I saw a big splash, and then the plane went out of sight.. http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/06/wurtsmith_veterans_health.html, http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/13/deq-we-dont-yet-know-full-extent-wurtsmith-air-base-contamination/93242484/, https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/08/18/21105/military-bases-contamination-will-affect-water-generations, http://www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html, Military History of the Upper Great Lakes. My first assignment as a Nuclear Weapons specialist was at wurtsmith where we deployed the AGM 69A SRAM missile system. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. 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. http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/wurtsmith_pfas_pfc_april_45_me.html. 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. Aircraft rolled 630 feet before nosing over. [5] While the 379th, Bomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the Ready, Alert Nuclear Strike Force. Located in Iosco County, Michigan, Wurtsmith Air Force Base operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. This man later took the proposal to build a gunnery range to the people of Oscoda. These Air Force bases were remote. Fast forward to 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command. These contaminants are harmful to the environment. There is no amount of PFOA that is officially recognized as harmful. However, many studies have shown otherwise. We didnt know really what we had.. 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. 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. This judgement flies in the face provided by the federal ATSDR and the National Institute of Health. Download Images of Wurtsmith air force base - Free for commercial use, no attribution required.
Our History - Wurtsmith Air Museum The state says, We dont have jurisdiction over that; its the Air Force, Losinski said. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. The museum's exhibits are extensive and incredibly high-quality -- including several aircraft that can be examined up . It has found from testing this area that some places to have over 1000 parts-per-trillion for PFOS and PFOA. There were 10 passengers and six crew members on board. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport became a public airport in 1993. 2 talking about this. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. This unfortunately happened on October 11. , 1988 when KC-135 crashed with 6 crew members and 10 passengers on board. My first daughter was born there at their hospital.my ex husband now, is very sick. Drew said, Dad, thats an airplane., You could see the wings. These high levels of PFOA elevate the risks of kidney cancer, mesothelioma, and diabetes. Investigation determined a defective tire caused the accident. 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. [1] Mr. Nortonarrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air ForceBase in the fall of 1985. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had manydifferent missions. The P-6E was quite a good-looking airplane, and became the most famous of the Hawk line of biplane fighters. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the private well located across the road from Oscoda High School tested about the 70 parts-per-trillion advisory level that was established for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctyl sulfonate (PFOS). [4] Enchanted Forest Web Page Design Service. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. This, flight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undisclosed. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to sou They were stationed at the air base from 1986 to 1993. As seenin the picture of the runways, there is a Christmas tree coming off of thebeginning of the runway with a building next to it.
Air Force - DOD Base Family Housing It remained named Camp Skeel until 1942 when it was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field (WAFB.net). [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategic, wing as it was disbanded. High blood serum levels of PFOA are associated with infertility, decreased semen quality, and a higher risk of thyroid disease. My daughter was born at the base hospital. The base became a permanent installation on January 1, 1951, when the U. S. Air Force designated it as a fighter training base for the Air Defense command. March 7, 1942: The first class of Tuskegee Airmen graduate from U.S. Army Air Force Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama. Because of this KC-135 squadrons would routinely fly 175 day assignments and return to their home base. 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 . There are many different ways that PFOA and PFOS can affect the human body. The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. The runways were aligned NE/SW, E/W, and NW/SE. [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. At the time, it was considered a vital Air Defense Command base and was equipped and manned with interceptor aircraft capable of flying over the North Pole into the Soviet Union. 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. The "Red Tail" P-51 Mustangs flown by the Tuskeegee Airmen []. [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. [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. Within a few days, a mere 28 Airmen established housing for over 400 personnel, replete with . Beginning in July 1944, the P-47 Thunderbolt was used extensively to train Free French Air Force pilots at Oscoda Army Air Field (AAF). Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. 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. The Tuskegee Airmen were African-American members of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force who fought in Europe during World War II. City Picto Map, Clark Air Base / Angeles City. Im using a combination of several source materials to tell the history of the area. 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. The EPA began requiring public water systems to monitor for PFOA and PFOS in 2012, but even today there is no federal drinking water standards for PFOA or PFOS. I was stationed there from 11/84-1989. Pieces include the engine, the tail, part of the door and the 37-millimeter cannon that fired through the propeller hub. If your base is not on the map or list above, this does not mean you were not exposed to PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam. All the artifacts that were taken off were replaced in their original position and original situation except for the tag we cleaned up, he said. Air Force Base was essentially a self-contained airport with all of the necessities to support a full community on Base. 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. [1] This meant that there was always at least threeB-52s armed with nuclear bombs, ready to take off at a moments notice. Smoke started coming from the tail of the second plane, and I could see it was in trouble. Aircraft was at Camp Skeel, Oscoda Michigan for Aerial Gunnery training. Neither Michigan nor any U.S. officials have conducted a comprehensive study on the contaminants and pollutants under the base. Having high amounts of this chemical directly underneath their high school could have serious long-term effects on the kids that attend school as well as the faculty. The Wurtsmith Air Force Base, created in 1923, played a large role in WWII. 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. This gave the Army operations the opportunity to begin creating the base we know today. Ruben C. Moffat flew a P-6 converted with a supercharged Conqueror engine on a record-breaking flight. 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 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. [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.
