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). The main mission of Oscoda Army Air Field, at the time, was to defend Sault Ste. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and U.S. 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. Just run the water until it clears up. They raised $600 to clear the land, which at the time was plenty for this job. [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 cockpit canopy offered exceptional all-round visibility for the pilot. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 60-0317 Oscoda 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. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport became a public airport in 1993. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Since its establishment in 1923, Wurtsmith played an important role in World War II, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, hosting the 134th Army Air Force Base Fighter Unit and 379th Bombardment Wing respectively. Did Wurtsmith Air Force Base cause health woes? - Detroit Free Press While the vast majority of personnel on Wurtsmith Air, Force Base were not part of a flight crew rotating through ready alert, their, respective jobs all served to ensure those planes could take off at a moments, notice. Published August 24, 2021 at 4:15 PM EDT. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. Wurtsmith Air Force Base | Detailed Pedia These chemicals have been shown to cause problems with thyroid, liver, kidney, reproduction, and other health problems. My symptoms looking back were insidious with weakness and muscle fasciculations. This is a very big issue for the people of Oscoda and the surrounding areas for obvious reasons. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. Theseplanes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during thecold war. 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. The base is located in Oscoda, Iosco County, Michigan. The letter never said what I was objecting to, but that I was refusing to for a lawful order. The presumptive disabilities from contaminated water at Wurtsmith AFB would lead to automatic compensation to potentially thousands of veterans. The documentary by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sara Ganim focuses on PFAS contamination at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . I lived in base housing, I want to say 8607H Ohio from 82-84. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategicwing as it was disbanded. [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. Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. We came across the gauge cluster, which had the radio call tag, David Losinski 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). 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 . Leaking chemical storage tanks and waste disposal operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. This gave the Army operations the opportunity to begin creating the base we know today. The married officers lived in a standalone house with their family. The site of Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located 2 miles Northwest of Oscoda, Michigan, about 150 miles North of Detroit. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. It has found from testing this area that some places to have over 1000 parts-per-trillion for PFOS and PFOA. Fast forward to 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command. At just after 10 pm on the 30 th October, on-duty personnel at Wurtsmith Air Force Base would report seeing a strange object hovering over the . 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. A bomber squadron for example would be sent out to destroy a target and return to its home base within a week. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. [1] This tight knit community was not confined to just the Air Force Base, but extended into the community as well. Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as Loud-Reames Aviation Field, a soft-surface landing site for Arm Air Corps aircraft from Selfridge Field. The P-6 Hawk (1932-1937) Aircraft was @ Oscoda. I was stationed there 1978 -81 lived on base they never told us about the water being contaminated . View All Homes - Homes for Rent Although in the past the Wurtsmith Air Force Base was extremely successful there are some prevalent issues with it today. The EPA Superfund Contaminants of Concern Update of June 3, 2016 lists all the same contaminants listed in 38-3307(7)(i) as it relates to USMC Camp Lejeune water contaminants. It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. There is a lot of open runways still today that can be rented out for a multitude of events. 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. Pieces include the engine, the tail, part of the door and the 37-millimeter cannon that fired through the propeller hub. .. did this bill die in the committee s? 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. Dallas Naval base, Texas. Smoke started coming from the tail of the second plane, and I could see it was in trouble. He was stationed at the base. Wurtsmith AFB Water Health Issues via water, Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing. 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. 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. 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. WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. The military has not begun cleanups at any of the 50 Department of Defense sites Congress has identified as highly contaminated with the "forever chemicals" known as PFAS - and it could be years before cleanups are complete. [1] Mr. Norton, arrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air Force, Base in the fall of 1985. [6] The 379th Bomb Wing wasdisbanded on June 30th 1993. [1], While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a whole, lot to do. Many of drums ruptured. Most individuals are not educated on what the base did before and after World War II, what is currently happening at this . Wurtsmith airforce base bomb bunkers - YouTube By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. The P-6 could climb to 10,000 feet in 6.6 min. to the proper paperwork being completed to allow the missions to continue. 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. [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. With all of this in a single family, the V.A. City officials in Dayton, Ohio, have also found the response from the Air Force to cleanup contamination at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to be inadequate. [5] Wurtsmith AFB, Mich SAC 379th Bomb Wing B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm. 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). Stay tuned for further developments. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. Theyre looking for other divers who can assist with the effort. Wurtsmith earned recognition during the war as the leader of the group of pilots using P-40 and P-38 fighter . [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. The KC-135s would finish one mission and there would be another one waiting for them as soon as they were available. [THE FLINT JOURNAL VIA AP] At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of theStrategic Air Commands bomber fleet. Home Buyers Guide; Find a Real Estate Agent; Price: $299,000. The Au Sable River is an attraction for families all around Michigan. 1st Combat Evaluation Group Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan; PFAS Water Contamination Map . 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. In addition, the rear fuselage was deepened in order that it could faire cleanly into the bottom of the radiator. Mrs. Cecil V. Fowler saw the crash, according to the Times Herald article. [1] This includes on base housing, a daycare center for children, a doctor's office, a . High blood serum levels of PFOA are associated with infertility, decreased semen quality, and a higher risk of thyroid disease. Wurtsmith AFB and its Contamination - Military History of the Upper The majority of married enlisted and officers preferred to live on base because of the free daycare for children. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . The history of Oscoda Military Aviation is the same as the History of the Air Force. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . The 5,223-acre Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Wurtsmith AFB) is located on the northeastern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. Today, the Wurtsmith Air Force Base has a museum where you can learn about its history. 379th Air Expeditionary Wing | Military Wiki | Fandom Eielson Air Force base, Alaska. 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. Only after, the plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not.[1]. Anyone know the status on this? But these days, the county is becoming a haven for retired people such as the Kuhlmans . This remoteness of Wurtsmith Air Force Base, as well as common brotherhood of being in the United States Air Force resulted in a tight knit community formed by the airmen and their families. One of the unfortunate risks in flying is a crash. What's next? The Realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base - Spectrum News 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.
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