wurtsmith air force base housing wurtsmith air force base housing

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. Tests in Michigan near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base have found PFOS in groundwater at levels as high as 42,000 ppt. 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. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Oscoda for several weeks and stayed on the base. [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]. With all of this in a single family, the V.A. 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. [4] In the later, years of World War II Wurtsmith Air Force Base was used as a fighter-interceptor training base and housed the 332d fighter group, which was part of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. U.S. Air Force should abide by state of Michigan's PFAS Standards, state must hold Air Force accountable. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. What us the compensation for this? One of the unfortunate risks in flying is a crash. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue the, tradition from their World War II counterparts. 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. I was stationed there 1978 -81 lived on base they never told us about the water being contaminated . 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. Stationed there for 84-88 and am suffering with a motor neuron disease process. In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. This man later took the proposal to build a gunnery range to the people of Oscoda. In a fly off against the contemporary Boeing P-12B, the P-6E was faster, but the P-12B was more maneuverable. There were 10 passengers and six crew members on board. 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. distance from the bunker. The Losinskis said they want to preserve the site for people to dive on. Learn how your comment data is processed. [6], During the Gulf War B-52s from Wurtsmith Air Force Base were flownout of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Some areas of the site are still under investigation. Thanks for sending to you and Pat. 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 2 talking about this. A map of the base locations listed above can be viewed below. [2] The flight crashed at 2:20PM while returning from K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula. The P-39 had a unique configuration with the engine placed behind the pilot and the drive shaft running under the cockpit to the propeller. The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. 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. My symptoms looking back were insidious with weakness and muscle fasciculations. A sand and gravel aquifer of glacial origin underlies Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeastern lower Michigan. [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. Bert E. Skeel in 1924. I kept up with all this for a while then gave up. View All Homes - Homes for Rent Military History of the Upper Great Lakes, Over the 50 years of operation Wurtsmith Air Force Base had many, different missions. DISCLAIMER: Information displayed on U.S. 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. purposes only, and is not legal advice. http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/wurtsmith_pfas_pfc_april_45_me.html. [3] Search Superfund Site Information. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Dec. 2016, cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0503675. During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. The airplane operated on a flight from Oscoda Wurtsmith Airport, MI to Oscoda-Wurtsmith AFB, MI (OSC). to share information regarding health issues, and probable chemical exposure via base water sources. This is an evolving issue with many moving parts. More individuals impacted by these chemicals are Cindi and Lawrence Ashbeck. In 1960 it became part of the Strategic Air Command . For more information regarding services offered by the Lackland Air Force Base Education Center, call 210-671-2895 or DSN 473-2895. . [5] One crew flew 29mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bombercrew in theater. 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. It still haunts me today that we had to do that and were told to just follow orders. 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. 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. Engine not damaged. 1942 -- Camp Skeel is renamed Oscoda Army Air Field and becomes a P-47 fighter base. Wurtsmith AFB Water Health Issues via water, Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing. The state says, We dont have jurisdiction over that; its the Air Force, Losinski said. This article is from 2018.. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. Now I see this years later. 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. With that being said, these chemicals are going to be reaching a lot more people than just the Oscoda residents. It is primarily a large jet airplane salvage, jet engine maintenance and light general aviation . JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas - Announced in late 2021 by the spouse of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Sharene Brown, it increases focus and attention on the top five quality of life challenges military families face. The museum's exhibits are extensive and incredibly high-quality -- including several aircraft that can be examined up . Our biodegradation . History Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. Deliveries of the first P-6s were late, the first example not appearing until October 1929. I do hope there is information on Wurtsmith AFB soon. There are a lot of stories to tell. Theyve seen lots of things underwater, but the story of the P-39 fighter lost just off the Port Huron beachfront touched them. 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. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. This air field was in dire need of a gunnery range because they being forced out of their gunnery range on Lake St. Clair. [5] While the 379thBomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the ReadyAlert Nuclear Strike Force. 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. The cockpit canopy offered exceptional all-round visibility for the pilot. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. These bases wereresponsible for a housing a Ready Alert Nuclear Strike Force. By Steve Elliott 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs. 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. This cycle was from Wednesday to Wednesday. We have a lot of sick civilians and = veterans from contaminated drinking water. 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. A total 9589 Airacobras were built before production finally ended on July 25, 1944. Chanute Air Force base, Illinois. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. ircraft operated from Oscoda Army Airfield. PFOA exposure is also shown to be associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children between ages 12-15. