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It remained named Camp Skeel until 1942 when it was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field (WAFB.net). [1] Mr. Norton also landedthe first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. With this long list of negative effects it is clearly a big health issue for local residents. Drew said, Dad, thats an airplane., You could see the wings. There are many good photos of P-39s at Selfridge Field (Posted below), but none of P-39s at Oscoda. The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. He said the wreckage from the plane is scattered across the lake bottom. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts. Ruben C. Moffat flew a P-6 converted with a supercharged Conqueror engine on a record-breaking flight. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. August 8, 2018. 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. She also has many other irregular health problems including bone death, fibromyalgia, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, and underdeveloped reproductive organs. To all who are interested in the Camp Skeel/Oscoda AAF/Wurtsmith AFB History. [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. Their water table has been contaminated with high levels of PFOA because of the leakage of chemicals from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. 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. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. My ex wife has thyroid disease and auto immune disease. 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. As soon as an assignment went over 180 days it was considered a permanent change in duty station. 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. Lora Cole, 1/8/20 I am the daughter to a vet that was in this I was a baby at the time. He saw the surrounding land and figured it would make a great place for a gunnery range. What us the compensation for this? 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. 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. This cycle was from Wednesday to Wednesday. After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. This bunker compound housedthe flight crews on ready alert, the three B-52 bombers ready to take off at amoments notice, and the accompanying KC-135s ready to top off the B-52s after takeoff. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Facebook: Wurtsmith AFB Water Health Issues via water Created to serve as a reference point for former WAFB residents to share information regarding health issues, and probable chemical exposure via base water sources. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of the, Strategic Air Commands bomber fleet. There were 10 passengers and six crew members on board. [1] This would result in a large amount of paperwork and extra expenses for the Air Force. The married officers lived in a standalone house with their family. 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 good speed of the P-6E was counterbalanced by some unsatisfacory handling characteristics which made it sluggish in response to controls. 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. This resulted in KC-135 squadrons spending a greater amount of time on temporary duty assignments than other squadrons from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. [1] On the first Wednesday thefresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. TCE in another well on Jet Street near the present day Wurtsmith AFB museum was 1,739-ppb. It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. 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). It was also possible for these missions to originate in the United States. During those efforts, they noted several areas they wanted to investigate, including one about four miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. We didnt know really what we had.. Beginning in July 1944, the P-47 Thunderbolt was used extensively to train Free French Air Force pilots at Oscoda Army Air Field (AAF). [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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. It was built out of a portion of the decommissioned Wurtsmith Air Force Base which housed nuclear armed B-52 Stratofortress bombers during the Cold War as well as air refueling squadrons. My wife has breast cancer, and Hashimoto's Disease (auto immune), I had a double mastectomy to remove growths, hormone issues, kidney scaring liver lesions, lumps in both lungs, sleep APNEA, sudden onset Headaches, unexplained stress attacks, to name a few. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. 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 . In their letter, the members expressed their concerns that the Air Force's proposed remediation plan . 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. Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable. PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. 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. VA counselor "don't waste your time". 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. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of theStrategic Air Commands bomber fleet. 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. Representatives Dan Kildee (MI-05) and Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) today urged the U.S. Air Force to take more significant steps to address PFAS contamination around the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base near Oscoda. Robert Krouse, 12/31/19Stationed at Wurtsmith AFB from 1978 to 1980 and lived in barracks. 70-77 lived on base housing with family, flight line assistant supervisor. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. 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 . Maximum speed was 178 mph at sea level, 171 mph at 10,000 feet. Everyone from the mechanics keeping the planes flyable, to the cookspreparing food for the airmen stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, to thecommanders who ensured that everything from the flight schedules being correctto the proper paperwork being completed to allow the missions to continue. Service ceiling 27,200 feet, and range was 260 miles. The Airacobra reached its peak usage in the USAAF in early 1944, with over 2100 in service. By Steve Elliott 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs. Someone who works in a place that uses these chemicals and is exposed to them can have up to 100 parts per million, or 0.01%, in their blood. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Basesignifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. All Rights Reserved. Although in the past the Wurtsmith Air Force Base was extremely successful there are some prevalent issues with it today. 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. So now what? In a fly off against the contemporary Boeing P-12B, the P-6E was faster, but the P-12B was more maneuverable. The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter and fighter-bomber was used by the Allied air forces during World War II. They were stationed at the air base from 1986 to 1993. 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. The pilot apparently noticed it and tried to lift his ship. My daughter was born at the base hospital. The majority of married enlisted and officers preferred to live on base because of the free daycare for children. [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. Now that the contamination has reached the Au Sable river, it could potentially carry this contamination into Lake Huron. This is heinous, and my heart goes out to so many. Because of the restriction of being close to the Christmas tree they, resorted to playing cards, working out, reading, and sleeping while they were, not conducting recurrent training to stay up to date and proficient on their, equipment. The Tuskegee Airmen were African-American members of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force who fought in Europe during World War II. The typical activities while not on ready alert varied greatlyfrom person to person. My first assignment as a Nuclear Weapons specialist was at wurtsmith where we deployed the AGM 69A SRAM missile system. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. [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. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to . 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. 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. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. [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. Theseplanes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during thecold war. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of five, northern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. Stay tuned for further developments. China Lake Naval base, California. [5] However, the B-52H aircraft maintained nuclear alert at Wurtsmith, Air Force Base. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . [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]. We came across the gauge cluster, which had the radio call tag, David Losinski said. It had a commissary, a gas station, a hospital, housing, a bowling alley," said veteran Michael Grogan. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. 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. The Arrow Street purge system, installed in 1982 to remove contaminants from the Building 43 plume, has lowered concentrations o 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 I lived in base housing, I want to say 8607H Ohio from 82-84. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. Download Images of Wurtsmith air force base - Free for commercial use, no attribution required. On the other hand, the rear-mounted engine offered increased maneuverability since the weight of the plane would be near its center of gravity. The plane was equipped with the cannon and four .50-caliber machine guns two mounted on the wings, two more just behind the propeller and timed to fire through the spinning blades. Tests in Michigan near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base have found PFOS in groundwater at levels as high as 42,000 ppt. From humble beginnings in the 1920's as a aircraft gunnery range, to its status as a vital member of our strategic defense, Wurtsmith Air Force Base has distinguished itself as an important part of our country's military history. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to sou The KC-135s would finish one mission and there would be another one waiting for them as soon as they were available. Airplane nosed over when landing gear tire casing failed, locking the right wheel. This air field was in dire need of a gunnery range because they being forced out of their gunnery range on Lake St. Clair. It is primarily a large jet airplane salvage, jet engine maintenance and light general aviation . 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. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. Some areas of the site are still under investigation. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. Veteran Compensation Programs (veteranprograms.com) assumes NO liability, and expressly disclaims any and all responsibility, for the content of all posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses. He brought this idea to the attention of his squadron commander Major Carl Spaatz.