Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. USVCP Staff Writers . [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue the, tradition from their World War II counterparts. During those efforts, they noted several areas they wanted to investigate, including one about four miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. Heavily armed with eight wing-mounted 0.50-inch (12.7-mm) machine guns, it could carry a bomb load of as much as 2,500 pounds (1,100 kg) and could carry ten 5-inch (127-mm) rockets beneath the wings. Eielson Air Force base, Alaska. Service ceiling 27,200 feet, and range was 260 miles. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Basesignifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. Military History of the Upper Great Lakes, Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had many, different missions. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, MI - DOD Base Family Housing [1] This air field was in dire need of a gunnery range because they being forced out of their gunnery range on Lake St. Clair. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 60-0317 Oscoda 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. It was a feeble effort, for the plane seemed to lift for only a few feet and then it crashed, nose first, into the water. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. Even after the base closed in 1993, the base maintained a fire staff for many years. View All Homes - Homes for Rent [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. Call 205.328.9200 Claim Application. 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). Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. [1], The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. 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. 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 . 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. Im using a combination of several source materials to tell the history of the area. WAFB began operations in 1923, under the name of Camp Skeel, and was officially named the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953. In a nutshell, this is what were trying to do get permission to relocate the parts so they would resemble a plane, David Losinski said. Lee N. 2023 Aspyre Media Group, LLC. There are many historical planes you can visit as well as other interesting pieces of history that the public may view. 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. I still stay in touch with Gary but do not know if he has an e-mail account. Engine not damaged. These chemicals have been shown to cause problems with thyroid, liver, kidney, reproduction, and other health problems. Click on a marker for base information. Nothing contained herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of a competent Veteran Service Officer (VSO)in good standing and licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. 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. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. These are simply the specific . Located in Iosco County, Michigan, Wurtsmith Air Force Base operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. [1], Over the course of Mr. Nortons career as both a KC-135 Navigator, and a DC-10 Pilot, Mr. Norton served as a flight commander, served numerous, deployments during the Gulf War escorting fighter squadrons from the United, States into theater, supporting fighter squadrons and bomber squadrons in, theater, served multiple temporary duty assignments to England, Spain, Saudi, Arabia, Alaska, and other Air Force Bases around the globe. 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. Physical Location:4071 East Van Ettan StreetOscoda, Michigan 48750, Mailing Address:PO Box 664Oscoda, Michigan 48750, Tele: (989) 739-7555(Not answered Nov-Apr)Email:email@wurtsmithairmuseum.net, AN ARTIFACT FROM WURTSMITHS COLD WAR PAST HAS RETURNED HOME, There was one final project I wanted to accomplish before departing my assignment as Flight Commander of Aircrew Flight Equipment and SERE at the. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. Survived stage 3 oral cancer and per medical review, origin unknown since I have never smoked. During the Cold War, the base became part of Strategic Air Command. This man later took the proposal to build a gunnery range to the people of Oscoda. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategic, wing as it was disbanded. The KC-135s would finish one mission and there would be another one waiting for them as soon as they were available. At one point, they had to use these toxic foam chemicals to put out a fire at the Oscoda High School in 1995. [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 do hope there is information on Wurtsmith AFB soon. This is a short video about the small museum located at the decommissioned Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda Mi.http://www.rv-project.com For more information regarding services offered by the Lackland Air Force Base Education Center, call 210-671-2895 or DSN 473-2895. . Here is a list of military bases that are known to have had their drinking water contaminated with PFAS chemicals: Alameda Naval base, California. A bomber squadron for example would be sent out to destroy a target and return to its home base within a week. . The Wurtsmith base closed in 1991, sending the Harrises to Plattsburgh, N.Y., where friends and neighbors remembered the boys as Scouts and Little Leaguers, and their parents as being involved in . U.S. The brown tint is (mostly) caused by scale build up in the pipes being knocked loose. 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 is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. Off Base Housing. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts. 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. Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. [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]. wurtsmith air force base - PICRYL 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. VA counselor "don't waste your time". [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026th, During the Pacific conflicts personnel and the KC-135, Stratotankers were deployed to forward bases in the Pacific to support land, operations. Stationed there for 84-88 and am suffering with a motor neuron disease process. He flew from Dayton, Ohio to Washington, D.C. at a speed of approximately 266 mph, at an altitude of 25,000 ft. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. Most Air Corps/Force types used Oscoda at one time or another. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. [5] In recent years groundwater contamination has be linked to jet fuel, cleaning agents, and fire suppression agents used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. This is a very big issue for the people of Oscoda and the surrounding areas for obvious reasons. 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. One example of this is autocross racing. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. Bert E. Skeel was a WWI pilot who died in an air race in Ohio. 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. Mr. Norton would occasionally return to fresh fish left by his neighbor on his porch. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is said to have originally started with a fishing trip between two men. However, the P-6 differed from the P-1 in having its fuselage rounded out to match the fatter engine cowling required by the Conqueror engine. A single-seat low-wing fighter developed for the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) by Republic Aviation, it was the largest single-engined piston fighter ever produced. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. Comprehensive Base Plan, Department of the Air Force, Directorate of Engineering and Services DCS/PRE - Washington DC 1 April 1970 (revised 12 July 1978) . distance from the bunker. 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. 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. 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. A series of stringers were added to the fuselage sides to round out the cross section. Two years after release I started to experience very visible loss of musculature and strength. The result was an airplane which had a much deeper and broader fuselage than did the P-1. Deliveries of the first P-6s were late, the first example not appearing until October 1929. The state says, We dont have jurisdiction over that; its the Air Force, Losinski said. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. The 5,221-acre site is bounded by Van Etten Lake to the north and east . Because of the economic impact of Wurtsmith Air Force Base the community was generally supportive of the airmen, and the base itself. China Lake Naval base, California. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. I am not a doctor or attorney, and cannot give medical advice or legal advice. U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up 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. DOD Base Family Housing - Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination