Members of the ground crew move a maintenance cart into position next to a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft parked on the flight line. distance from the bunker. This is heinous, and my heart goes out to so many. Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda Township, Mich. U.S. Department of Defense In Oscoda, authorities tracked the contamination of Van Etten Lake to Wurtsmith Air Force Base , which closed in 1993. History Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. During the Cold War, the base became part of Strategic Air Command. WAFB closed in 1993 and is gradually being turned over to the Oscoda Airport Authority for reuse as an industrial park and airfield (EPA 2012). [5], Dave Norton resigned his commotion as a United States Air ForceCaptain on May 30th, 1993 exactly 9 years after receiving his commissionas a 2nd Lt. form the United States Air Force Academy. Aircraft upper wing, left lower wing, rudder and propeller damaged. This weapon system used some hazardous and a lot of special chemicals to support it. 1944 -- Maj. Gen. Paul B. Wurtsmith, born in Detroit in 1906, led U. S. Army Air Corps training flights to Camp Skeel near Oscoda prior to World War II. "It was a city within a city. While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a wholelot to do. "Keeping Wurtsmith AFB and Aviation History of NE MI Alive" Opens on Armed Forces Day in May, hosts a Welcome Home. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was not the best fighter aircraft of WWII, but it was the only fighter available in quantity during the first six months of the war. [1] As tensions increased around the world and the likelihood of an actual mission being flown while on ready alert increased, the week, The typical activities while not on ready alert varied greatly, from person to person. (Superstorm) Sandy came along (in October) and moved things around, David Losinski said. History. Drew said, Dad, thats an airplane., You could see the wings. The Losinskis found an account of the crash in the Times Herald. One of these men were named Lt. Ennis Whitehead. [1] Mr. Norton also landed. City officials in Dayton, Ohio, have also found the response from the Air Force to cleanup contamination at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to be inadequate. [1] This meant that there was always at least three, B-52s armed with nuclear bombs, ready to take off at a moments notice. In 1960 it became part of the Strategic Air Command . A new report compiled by a local group, Need Our Water (NOW) and the National Wildlife Federation . It has recently been discovered that that the base has been leaking chemicals into the surrounding waterways. This is extremely important because harsh chemicals can negatively impact the future of children and infants as well as the elderly. They are surely exposed to this chemical nearly every day, whether it be playing outside on the playground or from being exposed to the chemicals via drinking the water. A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were produced by wars end, more than any other U.S. fighter. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of the, Strategic Air Commands bomber fleet. [1] This was further broken down by marital status. I still stay in touch with Gary but do not know if he has an e-mail account. Because of this KC-135 squadrons would routinely fly 175 day assignments and return to their home base. The history of Oscoda Military Aviation is the same as the History of the Air Force. Traci Kroushour, an Oscoda resident until the age of 12, had her uterus removed at the age of 28 and can never have children. ircraft operated from Oscoda Army Airfield. 2 talking about this. Lee N. 2023 Aspyre Media Group, LLC. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. In their letter, the members expressed their concerns that the Air Force's proposed remediation plan . [1] On the first Wednesday thefresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. It is perhaps the best-known of all the between wars Army pursuits. On April 1, 1960, Strategic Air Command assumed operational control of what was then Wurtsmith Air Force Base from Air Defense Command; on Jan. 9, 1961, the 379th Bombardment Wing, flying B-52H's and KC-135A's, became the host unit. [1], While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a whole, lot to do. This gave the Army operations the opportunity to begin creating the base we know today. Service ceiling 27,200 feet, and range was 260 miles. Contaminated water has been shown to be the main way that humans get exposed to this chemical, which is exactly whats going on in Oscoda. My husband and our two children lived there from 1985-1993 I have a nerve problem my daughter has autoimmune (MS) youngest daughter has kidney problems. The former base includes 4,626 acres (1,872ha) located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Leaking chemical storage tanks and waste disposal operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. The base is located in Oscoda, Iosco County, Michigan. With this long list of negative effects it is clearly a big health issue for local residents. The Lackland Air Force Base Education Center is located at 1550 Wurtsmith Street, Suite 5. . This building was like the barracks, but each officer had his own room. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. Even after the base closed in 1993, the base maintained a fire staff for many years. These levels were published by the Enviromental Protection Agency (Mlive.com). The water table is about 10 feet below land surface in the western part of the Base and about 25 feet below land surface in the eastern part. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. In addition, the rear fuselage was deepened in order that it could faire cleanly into the bottom of the radiator. This meant that Wurtsmith Air Force Base was essentially a self-contained airport with all of the necessities to support a full community on Base. Their water table has been contaminated with high levels of PFOA because of the leakage of chemicals from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. [5] In recent years groundwater contamination has be linked to jet fuel, cleaning agents, and fire suppression agents used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Any one else from 84-89 have issues? The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. No injuries to the pilot. [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressful, because no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no one, knew if it would be a drill or not. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to . It was renamed Camp Skeel in 1924, for the World War I Pilot Captain Burt E. Skeel, and was used as an aerial gunnery range and for winter maneuvers 1924 through 1944 by the 1st Pursuit . Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . [6], During the Gulf War B-52s from Wurtsmith Air Force Base were flownout of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For example a KC-135 could take off from Wurtsmith Air Force Base, fly across the Pacific Ocean, land in Spain, have the flight crew be relieved by a fresh crew, fly into theater, complete the mission and return to Spain, where the original crew would be rested and ready to fly the KC-135 back to Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Wurtsmith AFB has a better paper trail showing irrefutable evidence of contamination of the base drinking water with Trichloroethelene (TCE) first discovered in 1977 as a result of a complaint from a base housing resident. The base was put into a standby status to be there just in case something happened in those areas. But these days, the county is becoming a haven for retired people such as the Kuhlmans . The cockpit was fairly easy to enter and exit, but the doors had a tendency to fly open in midair at high speed if improperly secured. Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. Paul B. Wurtsmith Air Force Base closed in 1993, dealing a sharp blow to the economy of rural Iosco County. Aircraft was at Camp Skeel, Oscoda Michigan for Aerial Gunnery training. As long as these assignments were under 180 days they were considered Temporary Duty Assignments. [1], These KC-135s were necessary because the B-52 could not take off with both a, full load of ordnance and a full tank of gas.[1]. Veteran Compensation Programs. The presumptive disabilities from contaminated water at Wurtsmith AFB would lead to automatic compensation to potentially thousands of veterans. We thought that was kind of unbelievable.. Only after, the plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not.[1]. https://www.oscairport.com/index.php/available-properties/, https://www.oscairport.com/index.php/development-site/, https://www.afhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/APH-Winter2016.pdf, http://www.armytimes.com/story/news/2014/07/30/divers-find-wreckage-of-world-war-ii-era-plane/13354373/, https://wurtsmithairmuseum.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Air-Refueling-Squadron-_-Real-People-_-George-Schlatter720p.mp4. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts. The Arrow Street purge system, installed in 1982 to remove contaminants from the Building 43 plume, has lowered concentrations o We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. [1] Mr. Nortonarrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air ForceBase in the fall of 1985. Now, I have been diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure and congestive heart disease, I am currently on dialysis awaiting a kidney transplant. USVCP Staff Writers . In a nutshell, this is what were trying to do get permission to relocate the parts so they would resemble a plane, David Losinski said. Download Images of Wurtsmith air force base - Free for commercial use, no attribution required. A bomber squadron for example would be sent out to destroy a target and return to its home base within a week. Having high amounts of this chemical directly underneath their high school could have serious long-term effects on the kids that attend school as well as the faculty. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. The sources Im using include The Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFRA); Photo collections from Wurtsmith Museum; Photo collections from Selfridge Museum, Selfridge AFB Historical files; and Aircraft Accident Reports. [1] On the first Wednesday the, fresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. The P-47s radial engine proved remarkably resistant to battle damage and, with its heavy armament and well-armored cockpit, the Thunderbolt established a reputation as one of the most effective fighter-bombers of the war. The letter never said what I was objecting to, but that I was refusing to for a lawful order. Military History of the Upper Great Lakes, Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had many, different missions. In 1932, Capt. Now that the contamination has reached the Au Sable river, it could potentially carry this contamination into Lake Huron. Had some issue at Loring Maine where I was stationed from 86-88 and nothing.VA is cricket s on this Richard Stanfill, 12/5/21I was stationed there from 1982 to October of 1985 and lost my left kidney to 3rd stage clear cell carcinoma I never smoked or did drugs. There are many good photos of P-39s at Selfridge Field (Posted below), but none of P-39s at Oscoda. Major Gary Geiger assigned to the 911TH Safety Office with me back in the late 60's or early 70's was a Navitgator on the B-52's assigned to Westover AFB as he used to tell me when we deployed there do not know if he did time at Wurstmith AFB. Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan; PFAS Water Contamination Map . Mrs. Cecil V. Fowler saw the crash, according to the Times Herald article. What's next? Me and Dan drive around base and check out the bunkers that held nuclear weapons during the cold war [4] Enchanted Forest Web Page Design Service. On June 30, , 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. We make no endorsements or recommendations of any VSO, attorney, law firm, claims specialists or organization working with veterans on their service-connected claim(s). Drinking water laced with high levels of poisonous chemicals may be to blame for cancer and other chronic disease among veterans and families who lived at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northern Michigan, according to a new federal health report draft. Robert Krouse, 12/31/19Stationed at Wurtsmith AFB from 1978 to 1980 and lived in barracks. Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. Moodys body was not recovered until it washed ashore in Port Huron on June 4, 1944 two days before D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. [1]These KC-135s were necessary because the B-52 could not take off with both afull load of ordnance and a full tank of gas. For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52G, During the Gulf War B-52s from Wurtsmith Air Force Base were flown. The landing gear was changed from rubber-block shock absorbers inside the fuselage to oleo-and-spring units mounted in the outer forward strut. [3], www.nytimes.com/1988/10/12/us/six-are-killed-in-crash-of-an-air-force-tanker.html, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm, http://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/11/wurtsmith-air-force-base/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurtsmith_Air_Force_Base. The gunnery range was tasked with training pilots fromSelfridge air base in the challenging maneuvers required to land a DeHavillandbiplane on the frozen lake Van Etten for the young Army Air Corps. These Air Force bases were remote. Engine not damaged. [1] At some point over the week an alarm would sound, signaling to the flight crew that the B-52s had to be in the air. However, the drawdown was fairly rapid after that and they were quickly replaced by P-38s, P-47s and P-51s. How is it that these large and respected scientific organizations can continue to be ignored in the face of statistically overwhelming data and human impacts. [3], [1] Dave Norton, Former United States Air Force Captain, interviewed on 23 OCT 2017, [2] Ap. Located in Oscoda, Michigan this base is positioned no more than two miles off the shore of Lake Huron. In this June 6, 2018 photo, PFAS foam washes up on the shoreline of Van Etten Lake in Oscoda Township, Mich., near Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A Brief History of Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html. The views and opinions expressed in this website/articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government, We are the men and women of the U.S. Military, Wurtsmith AFB is a Superfund Site. The P-47D, in general service by the spring of 1944, had a maximum speed of 440 miles (700 km) per hour and a ceiling of 40,000 feet (12,200 meters). The result was an airplane which had a much deeper and broader fuselage than did the P-1. These are simply the specific . If your base is not on the map or list above, this does not mean you were not exposed to PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam.
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