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. It has recently been discovered that that the base has been leaking chemicals into the surrounding waterways. Robert Krouse, 12/31/19Stationed at Wurtsmith AFB from 1978 to 1980 and lived in barracks. 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. The base is influential in Michigan, as well as the United States military history. One example of this is autocross racing. I remember getting a letter of counseling when I wanted to object as a warning what could happen. CSIRO PUBLISHING | Environmental Chemistry This cycle was from Wednesday to Wednesday. The result was an airplane which had a much deeper and broader fuselage than did the P-1. Home - Wurtsmith Air Museum P-6E, serial number 32-156, 17th Pursuit Squadron from Selfridge Field Michigan. Student projects from Michigan Tech's SS3505 Military History of the United States, on the people, places, and objects involving our military history in the upper Great Lakes region. During World War II, P-47 fighters were assigned to Oscoda. 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. 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. This is extremely important because harsh chemicals can negatively impact the future of children and infants as well as the elderly. Cindi developed hypertension and Lawrence diagnosed with lung disease. A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were produced by wars end, more than any other U.S. fighter. The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB), located in Oscoda, Iosco County, MI operated from 1924 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. My family lived on this base in 1983 to 1987, are we at risk? Lee N. 2023 Aspyre Media Group, LLC. This article is from 2018.. On June 30th, 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and U.S. [1] This was further broken down by marital status. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. Military bases are known for significant staffing turnover. View All Homes - Homes for Rent 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 . She has all kinds of problems, my ex died of cancer and I have all kinds of problems. [1] This meant that there was always at least threeB-52s armed with nuclear bombs, ready to take off at a moments notice. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue the, tradition from their World War II counterparts. The Air Force says, Any aircraft before 1961, weve abandoned it.. The typical activities while not on ready alert varied greatlyfrom person to person. 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. [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. Aug 24, 2021. The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport - Ready to launch | Business View Magazine I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. I didnt know anything about the Tuskegee Airmen until we got into this.. Although in the past the Wurtsmith Air Force Base was extremely successful there are some prevalent issues with it today. Aircraft was at Camp Skeel, Oscoda Michigan for Aerial Gunnery training. . Environmental groups issue report, 'setting the record straight' about 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. 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. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . Any one else from 84-89 have issues? Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia Bert E. Skeel was a WWI pilot who died in an air race in Ohio. Wurtsmith Air Museum - Facebook Military History of the Upper Great Lakes, Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had many, different missions. After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. Fast forward to 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command. Most Air Corps/Force types used Oscoda at one time or another. [1] This includes on base housing, a daycare center for children, a doctors office, a fully equipped gym, and a store where basic necessities were available, military police, office space, and everything necessary to ensure the planes are fully functioning and ready to fly missions. Did Wurtsmith Air Force Base cause health woes? - Detroit Free Press [1] On the first Wednesday the, fresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. There were 10 passengers and six crew members on board. An unusual feature of the P-39 Airacobra was the automobile-type doors that had roll-down windows on each side of the cockpit. The base was first named after Capt. 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. The majority of married enlisted and officers preferred to live on base because of the free daycare for children. [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategicwing as it was disbanded. out of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. U.S. Military challenging states on $2 billion chemical liability - Unwell Water The P-47s radial engine proved remarkably resistant to battle damage and, with its heavy armament and well-armored cockpit, the Thunderbolt established a reputation as one of the most effective fighter-bombers of the war. Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. Veteran Compensation Programs (www.veteranprograms.com) does NOT represent or warrant, and makes no claims, promises or guarantees about, the usefulness, completeness, adequacy or accuracy of any information, posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses contained in or linked to this website, or the competency, qualifications or identity of any person providing information or making a post, survey, topic, comment, blog or response contained in or linked to this website. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 60-0317 Oscoda The landing gear was changed from rubber-block shock absorbers inside the fuselage to oleo-and-spring units mounted in the outer forward strut. A new report compiled by a local group, Need Our Water (NOW) and the National Wildlife Federation . In their letter, the members expressed their concerns that the Air Force's proposed remediation plan . [1] Mr. Nortonarrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air ForceBase in the fall of 1985. Ellsworth Air Force base, South Dakota. 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. There is an ongoing project to decontaminate the area. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . One specific and important waterway being affected by these pollutants is the Au Sable River. They took a photo on April 11, from the surface of Lake Huron, of the wing of a Wold War II-era fighter plane that crashed during a training exercise, killing its pilot. Now, I have been diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure and congestive heart disease, I am currently on dialysis awaiting a kidney transplant. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed, she said. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. U.S. Veteran Compensation Programs He saw the surrounding land and figured it would make a great place for a gunnery range. As long as these assignments were under 180 days they were considered Temporary Duty Assignments. Contaminated water still plagues lakeside community in Michigan 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. [1] Mr. Norton, arrived fresh from navigation school as a 2nd Lieutenant at Wurtsmith Air Force, Base in the fall of 1985. The main mission of Oscoda Army Air Field, at the time, was to defend Sault Ste. Before we move on to that, however, it is very much worth examining a very similar incident that occurred over Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan on 30 th October. 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. Some areas of the site are still under investigation. 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 . 1944 -- Maj. Gen. Paul B. Wurtsmith, born in Detroit in 1906, led U. S. Army Air Corps training flights to Camp Skeel near Oscoda prior to World War II. Because of the restriction of being close to the Christmas tree theyresorted to playing cards, working out, reading, and sleeping while they werenot conducting recurrent training to stay up to date and proficient on theirequipment. Multi-capable Airmen sustain strategic - Joint Base Charleston U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up Timothy Marcum, 1/15/2071-73 camp lejeune nc bad water va in redding pretends they know nothing about having problems. Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA. These chemicals have been shown to cause problems with thyroid, liver, kidney, reproduction, and other health problems. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base has been an integral part of the United States Air Force from the 1920's to June 3rd 1993. . Veteran Compensation Programs (veteranprograms.com) assumes NO liability, and expressly disclaims any and all responsibility, for the content of all posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan Redevelopment Profile Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. Bert E. Skeel in 1924. Michigan Radio. 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). 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. The single officers who lived on base lived in a dorm type building. [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressful, because no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no one, knew if it would be a drill or not. 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. As soon as an assignment went over 180 days it was considered a permanent change in duty station. All Rights Reserved. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. What us the compensation for this? The 379th Bomb Wing moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in June of19661. 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. 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. [4] On August 1st 1958 the 4026th Strategic Wing was formed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. 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. [4] Its mission was tomaintain half of the fleet on a 15 minute alert, meaning the plane could be inthe air in 15 minutes, to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet preemptive missilestrike. These bases were, responsible for a housing a Ready Alert Nuclear Strike Force. He was stationed at the base. In 1960 it became part of the Strategic Air Command . Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . [5] Assuming the equipment, personnel and aircraft of the 4026th Strategic, wing as it was disbanded. [5] The B-52s did not get to travel nearly as much as the KC-135s. All four of the the guys that were in that flight were from Tuskegee, Losinksi said. In addition, the rear fuselage was deepened in order that it could faire cleanly into the bottom of the radiator. [1]After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. My first assignment as a Nuclear Weapons specialist was at wurtsmith where we deployed the AGM 69A SRAM missile system. [6] 379th Bomb Wing Homestead AFB B-47 Wurtsmith AFB B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0379bw.htm. Military's Filthy 50 sites contaminated with 'forever chemicals' haven [1] Mr. Norton also landed. My first daughter was born there at their hospital.my ex husband now, is very sick. I was stationed there 1988-1992. [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 served at Wurtsmith from 1974-1977 my whole family has suffered from various ongoing ailments. [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.
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