Me and Dan drive around base and check out the bunkers that held nuclear weapons during the cold war 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. 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. Robert Krouse, 12/31/19Stationed at Wurtsmith AFB from 1978 to 1980 and lived in barracks. USVCP Staff Writers . The landing gear was changed from rubber-block shock absorbers inside the fuselage to oleo-and-spring units mounted in the outer forward strut. VA counselor "don't waste your time". [3], www.nytimes.com/1988/10/12/us/six-are-killed-in-crash-of-an-air-force-tanker.html, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm, http://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/11/wurtsmith-air-force-base/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurtsmith_Air_Force_Base. The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. He brought this idea to the attention of his squadron commander Major Carl Spaatz. The cockpit was fairly easy to enter and exit, but the doors had a tendency to fly open in midair at high speed if improperly secured. I have also read about the PFAS via fire retardant foam. The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. [1] This meant that there was always at least threeB-52s armed with nuclear bombs, ready to take off at a moments notice. At one point, they had to use these toxic foam chemicals to put out a fire at the Oscoda High School in 1995. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. 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. During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. 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. The P-6 was generally similar to the P-1 in construction and appearance. http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/wurtsmith_pfas_pfc_april_45_me.html. The Au Sable River is an attraction for families all around Michigan. Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as Loud-Reames Aviation Field, a soft-surface landing site for Arm Air Corps aircraft from Selfridge Field. Two years after release I started to experience very visible loss of musculature and strength. The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB), located in Oscoda, Iosco County, MI operated from 1924 to 1993. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. Investigation determined a defective tire caused the accident. The Lackland Air Force Base Education Center is located at 1550 Wurtsmith Street, Suite 5. . PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. I didnt know anything about the Tuskegee Airmen until we got into this.. 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. Six Are Killed in Crash Of an Air Force Tanker. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Oct. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/10/12/us/six-are-killed-in-crash-of-an-air-force-tanker.html. [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. 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. This could be from hydrant flushing or a water main break. The single enlisted airmen who lived on base were housed in barracks. It still haunts me today that we had to do that and were told to just follow orders. Mr. Norton would occasionally return to fresh fish left by his neighbor on his porch. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. This, flight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undisclosed. Anyone know the status on this? [5] The B-52s did not get to travel nearly as much as the KC-135s. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. The Air Force knew that due to the method used to apply the pesticide, the building design flaw, that a completed exposure pathway (CEP) existed at a large percentage of its tenantable/habitual . 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. still rejects and "nexus" to the toxic chemicals on the base. WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. This article is from 2018.. This is heinous, and my heart goes out to so many. Aircraft upper wing, left lower wing, rudder and propeller damaged. purposes only, and is not legal advice. These mission were into Iraq. This is extremely important because harsh chemicals can negatively impact the future of children and infants as well as the elderly. Traci Kroushour, an Oscoda resident until the age of 12, had her uterus removed at the age of 28 and can never have children. He saw the surrounding land and figured it would make a great place for a gunnery range. [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressful, because no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no one, knew if it would be a drill or not. 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. 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. Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. The 5,223-acre Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Wurtsmith AFB) is located on the northeastern part of Michigans lower peninsula. On the other hand, the rear-mounted engine offered increased maneuverability since the weight of the plane would be near its center of gravity. Engine not damaged. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas - Announced in late 2021 by the spouse of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Sharene Brown, it increases focus and attention on the top five quality of life challenges military families face. The gunnery range was tasked with training pilots fromSelfridge air base in the challenging maneuvers required to land a DeHavillandbiplane on the frozen lake Van Etten for the young Army Air Corps. 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] 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. I lived in base housing, I want to say 8607H Ohio from 82-84. These are simply the specific . In 1953 it was renamed Wurtsmith Air Force Base after Michigan native, Major General Paul Wurtsmith. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. He said the wreckage from the plane is scattered across the lake bottom. Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. I was shocked when we drove to a wooded area not far from bomber alert pad and WSA up the road of the k9 area where a bull dozed had dug a large trench and we were ordered to dump the shit. [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. After a trip to the Boneyard in September 2019, hundreds of current and vintage photos are being sorted, scanned and uploaded. [3] Search Superfund Site Information. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Dec. 2016, cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0503675. This man later took the proposal to build a gunnery range to the people of Oscoda. 2 talking about this. It has been discovered that the chemicals that are impacting the health of these local citizens are chemicals that come from the foam that fire fighters used to put out fires that were on the base. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality released a report Thursday, Aug. 30, concluding that Wurtsmith wells were 'likely impacted' by PFAS contamination between 1978 and 1997, when municipal water from Lake Huron was brought to the base. We thought that was kind of unbelievable.. Wurtsmith earned recognition during the war as the leader of the group of pilots using P-40 and P-38 fighter . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. They were stationed at the air base from 1986 to 1993. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts. [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. The Losinskis are divers David has been diving since 1977; his son, Drew, since 2002 and both are former members of the St. Clair County Dive Team. City Picto Map, Clark Air Base / Angeles City. P-6E, serial number 32-156, 17th Pursuit Squadron from Selfridge Field Michigan. The Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12 engine behind the pilots seat drove the propeller by means of a driveshaft mounted under the pilots seat. What they had was a one-seat warplane piloted by 2nd Lt. Frank H. Moody, of Los Angeles. The study doesn't estimate past concentrations or exposure dosage and was released with . The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. 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. The human-made chemicals are in your blood, your clothes, your cosmetics. Posts and surveys made on this website are opinions or suggestions of users of this website and are not representations, opinions or suggestions of U.S. The base is influential in Michigan, as well as the United States military history. This year, we went out diving, and we could see these points of interest from the surface, Losinski said. The 1st Combat Evaluation Group (initially "1CEG", later "1CEVG") was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit. The Losinskis said they want to preserve the site for people to dive on. 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. Lee N. 2023 Aspyre Media Group, LLC. Leaking chemical storage tanks and waste disposal operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. 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 .
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