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. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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. purposes only, and is not legal advice. The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. Dover Air Force base, Delaware. 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 Eielson Air Force base, Alaska. It had everything in it. I saw a big splash, and then the plane went out of sight.. Survived stage 3 oral cancer and per medical review, origin unknown since I have never smoked. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. I do hope there is information on Wurtsmith AFB soon. Engine not damaged. The base is influential in Michigan, as well as the United States military history. Weights were 2450 lb. Anyone know the status on this? Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. On June 30, , 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. I have had sever kidney problems since 1983 that carried on into my mid teens. U.S. On National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we recognize the many men and women who served and fought during the difficult conflict, giving them the appreciation they deserve. Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan; PFAS Water Contamination Map . VA counselor "don't waste your time". GitHub export from English Wikipedia. For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. This cycle was from Wednesday to Wednesday. [1] Mr. Norton also landedthe first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. This is a very big issue for the people of Oscoda and the surrounding areas for obvious reasons. 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 . The study doesn't estimate past concentrations or exposure dosage and was released with . 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. I worked on the flight line. Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable. 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. On June 30th, 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. During the Pacific conflicts personnel and the KC-135Stratotankers were deployed to forward bases in the Pacific to support landoperations. At the start of 1985, Wurtsmith maintained an $80 million annual payroll with 3,600 military and civilian personnel. USVCP Not A U.S. Government Publication. [1] Wurtsmith Air Force Base was 2nd Lt. Nortons firstpermanent duty station in the United States Air Force.[1]. View All Homes - Homes for Rent . [1] This was followed by one and a half weeks of normal day to day activitiesuntil the flight crew relieved crew on ready alert in the bunkers.[1]. The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. 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. Located in Oscoda, Michigan this base is positioned no more than two miles off the shore of Lake Huron. The Losinskis havent abandoned their quest to bring this long-forgotten chapter in the history of World War II to light. March 7, 1942: The first class of Tuskegee Airmen graduate from U.S. Army Air Force Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama. State officials' concerns about pollution in the area date back to 2012, when the health department issued a "do not eat" advisory for all fish caught near Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Photos of P-47s flown by French Pilots at Oscoda. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter and fighter-bomber was used by the Allied air forces during World War II. A Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker plane, serial 60-0317, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Oscoda-Wurtsmith AFB, MI (OSC), United States of America. Environmental context Total organofluorine and known fluorosurfactants were quantified in 11 aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) used to extinguish fires in Ontario, Canada, and one commercial AFFF product. They want the site to remain a memorial divers can visit. As soon as an assignment went over 180 days it was considered a permanent change in duty station. 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. Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. Mr. Norton remarked that they were flying the wings off of the planes. They were stationed at the air base from 1986 to 1993. Moodys body was not recovered until it washed ashore in Port Huron on June 4, 1944 two days before D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. The 5,223-acre Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Wurtsmith AFB) is located on the northeastern part of Michigans lower peninsula. This air field was in dire need of a gunnery range because they being forced out of their gunnery range on Lake St. Clair. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to . 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base has been an integral part of the United States Air Force from the 1920's to June 3rd 1993. . It is primarily a large jet airplane salvage, jet engine maintenance and light general aviation . In 1979, the state of Michigan sued the Air Force for the contamination. The 700 hp Conqueror engine was exceptionally powerful for its day, but it had many minor and some major faults which needed to be corrected. All four of the the guys that were in that flight were from Tuskegee, Losinksi said. 2 talking about this. Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. 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. It was eerie, David Losinski said. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. The 5,223-acre Wurtsmith Air Force Base (Wurtsmith AFB) is located on the northeastern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. The P-6 could climb to 10,000 feet in 6.6 min. 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. A bomber squadron for example would be sent out to destroy a target and return to its home base within a week. The Air Force says, Any aircraft before 1961, weve abandoned it.. A total 9589 Airacobras were built before production finally ended on July 25, 1944. Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. This bunker compound housed, the flight crews on ready alert, the three B-52 bombers ready to take off at a, moments notice, and the accompanying KC-135s ready to top off the B-52s after takeoff. Lee N. 2023 Aspyre Media Group, LLC. At the time, George was a hub of F-4 Phantom fighter jets and OV-10 Bronco reconnaissance planes. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. Wurtsmith AirForce Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. He brought this idea to the attention of his squadron commander Major Carl Spaatz. These bases were, responsible for a housing a Ready Alert Nuclear Strike Force. [6], During the Gulf War B-52s from Wurtsmith Air Force Base were flownout of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 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. still rejects and "nexus" to the toxic chemicals on the base. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. In 1942, three 5000x150 concrete runways were built. PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. Timothy Marcum, 1/15/2071-73 camp lejeune nc bad water va in redding pretends they know nothing about having problems. He was stationed at the base. Everyone from the mechanics keeping the planes flyable, to the cooks, preparing food for the airmen stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, to the, commanders who ensured that everything from the flight schedules being correct. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategic, wing as it was disbanded. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. Theseplanes would regularly fly missions from Wurtsmith Air Force Base during thecold war. I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. I have also read about the PFAS via fire retardant foam. Over the course of Mr. Nortons career as both a KC-135 Navigatorand a DC-10 Pilot, Mr. Norton served as a flight commander, served numerousdeployments during the Gulf War escorting fighter squadrons from the UnitedStates into theater, supporting fighter squadrons and bomber squadrons intheater, served multiple temporary duty assignments to England, Spain, SaudiArabia, Alaska, and other Air Force Bases around the globe. I am not a doctor or attorney, and cannot give medical advice or legal advice. 