Wurtsmith Air Force Base, a brief history and life on post No injuries to the pilot. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts.
Oscoda, Michigan and Tales of Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Postcard History [1] Wurtsmith Air Force Base was 2nd Lt. Nortons firstpermanent duty station in the United States Air Force.[1].
Wurtsmith airforce base bomb bunkers - YouTube Airplane nosed over when landing gear tire casing failed, locking the right wheel.
Former military base a magnet for retirees - middletownpress.com This building was like the barracks, but each officer had his own room. The plane was equipped with the cannon and four .50-caliber machine guns two mounted on the wings, two more just behind the propeller and timed to fire through the spinning blades. She has all kinds of problems, my ex died of cancer and I have all kinds of problems. Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . My daughter was born there on base in 1987 she has gastric issues, and was born w heart issues.
'We've been betrayed:' Veterans blame Air Force base water for - mlive I served at Wurtsmith from 1974-1977 my whole family has suffered from various ongoing ailments. The brown tint is (mostly) caused by scale build up in the pipes being knocked loose. While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a wholelot to do. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. 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. Its poor high-altitude performance was a result of a critical decision to remove the turbo-supercharger. Only after, the plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not.[1]. According to Robert Delaney, a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality specialist, If you pull the water out of the ground in that training area, it still foams, theres so much in there. Since this entire problem stems from the fact that the foam used to extinguish fires on the base is what carried the toxic chemical, that goes to show just how invasive and problematic this contamination can be. I recall we lost a tanker on touch and goes which had to be extinguished with a massive amount of this chemical. The Air Force says, Any aircraft before 1961, weve abandoned it.. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Basesignifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. [5] One crew flew 29, mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bomber, crew in theater.
Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Wikipedia They want the site to remain a memorial divers can visit.
The base is located in Oscoda, Iosco County, Michigan. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. Now, I have been diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure and congestive heart disease, I am currently on dialysis awaiting a kidney transplant. [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. This year, we went out diving, and we could see these points of interest from the surface, Losinski said.
Assessment of ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base The Wurtsmith Air Force Incident.
CSIRO PUBLISHING | Environmental Chemistry DOD Base Family Housing - Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. With that being said, these chemicals are going to be reaching a lot more people than just the Oscoda residents. Dover Air Force base, Delaware. The presumptive disabilities from contaminated water at Wurtsmith AFB would lead to automatic compensation to potentially thousands of veterans. On May 9, 1961, the base took delivery of its first new Boeing B-52 H Stratofortress, The State of Michigan. 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 . Everyone from the mechanics keeping the planes flyable, to the cookspreparing food for the airmen stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, to thecommanders who ensured that everything from the flight schedules being correctto the proper paperwork being completed to allow the missions to continue. Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable. The P-6 was generally similar to the P-1 in construction and appearance. It had a commissary, a gas station, a hospital, housing, a bowling alley," said veteran Michael Grogan. [1] On the first Wednesday thefresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. 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 . Timothy Marcum, 1/15/2071-73 camp lejeune nc bad water va in redding pretends they know nothing about having problems. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. 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. [1] As soon as the wheels touched down the clock would be reset and they could be sent out on another assignment. This could be from hydrant flushing or a water main break. Because Wurtsmith Air Force Base was an Air Force Base it had to have the ability to go into complete lock-down in times of emergency and still support the mission. Just run the water until it clears up. I remember getting a letter of counseling when I wanted to object as a warning what could happen. 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. It was criticized for its low service ceiling, its slow rate of climb, and its generally poor high-altitude performance. "Keeping Wurtsmith AFB and Aviation History of NE MI Alive" Opens on Armed Forces Day in May, hosts a Welcome Home. These mission were into Iraq. [ 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 . 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. TCE in another well on Jet Street near the present day Wurtsmith AFB museum was 1,739-ppb.
