Former military base a magnet for retirees - middletownpress.com 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. Bert E. Skeel in 1924. Learn how your comment data is processed. Wurtsmith Air Museum - Facebook Airplane nosed over when landing gear tire casing failed, locking the right wheel. 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. As seen, in the picture of the runways, there is a Christmas tree coming off of the, beginning of the runway with a building next to it. [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter and fighter-bomber was used by the Allied air forces during World War II. The Losinskis said they want to preserve the site for people to dive on. There are a lot of stories to tell. 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 . Section 107, the written material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educational purposes. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . As long as these assignments were under 180 days they were considered Temporary Duty Assignments. Once we brought that up and cleaned the tag, we knew it was the 221226 serial number.. [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. There is no amount of PFOA that is officially recognized as harmful. However, many studies have shown otherwise. Photos of P-47s flown by French Pilots at Oscoda. When the Gulf War started in 1990, the 379, Bomber Wing sent B-52s as well as their accompanying KC-135s into the Middle East. The Air Force knew about the contamination and spent millions since 1977 to try to cover up the problem by adding phosphates to mask the odor of the chemical in the water. 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. They also were known as the Red Tails because they painted the tails of their aircraft red. [THE FLINT JOURNAL VIA AP] [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. Wurtsmith Air Force Base - storymaps.arcgis.com [1] Mr. Nortonarrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air ForceBase in the fall of 1985. [1] On May 9th 1961 the first B-52 landed in Wurtsmith Air Force Basesignifying the re-designation to a Strategic Air Command Base. [6] The 379th Bomb Wing wasdisbanded on June 30th 1993. Beginning in July 1944, the P-47 Thunderbolt was used extensively to train Free French Air Force pilots at Oscoda Army Air Field (AAF). PFOA exposure is also shown to be associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children between ages 12-15. Our History - Wurtsmith Air Museum Even studies on fish have been done, where it was found that PFOA is a liver carcinogen in rainbow trout. 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. The history of Oscoda Military Aviation is the same as the History of the Air Force. [1], The northern tier Strategic Air Command Ready Alert Strike Force bases were considered less than desirable duty stations for one main reason. In addition, it would facilitate the installation of nose cannon since the armament could be mounted near the centerline, minimizing the effects of recoil forces. I remember getting a letter of counseling when I wanted to object as a warning what could happen. 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. [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]. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan; PFAS Water Contamination Map . I have also read about the PFAS via fire retardant foam. [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]. 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. [5] While the 379thBomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the ReadyAlert Nuclear Strike Force. [1] This was further broken down by marital status. It has been discovered that the chemicals that are impacting the health of these local citizens are chemicals that come from the foam that fire fighters used to put out fires that were on the base. My daughter was born there on base in 1987 she has gastric issues, and was born w heart issues. Wurtsmith Air Force Base | Military Wiki | Fandom The Lackland Air Force Base Education Center is located at 1550 Wurtsmith Street, Suite 5. . USVCP Not A U.S. Government Publication. 1st Combat Evaluation Group Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Oscoda, MI - Civilian Exposure 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). 1946. These bases wereresponsible for a housing a Ready Alert Nuclear Strike Force. U.S. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower 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 . We knew we had some kind of plane.. Tests in Michigan near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base have found PFOS in groundwater at levels as high as 42,000 ppt. The majority of married enlisted and officers preferred to live on base because of the free daycare for children. The museum's exhibits are extensive and incredibly high-quality -- including several aircraft that can be examined up . Dover Air Force base, Delaware. My family lived on this base in 1983 to 1987, are we at risk? Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. Im using a combination of several source materials to tell the history of the area. [3], [1] Dave Norton, Former United States Air Force Captain, interviewed on 23 OCT 2017, [2] Ap. The Realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base. As a young airman, assumed we were returning the stuff to supply to send to the next base. [1] Mr. Norton also landed. Peters, Stabenow, Kildee, Slotkin Press | Senator Gary Peters It was criticized for its low service ceiling, its slow rate of climb, and its generally poor high-altitude performance. The married enlisted airmen who lived on base lived in a condo type set up with their family. Located in Oscoda, Michigan this base is positioned no more than two miles off the shore of Lake Huron. This article is from 2018.. [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. This judgement flies in the face provided by the federal ATSDR and the National Institute of Health. This man later took the proposal to build a gunnery range to the people of Oscoda. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. [5] Wurtsmith AFB, Mich SAC 379th Bomb Wing B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm. We offer visitors three hangars full of military (all branches) and aviation history, static aircraft displays, artifacts, equipment and lots of WAFB memorabilia. 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. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. Military Bases Linked to Cancer and Health Problems No injuries to the pilot. 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 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. This resulted in KC-135 squadrons spending a greater amount of time on temporary duty assignments than other squadrons from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. Like the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth and Newington, the former Michigan base is now a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site. These mission were into Iraq. The P-6E was quite a good-looking airplane, and became the most famous of the Hawk line of biplane fighters. Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. Ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan Thanks for sending to you and Pat. It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. [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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, a brief history and life on post