The P-6E was quite a good-looking airplane, and became the most famous of the Hawk line of biplane fighters. [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. It excelled in low-altitude ground support as a well-built and reliable aircraft capable of absorbing quite a bit of battle damage. [3] Search Superfund Site Information. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Dec. 2016, cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0503675. PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. out of Prince Abdullah AB in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That plane actually crashed April 11, 1944, which was 70 years to the date that the picture was taken, Drew Losinski said. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Mich., served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70-year history. A ground-water divide cuts diagonally across the Base from northwest to sou Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . The base is influential in Michigan, as well as the United States military history. Within a few days, a mere 28 Airmen established housing for over 400 personnel, replete with . Its poor high-altitude performance was a result of a critical decision to remove the turbo-supercharger. "Keeping Wurtsmith AFB and Aviation History of NE MI Alive" Opens on Armed Forces Day in May, hosts a Welcome Home. But these days, the county is becoming a haven for retired people such as the Kuhlmans . My daughter was born there on base in 1987 she has gastric issues, and was born w heart issues. I was born on base November 1978, and lived on base with my mom, brother born 1989 on base, and my dad, a civil engineer stationed on base until oct 1982. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. [1] While this was a relatively boring week, it was extremely stressfulbecause no one knew when the alarm would sound, but more importantly no oneknew if it would be a drill or not. During the Gulf War these planes were run practically 24/7, landing only to swap flight crews to meet the flight crew rest requirements. I am pretty sure Diabetes and Sleep Apnea I have now and neuro dammage in both arms are related , So Presumptive Claims puzzleing I have a claim in and never heard anything I know Senator Kilddee of Michigan is trying to help veterans on this matter but congress are dragging this out. Air Force Base was essentially a self-contained airport with all of the necessities to support a full community on Base. Aug 24, 2021. 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. Stationed there for 84-88 and am suffering with a motor neuron disease process. These Air Force bases were remote. While these crews were on ready alert they did not have a wholelot to do. 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). Some areas of the site are still under investigation. The M&FRC is located at 1550 Wurtsmith St . Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan; PFAS Water Contamination Map . A new report compiled by a local group, Need Our Water (NOW) and the National Wildlife Federation . In addition across the base boundary dirt road was the EOD range where every friday morning we burned and destroyed old munitions and other stuff they needed disposed of. The aquifer overlies a thick clay layer at an average depth of 65 feet. 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. [2] Another unfortunate occurrence that Happened more than it should have were Court-Martials. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and U.S. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. This is heinous, and my heart goes out to so many. 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. The P-6 Hawk (1932-1937) Aircraft was @ Oscoda. The base came to be because of chance. Paul B. Wurtsmith Air Force Base closed in 1993, dealing a sharp blow to the economy of rural Iosco County. Hill Housing area-- Wurtsmith Elementary School, Grissom Elementary School, Wagner Middle School, . In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52G, During the Gulf War B-52s from Wurtsmith Air Force Base were flown. The 4026th was a SAC Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing that had been organized on 1 August 1958. I remember getting a letter of counseling when I wanted to object as a warning what could happen. There is a lot of open runways still today that can be rented out for a multitude of events. So now what? A bomber squadron for example would be sent out to destroy a target and return to its home base within a week. The married enlisted airmen who lived on base lived in a condo type set up with their family. Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable. The site of Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located 2 miles Northwest of Oscoda, Michigan, about 150 miles North of Detroit. Report also stated that the Oscoda Michigan gunnery field was very rough and sandy and notoriously hard on wheels, landing gears etc. In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. They have been detected in air, water, soils, sediments, and in rain at levels that would be considered unsafe in drinking . While many of the airmen preferred to live on base it was possible for them to buy or rent a house or apartment off post. The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. As an officer Mr. Norton had to sit in on Court-Martials. The main mission of Oscoda Army Air Field, at the time, was to defend Sault Ste. Published August 24, 2021 at 4:15 PM EDT. The ready alert flight crews were rotated on a three week cycle. One of these places included directly underneath the Oscoda high school. 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. 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 . Continued study of ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, defined the movement and distribution of volatile organic compounds in the glacial sand and gravel aquifer at known sites of contamination, and has defined new plumes at two other sites. [6] The 379th Bomb Wing wasdisbanded on June 30th 1993. 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. [1] As tensions increased around the world and the likelihood of an actual mission being flown while on ready alert increased, the weekbecame more stressful. However, the drawdown was fairly rapid after that and they were quickly replaced by P-38s, P-47s and P-51s. I served at Wursmith AFB from 1982 to 1989, living in base housing the entire time and drinking the water. From: Members of the ground crew move a maintenance cart into position next to a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft parked on the flight line. In 1977 the 379th Bomb Wing upgraded the B-52H fleet to B-52Gaircraft. We knew we had some kind of plane.. 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. [5] The 379th flew with a Triangle K tail flash to continue thetradition from their World War II counterparts. 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). Ellsworth Air Force base, South Dakota. 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. The pilot apparently noticed it and tried to lift his ship. Any one else from 84-89 have issues? 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 . It was criticized for its low service ceiling, its slow rate of climb, and its generally poor high-altitude performance. People who are exposed every day for an extended period of time are the ones who start to see real problems, some of which I mentioned above. She has all kinds of problems, my ex died of cancer and I have all kinds of problems. Eielson Air Force base, Alaska. My daughter was born at the base hospital. No injuries to the pilot. A total 9589 Airacobras were built before production finally ended on July 25, 1944. There are many historical planes you can visit as well as other interesting pieces of history that the public may view. Bert E. Skeel was a WWI pilot who died in an air race in Ohio. Thisflight crew would spend one week in the bunker and be confined to an undiscloseddistance from the bunker. Neither Michigan nor any U.S. officials have conducted a comprehensive study on the contaminants and pollutants under the base. These bases wereresponsible for a housing a Ready Alert Nuclear Strike Force. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. They raised $600 to clear the land, which at the time was plenty for this job. U.S. [1] This was followed by one and a half weeks of normal day to day activitiesuntil the flight crew relieved crew on ready alert in the bunkers.[1]. 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. As a young airman, assumed we were returning the stuff to supply to send to the next base. During those efforts, they noted several areas they wanted to investigate, including one about four miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron. Im slowly working my way up from 1924 to the present. 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. See: Organochlorine Pesticides Levels at George AFB Family Housing, CERCLA 120(h) Quitclaim Deed Restrictions for the George AFB Family Housing, Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination at George AFB Schools, Terri Crooks won her VA C&P Claim for service connected injury for her exposure to chlordane and other organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), Frank Vera www.BaseFamilyHousing.Info PO Box 1313 Jamestown, CA, 95327-1313 Phone: 209-782-4541, Copyright 2020 - BaseFamilyHousing.Info. Lt. Ennis Whitehead was part of a unit at Selfridge Army Air Field. This lead to Wurtsmith transferring to Air Combat Command control, and then on June 30th 1993, Wurtsmith Air Force Base closed. Most Air Corps/Force types used Oscoda at one time or another. Stay tuned for further developments. [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. Today the Wurtsmith district is integral to the community's economic potential. 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. 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. I saw a big splash, and then the plane went out of sight.. In March of 1943, the Third Air Force reactivated the field for training of black aviators. ROME, N.Y. -- There was nothing small-scale about Griffiss Air Force Base in the 1990s. This is desirable from a strategic standpoint, but for the airmen that served on the bases themselves this meant that they were removed from the vast majority of society. 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. Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of five, northern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. 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. 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.