In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. 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. The Arrow Street purge system, installed in 1982 to remove contaminants from the Building 43 plume, has lowered concentrations o Wurtsmith AirForce Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. USVCP Not A U.S. Government Publication. U.S. [4] Enchanted Forest Web Page Design Service. I worked on the flight line. Bert E. Skeel in 1924. Like the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth and Newington, the former Michigan base is now a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site. Any one else from 84-89 have issues? Wurtsmith Air Force Base - storymaps.arcgis.com 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 . During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 60-0317 Oscoda I lived in base housing, I want to say 8607H Ohio from 82-84. For more information regarding services offered by the Lackland Air Force Base Education Center, call 210-671-2895 or DSN 473-2895. . Report also stated that the Oscoda Michigan gunnery field was very rough and sandy and notoriously hard on wheels, landing gears etc. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. [1] On the first Wednesday thefresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. 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], The usefulness and mission type of the KC-135 in maintaining air superiority, as well as supporting missions originating in the United States meant that they would have longer assignments, as well as much more fluid assignments than other types of squadrons. 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. There were frequently extremely large and loud airplanes taxiing, taking off, and landing in the base. Everyone from the mechanics keeping the planes flyable, to the cooks, preparing food for the airmen stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, to the, commanders who ensured that everything from the flight schedules being correct. The married officers lived in a standalone house with their family. 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 . Peters, Stabenow, Kildee, Slotkin Press | Senator Gary Peters This would cause some big problems for the fish and other life that lives beneath the surface. The base came to be because of chance. 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. They also were known as the Red Tails because they painted the tails of their aircraft red. All the artifacts that were taken off were replaced in their original position and original situation except for the tag we cleaned up, he said. Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. Download Images of Wurtsmith air force base - Free for commercial use, no attribution required. [6] The 379th Bomb Wing wasdisbanded on June 30th 1993. The Airacobra reached its peak usage in the USAAF in early 1944, with over 2100 in service. Deliveries of the first P-6s were late, the first example not appearing until October 1929. Leaking chemical storage tanks and waste disposal operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. I am pretty sure Diabetes and Sleep Apnea I have now and neuro dammage in both arms are related , So Presumptive Claims puzzleing I have a claim in and never heard anything I know Senator Kilddee of Michigan is trying to help veterans on this matter but congress are dragging this out. Wurtsmith Air Force Base History - Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Authority One specific and important waterway being affected by these pollutants is the Au Sable River. This, flight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undisclosed. If you are interested in any particular aircraft of time period please let me know. Aircraft rolled 630 feet before nosing over. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Oscoda for several weeks and stayed on the base. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. Dallas Naval base, Texas. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. The 379th was reassigned to Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan without personnel or equipment in January 1961, assuming the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4026th Strategic Wing. The P-6 was generally similar to the P-1 in construction and appearance. Wurtsmith Today The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (AFB) properties are being reutilized by 28 businesses and agencies that collectively employ more than 1,660 workers (representing 240 percent of civilian jobs lost). There are many different ways that PFOA and PFOS can affect the human body. Theseplanes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during thecold war. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The EPA began requiring public water systems to monitor for PFOA and PFOS in 2012, but even today there is no federal drinking water standards for PFOA or PFOS. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to sou WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. Because of the restriction of being close to the Christmas tree theyresorted to playing cards, working out, reading, and sleeping while they werenot conducting recurrent training to stay up to date and proficient on theirequipment. 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. I recall we lost a tanker on touch and goes which had to be extinguished with a massive amount of this chemical. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. The Losinskis said they want to preserve the site for people to dive on. Most individuals are not educated on what the base did before and after World War II, what is currently happening at this location, or how the historical space is impacting the land and local citizens today. The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. I have had sever kidney problems since 1983 that carried on into my mid teens. My son, was born on the base, has a malformed aorta and congenital nerve damage hearing loss. This judgement flies in the face provided by the federal ATSDR and the National Institute of Health. [3], [1] Dave Norton, Former United States Air Force Captain, interviewed on 23 OCT 2017, [2] Ap. 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. Environmental groups are calling on the Air Force and the State of Michigan to get serious about cleaning up PFAS around the site of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. In addition across the base boundary dirt road was the EOD range where every friday morning we burned and destroyed old munitions and other stuff they needed disposed of. What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed? The letter never said what I was objecting to, but that I was refusing to for a lawful order. One of these places included directly underneath the Oscoda high school. Lt. Ennis Whitehead was part of a unit at Selfridge Army Air Field. Its poor high-altitude performance was a result of a critical decision to remove the turbo-supercharger. 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). wikipedia.en/Mole_hole.md at main chinapedia/wikipedia.en Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. This is a very big issue for the people of Oscoda and the surrounding areas for obvious reasons. Theyre looking for other divers who can assist with the effort. No injuries to the pilot. Our biodegradation . [1] Mr. Norton also landedthe first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. I still stay in touch with Gary but do not know if he has an e-mail account. [1], The northern tier Strategic Air Command Ready Alert Strike Force bases were considered less than desirable duty stations for one main reason. [1] This was further broken down by marital status. [1] This meant that they could be flying a mission supporting a fighter squadron in Iraq, then be redirected to refuel a bomber squadron over Saudi Arabia, then fly back to Spain to land. Mr. Norton experienced this first hand while being station at Wurtsmith Air Force Base when he had his Squadron Commander help him hang drywall in his house. TCE in another well on Jet Street near the present day Wurtsmith AFB museum was 1,739-ppb. Investigation determined a defective tire caused the accident. [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. P-6E, serial number 32-156, 17th Pursuit Squadron from Selfridge Field Michigan. Ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan It has found from testing this area that some places to have over 1000 parts-per-trillion for PFOS and PFOA. The tire bead failed, allowing the casing to slip over the rim on one side and bind on edge of the wheel fairing on takeoff. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. Maximum speed was 178 mph at sea level, 171 mph at 10,000 feet. The landing gear was changed from rubber-block shock absorbers inside the fuselage to oleo-and-spring units mounted in the outer forward strut. It had a commissary, a gas station, a hospital, housing, a bowling alley," said veteran Michael Grogan. 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. She also has many other irregular health problems including bone death, fibromyalgia, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, and underdeveloped reproductive organs. One of these men were named Lt. Ennis Whitehead. The married enlisted airmen who lived on base lived in a condo type set up with their family. Veteran Compensation Programs (USVCP) (www.veteranprograms.com), and any of their associated websites is for general informational. [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. The Air Force . (Superstorm) Sandy came along (in October) and moved things around, David Losinski said. This building was like the barracks, but each officer had his own room. Congress set a May 2022 deadline for the DOD to report on the cleanup status of these bases, the Filthy 50, with extremely high levels of PFAS contamination. These Air Force bases were remote. U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up Wurtsmith Air Force Base has been an integral part of the United States Air Force from the 1920's to June 3rd 1993. . 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. It is perhaps the best-known of all the between wars Army pursuits. David Losinski said he and his son were assisting the state Department of Environmental Quality with a barge that sank in Lake Huron in July 2012. Home Buyers Guide; Find a Real Estate Agent; Price: $299,000. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (BRAC 1991) - AF Service ceiling 27,200 feet, and range was 260 miles. In July 2018 the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), set the table for Congress to consider legislation that would force the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to extend health benefits to base veterans without making them prove their illnesses are linked to chemical exposure. Is this a common thing at other Air Force bases? : r/AirForce