I have had many other health issues since and have recently found all of this. 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. [1] This includes on base housing, a daycare center for children, a doctor's office, a . In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. The result was an airplane which had a much deeper and broader fuselage than did the P-1. Traci Kroushour, an Oscoda resident until the age of 12, had her uterus removed at the age of 28 and can never have children. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base that was closed by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC 2) and is a proposed EPA Superfund site. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport became a public airport in 1993. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategicwing as it was disbanded. We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. Mr. Norton remarked that they were flying the wings off of the planes. Residents of the Oscoda area raised $600 to clear 40 acres of land next to the lake as a spot for a training camp and target range. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. I served at Wurtsmith from 1974-1977 my whole family has suffered from various ongoing ailments. Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. [5] While the 379thBomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the ReadyAlert Nuclear Strike Force. See: Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing, CERCLA 120(h) Quitclaim Deed Restrictions for the George AFB Family Housing, Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination at George AFB Schools, Terri Crooks won her VA C&P Claim for service connected injury for her exposure to chlordane and other organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), Frank Vera www.BaseFamilyHousing.Info PO Box 1313 Jamestown, CA, 95327-1313 Phone: 209-782-4541, Copyright 2020 - BaseFamilyHousing.Info. In 1932, Capt. Senator Gary Peters (MI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today called on the Air Force to expedite PFAS cleanup efforts at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda.In a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy John . [5] The B-52s did not get to travel nearly as much as the KC-135s. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. The good speed of the P-6E was counterbalanced by some unsatisfacory handling characteristics which made it sluggish in response to controls. History. Dallas Naval base, Texas. We came across the gauge cluster, which had the radio call tag, David Losinski said. Since 1994, the Wurtsmith Air Museum has upheld the mission of preserving the history of the history of Wurtsmith Air Force Base (an integral part of the US Air Force from 1923 until 1993) and aviation in Northeast Michigan. 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. What's next? On June 30, , 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. ircraft operated from Oscoda Army Airfield. 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. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. [1] "The Department of Defense is evaluating [cleanup standards], and we take our lead from what the Department of Defense says," said Stephen TerMaath, who leads the Air Force division in charge of Wurtsmith cleanup. [1] This was followed by one and a half weeks of normal day to day activities, until the flight crew relieved crew on ready alert in the bunkers. Wurtsmith AirForce Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. There are many historical planes you can visit as well as other interesting pieces of history that the public may view. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. 1970 - The Air Force knew that some of the Webb Air Force Base Family Housing units, located in Big Spring Texas, were contaminated with and the occupants exposed to a large quantity of chlordane. Before we move on to that, however, it is very much worth examining a very similar incident that occurred over Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan on 30 th October. Fast forward to 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. There were also problems with the complex nose-mounted reduction gear, which caused reliability problems and resulted in fairly low serviceability rates as compared with other fighters. Ruben C. Moffat flew a P-6 converted with a supercharged Conqueror engine on a record-breaking flight. 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. The P-6 could climb to 10,000 feet in 6.6 min. [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressfulbecause no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no oneknew if it would be a drill or not. With this long list of negative effects it is clearly a big health issue for local residents. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. On May 9, 1961, the base took delivery of its first new Boeing B-52 H Stratofortress, The State of Michigan. This cycle was from Wednesday to Wednesday. Learn how your comment data is processed. USVCP Staff Writers . This building was like the barracks, but each officer had his own room. The letter never said what I was objecting to, but that I was refusing to for a lawful order. I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. From: Members of the ground crew move a maintenance cart into position next to a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft parked on the flight line. The runways were aligned NE/SW, E/W, and NW/SE. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. The "Red Tail" P-51 Mustangs flown by the Tuskeegee Airmen []. These organizations primarily fall into seven types of activities: aviation, manufacturing, technology, medical, housing, education, community services and technology. It was also possible for these missions to originate in the United States. There are many people who were exposed to the Wurtsmith water that are now coming out and blaming the chemical filled drinking water for their health problems. After being relieved, the flight crew had until the following Monday morningoff. Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. [1] This tight knit community was not confined to just the Air Force Base, but extended into the community as well. This is very dear to my heart and want to get involved however I can. Although in the past the Wurtsmith Air Force Base was extremely successful there are some prevalent issues with it today. 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. Welcome to The WAFB Historical Site dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Wurtsmith Air Force Base and the units assigned there. The Air Force knew about the contamination and spent millions since 1977 to try to cover up the problem by adding phosphates to mask the odor of the chemical in the water. Only after, the plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not.[1]. Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . This, flight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undisclosed. Powerplant: 1 Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp (895 kW), Maximum speed: 376 mph (605 km/h) (Redline dive speed was 525 mph), Range: 525 miles on internal fuel (840 km). This is heinous, and my heart goes out to so many. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. There were four planes, and I was watching them from our front window, as I usually do when theyre engaged in gunnery practice. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. [1] On the first Wednesday the, fresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. The airplane operated on a flight from Oscoda Wurtsmith Airport, MI to Oscoda-Wurtsmith AFB, MI (OSC). Lt. Ennis also thought it would be a great place for young Army Air corps to test aircraft (WAFB.net). We didnt know really what we had.. 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. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. Section 107, the written material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educational purposes. It was also possible for these missions to originate in the United States. Physical Location:4071 East Van Ettan StreetOscoda, Michigan 48750, Mailing Address:PO Box 664Oscoda, Michigan 48750, Tele: (989) 739-7555(Not answered Nov-Apr)Email:email@wurtsmithairmuseum.net, AN ARTIFACT FROM WURTSMITHS COLD WAR PAST HAS RETURNED HOME, There was one final project I wanted to accomplish before departing my assignment as Flight Commander of Aircrew Flight Equipment and SERE at the. