A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. He brought this idea to the attention of his squadron commander Major Carl Spaatz. 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. [1]After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. 2 talking about this. It has found from testing this area that some places to have over 1000 parts-per-trillion for PFOS and PFOA. On June 30, , 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. The site of Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located 2 miles Northwest of Oscoda, Michigan, about 150 miles North of Detroit. 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. The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. 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. [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Veteran Compensation Programs (www.veteranprograms.com) does NOT represent or warrant, and makes no claims, promises or guarantees about, the usefulness, completeness, adequacy or accuracy of any information, posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses contained in or linked to this website, or the competency, qualifications or identity of any person providing information or making a post, survey, topic, comment, blog or response contained in or linked to this website. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. Leaking chemical storage tanks and waste disposal operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Military History of the Upper Great Lakes, Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had many, different missions. As seen, in the picture of the runways, there is a Christmas tree coming off of the, beginning of the runway with a building next to it. 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). 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 . She has all kinds of problems, my ex died of cancer and I have all kinds of problems. 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. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. The popular legend, supported by interviews and other historical documents, is that Wurtsmith was established as the direct result of a fishing trip by Lt. Ennis Whitehead (later Lt. Gen. Whitehead, commander of the Fifth and Far Eastern Air Forces during and after World War . Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. The P-6 could climb to 10,000 feet in 6.6 min. The landing gear was changed from rubber-block shock absorbers inside the fuselage to oleo-and-spring units mounted in the outer forward strut. still rejects and "nexus" to the toxic chemicals on the base. My son, was born on the base, has a malformed aorta and congenital nerve damage hearing loss. [1] Wurtsmith Air Force Base was 2nd Lt. Nortons first, permanent duty station in the United States Air Force. It was also possible for these missions to originate in the United States. One of the unfortunate risks in flying is a crash. I kept up with all this for a while then gave up. The P-6 was generally similar to the P-1 in construction and appearance. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. High blood serum levels of PFOA are associated with infertility, decreased semen quality, and a higher risk of thyroid disease. The cockpit canopy offered exceptional all-round visibility for the pilot. During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. 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. The brown tint is (mostly) caused by scale build up in the pipes being knocked loose. 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. During the Pacific conflicts personnel and the KC-135Stratotankers were deployed to forward bases in the Pacific to support landoperations. An unusual feature of the P-39 Airacobra was the automobile-type doors that had roll-down windows on each side of the cockpit. The 379th Bomb Wing moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in June of19661. 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). [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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This judgement flies in the face provided by the federal ATSDR and the National Institute of Health. PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. 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. 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. These contaminants are harmful to the environment. One of these men were named Lt. Ennis Whitehead. I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. 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. 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. The good speed of the P-6E was counterbalanced by some unsatisfacory handling characteristics which made it sluggish in response to controls. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. Eielson Air Force base, Alaska. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport became a public airport in 1993. This year, we went out diving, and we could see these points of interest from the surface, Losinski said. Ruben C. Moffat flew a P-6 converted with a supercharged Conqueror engine on a record-breaking flight. [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. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. My daughter was born at the base hospital. As a young airman, assumed we were returning the stuff to supply to send to the next base. Survived stage 3 oral cancer and per medical review, origin unknown since I have never smoked. The 700 hp Conqueror engine was exceptionally powerful for its day, but it had many minor and some major faults which needed to be corrected. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. [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. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. The armament of the P-1 was a pair of 0.30 cal machine guns mounted in the upper fuselage decking inside the V-cylinder blocks and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. Therefore, regardless of the location of cancer in your body, we strongly encourage you to contact our law firm if you spent time at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, either as a veteran or as a family member of one, to recover the financial compensation you are entitled to. Service ceiling 27,200 feet, and range was 260 miles. It remained named Camp Skeel until 1942 when it was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field (WAFB.net). The base was put into a standby status to be there just in case something happened in those areas. During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were produced by wars end, more than any other U.S. fighter. U.S. [5] In recent years groundwater contamination has be linked to jet fuel, cleaning agents, and fire suppression agents used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. She also has many other irregular health problems including bone death, fibromyalgia, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, and underdeveloped reproductive organs. View All Homes - Homes for Rent Dallas Naval base, Texas. The history of Oscoda Military Aviation is the same as the History of the Air Force. History Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. In a fly off against the contemporary Boeing P-12B, the P-6E was faster, but the P-12B was more maneuverable. It still haunts me today that we had to do that and were told to just follow orders. 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. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. He was stationed at the base. 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. Drew said, Dad, thats an airplane., You could see the wings. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue the, tradition from their World War II counterparts. These levels were published by the Enviromental Protection Agency (Mlive.com). DISCLAIMER: Information displayed on U.S. [4] Over the tenure of the base it was home to an aerial gunnery range, a fighter-interceptor training base and later home to the 379th Bomb Wing as a member of the Strategic Air Command.[4]. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Oscoda for several weeks and stayed on the base. This weapon system used some hazardous and a lot of special chemicals to support it. If there's a main break, sections of the base will . This would cause some big problems for the fish and other life that lives beneath the surface. 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. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. The Air Force . While many of the airmen preferred to live on base it was possible for them to buy or rent a house or apartment off post. 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. Veteran Compensation Programs (www.veteranprograms.com) does not monitor, pre-screen or moderate posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses. 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. Ellsworth Air Force base, South Dakota. 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. 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. 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. After being relieved, the flight crew had until the following Monday morningoff. These are simply the specific . I remember getting a letter of counseling when I wanted to object as a warning what could happen. The P-6 Hawk (1932-1937) Aircraft was @ Oscoda. [1] This includes on base housing, a daycare center for children, a doctors office, a fully equipped gym, and a store where basic necessities were available, military police, office space, and everything necessary to ensure the planes are fully functioning and ready to fly missions. 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. The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. I have had sever kidney problems since 1983 that carried on into my mid teens. Off Base Housing. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is said to have originally started with a fishing trip between two men. As previously stated, there is a museum open to the public which has artifacts and information on the bases history. We knew we had some kind of plane.. 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. During those efforts, they noted several areas they wanted to investigate, including one about four miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. These, planes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during the, The 379th Bomb Wing moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in June of, 19661.
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wurtsmith air force base housing