Although in the past the Wurtsmith Air Force Base was extremely successful there are some prevalent issues with it today. To all who are interested in the Camp Skeel/Oscoda AAF/Wurtsmith AFB History. By comparing the concentrations of known fluorosurfactants with the total organofluorine, less than 10% of the fluorosurfactants were identified in half of the samples. Wurtsmith Air Force Base Toxic Exposure | ELG Law 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). This judgement flies in the face provided by the federal ATSDR and the National Institute of Health. 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. CSIRO PUBLISHING | Environmental Chemistry These high levels of PFOA elevate the risks of kidney cancer, mesothelioma, and diabetes. [5] The 379th Bomb Wing immediately continued the 4026thStrategic Wing operations and training. Oscoda, Michigan and Tales of Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Postcard History After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. U.S. Military Once Again Pollutes Drinking Water and Won't Clean It Up In fact the only time B-52s would travel was for training missions, or actually delivering ordinance to its target. There are many different ways that PFOA and PFOS can affect the human body. Any one else from 84-89 have issues? Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of five, northern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. 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. I have also read about the PFAS via fire retardant foam. The Realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base. There were frequently extremely large and loud airplanes taxiing, taking off, and landing in the base. My family lived on this base in 1983 to 1987, are we at risk? 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 4026th was a SAC Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing that had been organized on 1 August 1958. Like the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth and Newington, the former Michigan base is now a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. After being relieved, the flight crew had until the following Monday morningoff. 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. U.S. Air Force should abide by state of Michigan's PFAS Standards, state must hold Air Force accountable. Weights were 2450 lb. As previously stated, there is a museum open to the public which has artifacts and information on the bases history. The site of Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located 2 miles Northwest of Oscoda, Michigan, about 150 miles North of Detroit. This building was like the barracks, but each officer had his own room. 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. 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. Why are you focusing only on chlordane and other organochlorine pesticide (OCP) contamination at the Family Housing? to the proper paperwork being completed to allow the missions to continue. The cockpit was fairly easy to enter and exit, but the doors had a tendency to fly open in midair at high speed if improperly secured. [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]. This weapon system used some hazardous and a lot of special chemicals to support it. 1970 - The Air Force knew that some of the Webb Air Force Base Family Housing units, located in Big Spring Texas, were contaminated with and the occupants exposed to a large quantity of chlordane. wurtsmith air force base - PICRYL PFAS & Military Bases: Here's What We Know! Wurtsmith Air Museum (Oscoda) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go This includes extra parts, munitions, fuel, and flight crews. 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). distance from the bunker. Mr. Norton remarked that they were flying the wings off of the planes. The tire bead failed, allowing the casing to slip over the rim on one side and bind on edge of the wheel fairing on takeoff. This meant that Wurtsmith Air Force Base was essentially a self-contained airport with all of the necessities to support a full community on Base. empty, 3310 lb gross. Wurtsmith Air Force Base - Oscoda They resumed the investigation last spring. The popular legend, supported by interviews and other historical documents, is that Wurtsmith was established as the direct result of a fishing trip by Lt. Ennis Whitehead (later Lt. Gen. Whitehead, commander of the Fifth and Far Eastern Air Forces during and after World War . But these days, the county is becoming a haven for retired people such as the Kuhlmans . The average person has around 3 or 4 parts per billion of these chemicals present in their blood. The KC-135s would finish one mission and there would be another one waiting for them as soon as they were available. The B-52 is being serviced under the Strategic Air Command Recovery Oriented Aircraft Maintenance (ROAM) system. U.S. [5] In recent years groundwater contamination has be linked to jet fuel, cleaning agents, and fire suppression agents used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. 'We've been betrayed:' Veterans blame Air Force base water for - mlive Is this a common thing at other Air Force bases? : r/AirForce [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. Deliveries of the first P-6s were late, the first example not appearing until October 1929. [1]After one week in the bunker on ready alert the flight crew would be relieved. 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. I do hope there is information on Wurtsmith AFB soon. These planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the Gulf War. Assessment of ground-water contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base PORT HURON, Mich. David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. TCE in another well on Jet Street near the present day Wurtsmith AFB museum was 1,739-ppb. Aircraft was at Camp Skeel, Oscoda Michigan for Aerial Gunnery training. Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (BRAC 1991) - AF 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 map of the base locations listed above can be viewed below. It was eerie, David Losinski said. The Losinskis havent abandoned their quest to bring this long-forgotten chapter in the history of World War II to light. Multi-capable Airmen sustain strategic - Joint Base Charleston [4] Enchanted Forest Web Page Design Service. Typically, brown-ish water occurs when there is large change in pressure/flow in a distribution system. High blood serum levels of PFOA are associated with infertility, decreased semen quality, and a higher risk of thyroid disease. The Wurtsmith Air Museum is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving the history of Wurtsmith Air Force Base and aviation in Northeastern Michigan. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan.It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. [1] This meant that they could be flying a mission supporting a fighter squadron in Iraq, then be redirected to refuel a bomber squadron over Saudi Arabia, then fly back to Spain to land. [1] On the first Wednesday the, fresh flight crew would relive the current flight crew in the bunkers. 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. Report also stated that the Oscoda Michigan gunnery field was very rough and sandy and notoriously hard on wheels, landing gears etc. What us the compensation for this? I will try and highlight some of the most interesting aircraft and their stories!. Mr. Norton experienced this first hand while being station at Wurtsmith Air Force Base when he had his Squadron Commander help him hang drywall in his house. Anyone know the status on this? Im slowly working my way up from 1924 to the present. One example of this is autocross racing. [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. 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. [5] The B-52s did not get to travel nearly as much as the KC-135s. [1] This was further broken down by marital status. What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed? Home - Wurtsmith Air Museum Someone who works in a place that uses these chemicals and is exposed to them can have up to 100 parts per million, or 0.01%, in their blood. This would cause some big problems for the fish and other life that lives beneath the surface. They want the site to remain a memorial divers can visit. This gave the Army operations the opportunity to begin creating the base we know today. [5] One crew flew 29, mission out of Jeddah, setting the record for most missions flew by a bomber, crew in theater. DISCLAIMER: Information displayed on U.S. The runways were aligned NE/SW, E/W, and NW/SE. Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport - Ready to launch | Business View Magazine Wurtsmith Air Force base was one of fivenorthern tier bases in the Strategic Air Commands arsenal. At this time Wurtsmith Air Force Base was still part of theStrategic Air Commands bomber fleet. The brown tint is (mostly) caused by scale build up in the pipes being knocked loose. On June 30, , 1993 the 379th Bomb Wing was disbanded and Wurtsmith Air Force Base was closed. I have had many other health issues since and have recently found all of this. [5] While the 379thBomb Wing was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base they were part of the ReadyAlert Nuclear Strike Force. 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. Kelly mentioned she'd been thinking about getting . At the time, George was a hub of F-4 Phantom fighter jets and OV-10 Bronco reconnaissance planes. There were four planes, and I was watching them from our front window, as I usually do when theyre engaged in gunnery practice. This is a short video about the small museum located at the decommissioned Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda Mi.http://www.rv-project.com [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. Heart condition, prostate cancer, diabetic, sometimes confused in making decisions. This could be from hydrant flushing or a water main break.