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Aug 24, 2021. 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. He flew from Dayton, Ohio to Washington, D.C. at a speed of approximately 266 mph, at an altitude of 25,000 ft. More than 40 private businesses and public agencies use the former Air Force facilities and infrastructure, providing more than 1,300 jobs to the area, as well as the conversion of former base housing to 700 privately owned residential homes. On January 18, 1994 it was listed as a Superfund due to extensive groundwater contamination with heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane . http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/wurtsmith_pfas_pfc_april_45_me.html. People who are exposed every day for an extended period of time are the ones who start to see real problems, some of which I mentioned above. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. Since, 2010 sampling by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the U.S. Air Force has identified elevated levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in drinking water wells and some locally caught fish and deer. Over the course of Mr. Nortons career as both a KC-135 Navigatorand a DC-10 Pilot, Mr. Norton served as a flight commander, served numerousdeployments during the Gulf War escorting fighter squadrons from the UnitedStates into theater, supporting fighter squadrons and bomber squadrons intheater, served multiple temporary duty assignments to England, Spain, SaudiArabia, Alaska, and other Air Force Bases around the globe. They were stationed at the air base from 1986 to 1993. The Airacobra reached its peak usage in the USAAF in early 1944, with over 2100 in service. We have a lot of sick civilians and = veterans from contaminated drinking water. 1942 -- Camp Skeel is renamed Oscoda Army Air Field and becomes a P-47 fighter base. No injuries to the pilot. 70-77 lived on base housing with family, flight line assistant supervisor. This includes extra parts, munitions, fuel, and flight crews. High blood serum levels of PFOA are associated with infertility, decreased semen quality, and a higher risk of thyroid disease. 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. This bunker compound housed, the flight crews on ready alert, the three B-52 bombers ready to take off at a, moments notice, and the accompanying KC-135s ready to top off the B-52s after takeoff. Within a few days, a mere 28 Airmen established housing for over 400 personnel, replete with . to the proper paperwork being completed to allow the missions to continue. The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB), located in Oscoda, Iosco County, MI operated from 1924 to 1993. [5] Wurtsmith AFB, Mich SAC 379th Bomb Wing B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm. 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. [5] However, the B-52H aircraft maintained nuclear alert at WurtsmithAir 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. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. I like combining historical photographs with the stories behind them. 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). [4] Its mission was to, maintain half of the fleet on a 15 minute alert, meaning the plane could be in, the air in 15 minutes, to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet preemptive missile, strike. During the Cold War, the base became part of Strategic Air Command. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. 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. After a devastating fire in Oscoda which cleared over 600 buildings, the remaining citizens heard about the proposal to clear an area for the base. It was formed on 1 August 1961 to merge the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group for SAC aircrew evaluation with the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group that had originated from the 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit which transferred from 15th AF to directly under Strategic Air Command c. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. My mom was recently diagnosed a month ago with colon cancer and skin cancer and still being treated by a dr, my broth had sever ulcers his entire early childhood. I was stationed there 1988-1992. The Wurtsmith base closed in 1991, sending the Harrises to Plattsburgh, N.Y., where friends and neighbors remembered the boys as Scouts and Little Leaguers, and their parents as being involved in . Located in Oscoda, Michigan this base is positioned no more than two miles off the shore of Lake Huron. Im using a combination of several source materials to tell the history of the area. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Oscoda for several weeks and stayed on the base. Because of the economic impact of Wurtsmith Air Force Base the community was generally supportive of the airmen, and the base itself. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. At Oscoda Army Air Field, from the Group Historian: Over the sandy pine shores of Lake Huron, pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group polished up their flight and gunnery tactics for threat inevitable test of their skill and courage which will eventually lead them to pursuit and battle in the skies of Europe and Asia. By the end of November 1943 all training for the 332nd had been completed at Oscoda and the Group departed for overseas. As seenin the picture of the runways, there is a Christmas tree coming off of thebeginning of the runway with a building next to it. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. I was stationed there 1978 -81 lived on base they never told us about the water being contaminated . "It was a city within a city. The main mission of Oscoda Army Air Field, at the time, was to defend Sault Ste. State officials' concerns about pollution in the area date back to 2012, when the health department issued a "do not eat" advisory for all fish caught near Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A Brief History of Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html. By Steve Elliott 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs. [1], The northern tier Strategic Air Command Ready Alert Strike Force bases were considered less than desirable duty stations for one main reason. This resulted in KC-135 squadrons spending a greater amount of time on temporary duty assignments than other squadrons from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. The base is influential in Michigan, as well as the United States military history. The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. It is primarily a large jet airplane salvage, jet engine maintenance and light general aviation . U.S. Air Force should abide by state of Michigan's PFAS Standards, state must hold Air Force accountable. Student projects from Michigan Tech's SS3505 Military History of the United States, on the people, places, and objects involving our military history in the upper Great Lakes region, Wurtsmith Air Force Base has been an integral part of the United States Air Force from the 1920s to June 3rd 1993. the first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. Environmental context Total organofluorine and known fluorosurfactants were quantified in 11 aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) used to extinguish fires in Ontario, Canada, and one commercial AFFF product. According to Robert Delaney, a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality specialist, If you pull the water out of the ground in that training area, it still foams, theres so much in there. Since this entire problem stems from the fact that the foam used to extinguish fires on the base is what carried the toxic chemical, that goes to show just how invasive and problematic this contamination can be. These Air Force bases were remote. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to . This is a short video about the small museum located at the decommissioned Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda Mi.http://www.rv-project.com