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. 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. There were also problems with the complex nose-mounted reduction gear, which caused reliability problems and resulted in fairly low serviceability rates as compared with other fighters. After a trip to the Boneyard in September 2019, hundreds of current and vintage photos are being sorted, scanned and uploaded. The base was put into a standby status to be there just in case something happened in those areas. The views and opinions expressed in this website/articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government, We are the men and women of the U.S. Military, Wurtsmith AFB is a Superfund Site. After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. They also were known as the Red Tails because they painted the tails of their aircraft red. Tests in Michigan near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base have found PFOS in groundwater at levels as high as 42,000 ppt. We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. 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. Download Images of Wurtsmith air force base - Free for commercial use, no attribution required. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of theStrategic Air Commands bomber fleet. Wurtsmith Air, Force Base was constructed with a runway layout specifically for this. The single officers who lived on base lived in a dorm type building. The pilot apparently noticed it and tried to lift his ship. The P-6 Hawk (1932-1937) Aircraft was @ Oscoda. Im slowly working my way up from 1924 to the present. With that being said, these chemicals are going to be reaching a lot more people than just the Oscoda residents. [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. We didnt know really what we had.. [5] However, the B-52H aircraft maintained nuclear alert at Wurtsmith, Air Force Base. Even studies on fish have been done, where it was found that PFOA is a liver carcinogen in rainbow trout. August 8, 2018. 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. "The Department of Defense is evaluating [cleanup standards], and we take our lead from what the Department of Defense says," said Stephen TerMaath, who leads the Air Force division in charge of Wurtsmith cleanup. What's next? 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. [1] This would result in a large amount of paperwork and extra expenses for the Air Force. [1]These KC-135s were necessary because the B-52 could not take off with both afull load of ordnance and a full tank of gas. There are a lot of stories to tell. In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52Gaircraft. https://www.oscairport.com/index.php/available-properties/, https://www.oscairport.com/index.php/development-site/, https://www.afhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/APH-Winter2016.pdf, http://www.armytimes.com/story/news/2014/07/30/divers-find-wreckage-of-world-war-ii-era-plane/13354373/, https://wurtsmithairmuseum.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Air-Refueling-Squadron-_-Real-People-_-George-Schlatter720p.mp4. The Airacobra reached its peak usage in the USAAF in early 1944, with over 2100 in service. 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. [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. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. 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. [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. Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA. China Lake Naval base, California. .. did this bill die in the committee s? A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were produced by wars end, more than any other U.S. fighter. Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. These mission were into Iraq. The Losinskis found an account of the crash in the Times Herald. As previously stated, there is a museum open to the public which has artifacts and information on the bases history. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. As long as these assignments were under 180 days they were considered Temporary Duty Assignments. 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. The "Red Tail" P-51 Mustangs flown by the Tuskeegee Airmen []. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. 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. The 1st Combat Evaluation Group (initially "1CEG", later "1CEVG") was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit. Wurtsmith AFB Water Health Issues via water, Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing. After being relieved, the flight crew had until the following Monday morning, off. In 1960 it became part of the Strategic Air Command . [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressfulbecause no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no oneknew if it would be a drill or not. The base was first named after Capt. 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. Call 205.328.9200 Claim Application. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was not the best fighter aircraft of WWII, but it was the only fighter available in quantity during the first six months of the war. We came across the gauge cluster, which had the radio call tag, David Losinski said. There were four planes, and I was watching them from our front window, as I usually do when theyre engaged in gunnery practice. Contaminated water has been shown to be the main way that humans get exposed to this chemical, which is exactly whats going on in Oscoda. Lora Cole, 1/8/20 I am the daughter to a vet that was in this I was a baby at the time. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. The runways were aligned NE/SW, E/W, and NW/SE. 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. Veteran Compensation Programs. A new report compiled by a local group, Need Our Water (NOW) and the National Wildlife Federation . 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. 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. After being relieved, the flight crew had until the following Monday morningoff. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. These are simply the specific . How is it that these large and respected scientific organizations can continue to be ignored in the face of statistically overwhelming data and human impacts. Aircraft upper wing, left lower wing, rudder and propeller damaged. Why are you focusing only on chlordane and other organochlorine pesticide (OCP) contamination at the Family Housing? [ July 4, 2018 ] Grissom Air Force Base, ID Air Force [ May 28, 2018 ] March Air Force Base, CA Air Force [ February 17, 2018 ] Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Navy [ November 5, 2017 ] Fort William D. Davis , Panama Army [ August 28, 2017 ] Naval Air Station Alameda, CA Navy [ March 19, 2016 ] Wurtsmith Air Force Base, MI Air Force [ June 2 . TCE in another well on Jet Street near the present day Wurtsmith AFB museum was 1,739-ppb. In their letter, the members expressed their concerns that the Air Force's proposed remediation plan . Dallas Naval base, Texas. This includes extra parts, munitions, fuel, and flight crews. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. One of the unfortunate risks in flying is a crash. A series of stringers were added to the fuselage sides to round out the cross section. Prior to our IOC inspection for the SRAM we were ordered to clean out igloos full of barrels 5gal to 55gal drums,1,000s of gallons which had been ordered by mistake to start the system. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . 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. U.S. [5], Dave Norton resigned his commotion as a United States Air ForceCaptain on May 30th, 1993 exactly 9 years after receiving his commissionas a 2nd Lt. form the United States Air Force Academy.