Wurtsmith Air Museum - Facebook In 2016, residents near Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan discovered that the water they drank, bathed in, swam in, and fished in was contaminated with jet fuel, cancer-causing chlorinated .
Press | No Defense These chemicals have been shown to cause problems with thyroid, liver, kidney, reproduction, and other health problems. 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. If you, a friend, or loved one has been injured or died as a result of the contamination at a DOD Superfund Site please follow the steps that are outlined at Get Help.
SHATTERED LIVES -- A special report.; Caring Parents, No Answers, In There were frequently extremely large and loud airplanes taxiing, taking off, and landing in the base. Aircraft upper wing, left lower wing, rudder and propeller damaged. He flew from Dayton, Ohio to Washington, D.C. at a speed of approximately 266 mph, at an altitude of 25,000 ft. 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. My ex wife has thyroid disease and auto immune disease. 1946. [1]
U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up The 5,221-acre site is bounded by Van Etten Lake to the north and east . These levels were published by the Enviromental Protection Agency (Mlive.com). For more information regarding services offered by the Lackland Air Force Base Education Center, call 210-671-2895 or DSN 473-2895. . We make no endorsements or recommendations of any VSO, attorney, law firm, claims specialists or organization working with veterans on their service-connected claim(s). In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52Gaircraft. Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A Brief History of Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, www.wurtsmithairmuseum.org/Wurtsmith_AFB/wurtsmith_afb.html.
Oscoda PFAS Activists set the record straight on PFAS from U.S. Air On the other hand, the rear-mounted engine offered increased maneuverability since the weight of the plane would be near its center of gravity. 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. WAFB began operations in 1923, under the name of Camp Skeel, and was officially named the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953. 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. 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. A new report compiled by a local group, Need Our Water (NOW) and the National Wildlife Federation . Wurtsmith earned recognition during the war as the leader of the group of pilots using P-40 and P-38 fighter . There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. VA counselor "don't waste your time". [1] This tight knit community was not confined to just the Air Force Base, but extended into the community as well. 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. The married officers lived in a standalone house with their family. Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. The Losinskis havent abandoned their quest to bring this long-forgotten chapter in the history of World War II to light. Therefore, regardless of the location of cancer in your body, we strongly encourage you to contact our law firm if you spent time at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, either as a veteran or as a family member of one, to recover the financial compensation you are entitled to. 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).
PFAS & Military Bases: Here's What We Know! [4] Its mission was to, maintain half of the fleet on a 15 minute alert, meaning the plane could be in, the air in 15 minutes, to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet preemptive missile, strike. Most Air Corps/Force types used Oscoda at one time or another. 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. One of these men were named Lt. Ennis Whitehead. I lived in base housing, I want to say 8607H Ohio from 82-84.
Why women were told 'Don't get pregnant at George Air Force Base' Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter and fighter-bomber was used by the Allied air forces during World War II. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials.
Peters: Air Force Must Immediately Prior | Senator Gary Peters I was stationed there 1978 -81 lived on base they never told us about the water being contaminated . It has recently been discovered that that the base has been leaking chemicals into the surrounding waterways. She also has many other irregular health problems including bone death, fibromyalgia, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, and underdeveloped reproductive organs. There is a lot of open runways still today that can be rented out for a multitude of events.