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of five, northern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. [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. 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. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were produced by wars end, more than any other U.S. fighter. The P-6 could climb to 10,000 feet in 6.6 min. Timothy Marcum, 1/15/2071-73 camp lejeune nc bad water va in redding pretends they know nothing about having problems. [1], While Wurtsmith Air Force Base was its own little town, it was segregated by officers and enlisted. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. .. did this bill die in the committee s? 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 . [5] Wurtsmith AFB, Mich SAC 379th Bomb Wing B-52, www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Wurtsmith_AFB.htm. The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter and fighter-bomber was used by the Allied air forces during World War II. I have always scheduled an apt with my dr to talk about the possibility of how this may have affected me. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. This is extremely important because harsh chemicals can negatively impact the future of children and infants as well as the elderly. China Lake Naval base, California. Aircraft upper wing, left lower wing, rudder and propeller damaged. [5] However, the B-52H aircraft maintained nuclear alert at WurtsmithAir Force Base. A short time later in July 1944 it was being used to train Free French Air Force pilots, which eventually led to more and more training and more and more storage of aircraft like the B-52G (oscairport.com). 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. Because of the restriction of being close to the Christmas tree they, resorted to playing cards, working out, reading, and sleeping while they were, not conducting recurrent training to stay up to date and proficient on their, equipment. 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. On April 1, 1960, Strategic Air Command assumed operational control of what was then Wurtsmith Air Force Base from Air Defense Command; on Jan. 9, 1961, the 379th Bombardment Wing, flying B-52H's and KC-135A's, became the host unit. The intent is to create a self-help registry for those who were harmed by the extremely toxic organochlorine pesticide contamination detected at Military Family Housing. I didnt know anything about the Tuskegee Airmen until we got into this.. It was eerie, David Losinski said. [1], As new technologies and mission goals evolved with time the need for the Strategic Air Commands need for the northern tier became obsolete. There are many different ways that PFOA and PFOS can affect the human body. [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. Drinking Water At Wurtsmith AFB Contaminted. 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. [1]After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. 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. Typical occurrences on Wurtsmith Air Force Base included planes flying in and out on missions. History. "It was a city within a city. WAFB closed in 1993 and is gradually being turned over to the Oscoda Airport Authority for reuse as an industrial park and airfield (EPA 2012). 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. Only afterthe plains were airborne would the crew be notified if it was a drill or not. [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]. Their children developed asthma, spinal defects and thyroid problems. The Wurtsmith Air Force Incident. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . The 4026th was a SAC Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing that had been organized on 1 August 1958. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. 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. Because of this KC-135 squadrons would routinely fly 175 day assignments and return to their home base. Physical Location:4071 East Van Ettan StreetOscoda, Michigan 48750, Mailing Address:PO Box 664Oscoda, Michigan 48750, Tele: (989) 739-7555(Not answered Nov-Apr)Email:email@wurtsmithairmuseum.net, AN ARTIFACT FROM WURTSMITHS COLD WAR PAST HAS RETURNED HOME, There was one final project I wanted to accomplish before departing my assignment as Flight Commander of Aircrew Flight Equipment and SERE at the. The base came to be because of chance. . 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. 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. Today, the Wurtsmith Air Force Base has a museum where you can learn about its history. The Air Force knew that due to the method used to apply the pesticide, the building design flaw, that a completed exposure pathway (CEP) existed at a large percentage of its tenantable/habitual . [1] This was followed by one and a half weeks of normal day to day activities, until the flight crew relieved crew on ready alert in the bunkers. The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB), located in Oscoda, Iosco County, MI operated from 1924 to 1993. Even studies on fish have been done, where it was found that PFOA is a liver carcinogen in rainbow trout. [1] Wurtsmith Air Force Base was 2nd Lt. Nortons firstpermanent duty station in the United States Air Force.[1]. It was criticized for its low service ceiling, its slow rate of climb, and its generally poor high-altitude performance. Many of drums ruptured. Marie and the straights of Mackinac. Veterans of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda from the 1970s, and their families who lived with them on the base, face increased risks of leukemia and other harmful effects from prolonged exposures to toxic volatile organic compounds that were in the now-shuttered base's water supply at the time, a federal health agency has found. Their water table has been contaminated with high levels of PFOA because of the leakage of chemicals from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Weve done quite a bit of documenting and measuring, David Losinski said. [1], When the Gulf War started in 1990, the 379th Bomber Wing sent B-52s as well as their accompanying KC-135s into the Middle East. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of the, Strategic Air Commands bomber fleet. 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. 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. There were frequently extremely large and loud airplanes taxiing, taking off, and landing in the base. The base was put into a standby status to be there just in case something happened in those areas. The Strategic Air Command activated a wing there on August 1, 1958. Aircraft was at Camp Skeel, Oscoda Michigan for Aerial Gunnery training. WAFB began operations in 1923, under the name of Camp Skeel, and was officially named the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953. The 1st Combat Evaluation Group (initially "1CEG", later "1CEVG") was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit. 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. 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. Lester Graham. The former base includes 4,626 acres (1,872 ha) located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Au . [THE FLINT JOURNAL VIA AP]