Wurtsmith Air Force Base - storymaps.arcgis.com . The P-47D, in general service by the spring of 1944, had a maximum speed of 440 miles (700 km) per hour and a ceiling of 40,000 feet (12,200 meters). It still haunts me today that we had to do that and were told to just follow orders. 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 . It was renamed Camp Skeel in 1924, for the World War I Pilot Captain Burt E. Skeel, and was used as an aerial gunnery range and for winter maneuvers 1924 through 1944 by the 1st Pursuit . 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. The single enlisted airmen who lived on base were housed in barracks. [1] As tensions increased around the world and the likelihood of an actual mission being flown while on ready alert increased, the week, The typical activities while not on ready alert varied greatly, from person to person. Engine not damaged. [1] The KC-135s had many more opportunities to travel because they would fly in support of any craft capable of refueling in flight. [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. Neither Michigan nor any U.S. officials have conducted a comprehensive study on the contaminants and pollutants under the base. The sources Im using include The Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFRA); Photo collections from Wurtsmith Museum; Photo collections from Selfridge Museum, Selfridge AFB Historical files; and Aircraft Accident Reports. Feds: Wurtsmith veterans could get cancer, other health problems from Me and Dan drive around base and check out the bunkers that held nuclear weapons during the cold war Beginning in July 1944, the P-47 Thunderbolt was used extensively to train Free French Air Force pilots at Oscoda Army Air Field (AAF). Major Gary Geiger assigned to the 911TH Safety Office with me back in the late 60's or early 70's was a Navitgator on the B-52's assigned to Westover AFB as he used to tell me when we deployed there do not know if he did time at Wurstmith AFB. Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A Brief History of Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html. [6] The 379th Bomb Wing was, Dave Norton resigned his commotion as a United States Air Force, , 1993 exactly 9 years after receiving his commission, Lt. form the United States Air Force Academy. 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. After a devastating fire in Oscoda which cleared over 600 buildings, the remaining citizens heard about the proposal to clear an area for the base. There were four planes, and I was watching them from our front window, as I usually do when theyre engaged in gunnery practice. If you are interested in any particular aircraft of time period please let me know. The Realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base. Airport History. What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed? Now I see this years later. 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. 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. In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. My symptoms looking back were insidious with weakness and muscle fasciculations. Wurtsmith Air Museum - Facebook 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 . They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . [1] Mr. Norton also landedthe first KC-135 in operation Southern Watch. OSCODA, Mich. - Oscoda residents and PFAS activists today held a press conference on the shores of Van Etten Lake to set the record straight on the Air Force's contamination of their community from the former Wurtsmith Air . 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. The majority of married enlisted and officers preferred to live on base because of the free daycare for children. Wurtsmith Air Force Base Toxic Exposure | ELG Law 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. The single officers who lived on base lived in a dorm type building. wurtsmith air force base - PICRYL This weapon system used some hazardous and a lot of special chemicals to support it. [5] In recent years groundwater contamination has be linked to jet fuel, cleaning agents, and fire suppression agents used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Wurtsmith Air Museum (Oscoda) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go I recall we lost a tanker on touch and goes which had to be extinguished with a massive amount of this chemical. [1] On the first Wednesday the, fresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. Wurtsmith AFB and its Contamination - Military History of the Upper Philippines -- Clark Air Base Maps, Charts, and Blueprints VA counselor "don't waste your time". This gave the Army operations the opportunity to begin creating the base we know today. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. [5] The B-52s did not get to travel nearly as much as the KC-135s. 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. Oscoda, Michigan and Tales of Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Postcard History These Air Force bases were remote. The Loring Air Force Base UFO Encounter - UFO Insight As Michigan makes PFAS strides, Oscoda residents say Air Force is It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. [3] Search Superfund Site Information. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Dec. 2016, cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0503675. Mr. Norton remarked that they were flying the wings off of the planes. Ruben C. Moffat flew a P-6 converted with a supercharged Conqueror engine on a record-breaking flight. It had everything in it. 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 . With this long list of negative effects it is clearly a big health issue for local residents. Testing by the Air Force has found high levels of the toxic chemical PFOS in the foam near a plume coming from the former nuclear bomber base. The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. It is one of the most famous bases located in our state. Only afterthe plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not. 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. Why women were told 'Don't get pregnant at George Air Force Base' The last was delivered in December 1930. [1], These KC-135s were necessary because the B-52 could not take off with both a, full load of ordnance and a full tank of gas.[1]. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. Assessment of ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base These high levels of PFOA elevate the risks of kidney cancer, mesothelioma, and diabetes. out of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. [5] Wurtsmith AFB, Mich SAC 379th Bomb Wing B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm. The Realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base - Spectrum News I have had sever kidney problems since 1983 that carried on into my mid teens. There were 10 passengers and six crew members on board. No injuries to the pilot. 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. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategic, wing as it was disbanded. While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a wholelot to do. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategicwing as it was disbanded. However, the drawdown was fairly rapid after that and they were quickly replaced by P-38s, P-47s and P-51s. Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Wikipedia The ROAM system ensures that aircraft are serviced . The Air Force says, Any aircraft before 1961, weve abandoned it.. U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up 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. These are simply the specific . More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. The study doesn't estimate past concentrations or exposure dosage and was released with . Wurtsmith AFB Water Health Issues via water, Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing. One specific and important waterway being affected by these pollutants is the Au Sable River. [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. During the Cold War, the base became part of Strategic Air Command. Multi-capable Airmen sustain strategic - Joint Base Charleston 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. He saw the surrounding land and figured it would make a great place for a gunnery range. Traci Kroushour, an Oscoda resident until the age of 12, had her uterus removed at the age of 28 and can never have children. The base came to be because of chance. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Base, signifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (BRAC 1991) - AF 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. Military's Filthy 50 sites contaminated with 'forever chemicals' haven 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. "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. Home Buyers Guide; Find a Real Estate Agent; Price: $299,000. Fast forward to 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command. 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 ex wife has thyroid disease and auto immune disease. Now that the contamination has reached the Au Sable river, it could potentially carry this contamination into Lake Huron. On June 30th, 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. Stay tuned for further developments. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base | Military Wiki | Fandom This could be from hydrant flushing or a water main break. The history of Oscoda Military Aviation is the same as the History of the Air Force. 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. One of these places included directly underneath the Oscoda high school. 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 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. [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.