wurtsmith air force base housing

The Losinskis havent abandoned their quest to bring this long-forgotten chapter in the history of World War II to light. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. Wurtsmith AirForce Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. However, the drawdown was fairly rapid after that and they were quickly replaced by P-38s, P-47s and P-51s. I still stay in touch with Gary but do not know if he has an e-mail account. This, flight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undisclosed. Because of the economic impact of Wurtsmith Air Force Base the community was generally supportive of the airmen, and the base itself. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. 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. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Base, signifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. The 5,221-acre site is bounded by Van Etten Lake to the north and east . [6] The 379th Bomb Wing wasdisbanded on June 30th 1993. 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. Just run the water until it clears up. Paul B. Wurtsmith Air Force Base closed in 1993, dealing a sharp blow to the economy of rural Iosco County. These mission were into Iraq. A total 9589 Airacobras were built before production finally ended on July 25, 1944. There is no amount of PFOA that is officially recognized as harmful. However, many studies have shown otherwise. 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. 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 During World War II, P-47 fighters were assigned to Oscoda. One example of this is autocross racing. Veterans of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda from the 1970s, and their families who lived with them on the base, face increased risks of leukemia and other harmful effects from prolonged exposures to toxic volatile organic compounds that were in the now-shuttered base's water supply at the time, a federal health agency has found. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. P-6E, serial number 32-156, 17th Pursuit Squadron from Selfridge Field Michigan. Smoke started coming from the tail of the second plane, and I could see it was in trouble. Cindi developed hypertension and Lawrence diagnosed with lung disease. Most Air Corps/Force types used Oscoda at one time or another. [1] Mr. Norton, arrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air Force, Base in the fall of 1985. purposes only, and is not legal advice. 70-77 lived on base housing with family, flight line assistant supervisor. I do hope there is information on Wurtsmith AFB soon. A short time later in July 1944 it was being used to train Free French Air Force pilots, which eventually led to more and more training and more and more storage of aircraft like the B-52G (oscairport.com). The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. [5] While the 379thBomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the ReadyAlert Nuclear Strike Force. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. 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. I was stationed there from 11/84-1989. Lora Cole, 1/8/20 I am the daughter to a vet that was in this I was a baby at the time. It remained named Camp Skeel until 1942 when it was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field (WAFB.net). In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52Gaircraft. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. 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. There are a lot of stories to tell. [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. Lt. Ennis Whitehead was part of a unit at Selfridge Army Air Field. Me and Dan drive around base and check out the bunkers that held nuclear weapons during the cold war The human-made chemicals are in your blood, your clothes, your cosmetics. This is very dear to my heart and want to get involved however I can. These contaminants are harmful to the environment. 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. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a wholelot to do. 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 story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. 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. 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. This could be from hydrant flushing or a water main break. http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/06/wurtsmith_veterans_health.html, http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/13/deq-we-dont-yet-know-full-extent-wurtsmith-air-base-contamination/93242484/, https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/08/18/21105/military-bases-contamination-will-affect-water-generations, http://www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html, Military History of the Upper Great Lakes. Their water table has been contaminated with high levels of PFOA because of the leakage of chemicals from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Michigan Radio. 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. 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 is said to have originally started with a fishing trip between two men. [1] As tensions increased around the world and the likelihood of an actual mission being flown while on ready alert increased, the weekbecame more stressful. 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 Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. The Wurtsmith Air Museum is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving the history of Wurtsmith Air Force Base and aviation in Northeastern Michigan. The state says, We dont have jurisdiction over that; its the Air Force, Losinski said. /. My son, was born on the base, has a malformed aorta and congenital nerve damage hearing loss. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. The base was first named after Capt. While the vast majority of personnel on Wurtsmith AirForce Base were not part of a flight crew rotating through ready alert, theirrespective jobs all served to ensure those planes could take off at a momentsnotice. (Superstorm) Sandy came along (in October) and moved things around, David Losinski said. He said the wreckage from the plane is scattered across the lake bottom. He was stationed at the base. After all of that great history, the Wurtsmith Air Force Base is still standing as a place that is visited by a plethora of people. 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. Published August 24, 2021 at 4:15 PM EDT. The chemicals, notably benzene and trichloroethylene (TCE), were documented at extremely high levels in Wurstmith AFB water many times when the former Strategic Air Command (SAC) base was active and home to B-52 Bomber Wings. Most individuals are not educated on what the base did before and after World War II, what is currently happening at this . 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. Engine not damaged. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. It has recently been discovered that that the base has been leaking chemicals into the surrounding waterways. Ellsworth Air Force base, South Dakota. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. 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. [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. In 1979, the state of Michigan sued the Air Force for the contamination. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. [5] While the 379th, Bomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the Ready, Alert Nuclear Strike Force. [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. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to . Aug 24, 2021. 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. The 379th Bomb Wing moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in June of19661. That plane actually crashed April 11, 1944, which was 70 years to the date that the picture was taken, Drew Losinski said. The single officers who lived on base lived in a dorm type building. 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. One specific and important waterway being affected by these pollutants is the Au Sable River. 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 P-6 Hawk (1932-1937) Aircraft was @ Oscoda. 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. I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. We knew we had some kind of plane.. To gain a measure of the extremely high levels of contaminated drinking water, according to the ATSDR, TCE levels in a well at the corner of Arrow Street and N. Skeel Avenue were as high as 5,173 parts-per-billion (ppb) during 1977, 1978, & 1979 tests, which is more than 1,000 times the EPA's current limit of 5-ppb for TCE in drinking water. 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. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. My daughter was born at the base hospital. The Air Force says, Any aircraft before 1961, weve abandoned it.. The married officers lived in a standalone house with their family. 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. the first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. Dallas Naval base, Texas. I have had sever kidney problems since 1983 that carried on into my mid teens. 1942 -- Camp Skeel is renamed Oscoda Army Air Field and becomes a P-47 fighter base. 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. 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. The Airacobra reached its peak usage in the USAAF in early 1944, with over 2100 in service. 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. Theyre looking for other divers who can assist with the effort.

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