The wurtsmith air museum is seen on the grounds of the decommissioned wurtsmith air force base in oscoda on wednesday, march 23, 2016. The site of wurtsmith air force base is located 2 miles northwest of oscoda, michigan, about 150 miles north of detroit. The f86 sabre jet was manufactured by north american aviation and it was stationed at wurtsmith afb during the 1950s. From here, we could launch fighters, bombers and nuclear weapons, he says. Paul was educated at holy redeemer grammar school and cass technical high school in detroit. I n t e g r i t y s e r v i c e e x c e l l e n c e. Whitehead, commander of the fifth and far eastern air forces during and after world war. Historical wafb information picture of wurtsmith air museum. Wurtsmith air museum oscoda 2020 all you need to know. Oscoda michigan strategic air commando townlake huronhistorical imagesair forceplaces ive. With worldclass production and customer support, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Wurtsmith afb, located 2 miles west of oscoda, michigan, had its beginning in 1923 as a landing area for army airplanes from selfridge field near detroit. 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. Veterans who drank poison in oscoda are getting a second look.
September 8, 1958 two b52s collide over the town of airway heights near fairchild afb. Wurtsmith air museum consists of three hangars, located at oscodawurtsmith airport. Tce was first discovered in wurtsmith drinking water in 1977. Wurtsmith air force base military history of the upper great lakes. Mar 23, 2016 former wurtsmith afb community meeting david strainge paul rekowski. This material has been contributed to the whoa archives by its members and is provided as a service to our membership. Wurtsmith air museum consists of three hangars, located at oscoda wurtsmith airport.
Wurtsmith air force base project gutenberg selfpublishing. History wurtsmith air force base, michigan, served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70year history. It was still unknown which f86 jet model it was or when the crash occurred. Wurtsmith is a strategic air command base located three miles northwest of oscoda. Wurtsmith air force base is a decommissioned united states air force base in iosco county, michigan. Here is an original edition of the 1964 wurtsmith memorial school yearbook the fledgling. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down.
Jan 19, 2019 tce became widely known during the woburn, mass. Time line factoid 1 nov 1962 379th amms activated 30 jun 1974 379th amms deactivated. This is a overview picture of the oscoda wurthsmith air force base this is. To submit a unit please use the submit a photo or story form. Wurtsmith was a prime target from a russian point of view, shelton says. From humble beginnings in the 1920s as a aircraft gunnery range, to its status as a vital member of our strategic defense, wurtsmith air force base has distinguished itself as an important part of our. His last assignment before attending air command and staff college, maxwell afb, alabama, was as a member of the air warfare center staff at nellis afb, nevada. No defense explores pfas pollution on the former wurtsmith air. Lloyd webb was telling how he got the idea from a wwii nose art book and. Keeping wurtsmith afb and aviation history of ne mi alive opens on armed. After i retired i stayed with the af and the tinker afb depot unit working the b52h retiring in 2015 so i started on the buff in 1973 and finished my af career in 2015. October 15, 1959 a usaf b52f100bo, 57036, collides with kc5 tanker, 5715, over hardinsberg, kentucky, crashes with two nuclear weapons on board. Brooks citybase was officially closed september 15, 2011. The old crow express, the final b52g to leave wurtsmith air force base in 1992 photo courtesy of martyn swan.
Wurtsmith air force base oscoda, michigan military. The wing moved to wurtsmith afb without equipment in january, 1961. Wurtsmith air force base after michigan world war ii hero maj. Today brooks is one of 40 former installations managed by the air force civil engineer center in san antonio, texas. Wafb began operations in 1923, under the name of camp skeel, and was officially named the wurtsmith air force base in 1953. We are honoring all deactivated units in this section. At the same time that plans were being prepared at loring for the return of the intruder, things started to break open at wurtsmith air force base, michigan, another of the northern tier bases that were put on a security option three alert. School started fairly early in the morning around 7 or 7. It was renamed camp skeel in 1924, for world war i pilot captain burt e. As previously stated, there is a museum open to the public which has artifacts and information on the bases history. Since 1994, the wurtsmith air museum has upheld the mission of preserving the history of the history of wurtsmith air force base an integral part of the us. The whoa archives consist of reproduced, reprinted or copied material related to wurtsmith memorial schools and wagner high school, clark ab, and the philippines. The base was renamed wurtsmith air force base in 1953 after michigan native major general paul wurtsmith, who was killed when his tb25j27nc mitchell, 4430227, crashed near cold mountain, north carolina in september 1946. Wurtsmith air force base, a brief history and life on post.
Ellis is the mobilization assistant to the commander, eighth air force, and deputy commander, jointglobal strike operations center at barksdale air force base, louisiana. The old crow express, the final b52g to leave wurtsmith air force base in 1992. Paul bernard wurtsmith 9 august 1906 september 1946 was a united states army air forces general during world war ii enlisting in the united states army. Keeping wurtsmith afb and aviation history of ne mi alive opens on armed forces day in may, hosts a welcome home. Air force unit assigned to support a nato strike mission of the 116th combat wing of the hellenic. There is a lot of open runways still today that can be rented out for a multitude of events. The base is located in oscoda, iosco county, michigan.
The mighty eighth is the numbered air force responsible for the services bomber force and airborne nuclear command and control assets. One hangar includes a wurtsmith room filled with donated pictures and memorabilia from wafb history, numerous historicalmilitary displays and a gift shop. Wurtsmith air force base is a decommissioned united states air force base in iosco county. Mar 18, 2018 wurtsmith afb was my first assignment out of tech school at keesler as an a1c. The history of wurtsmith afb indicates that f86s were used by the 63rd fighter interceptor squadron between january 1951and august 1955. It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. In october of 1962 during the cuban missile crisis, shelton remembers what wurtsmith was like operating at defcon 2, one short of wartime conditions. Wurtsmith air force base is a decommissioned united. I am a member of the wurtsmith air museum but traveled from virginia this summer to spend time in the museum.
Over a period of about three weeks in october and november of 1975, several strategic air command sac bases in the northern tier states were placed on a high priority security option 3 alert because of repeated intrusions of unidentified aircraft flying at low altitude over atomic weapons storage areas. Feds to reopen 16yearold report on wurtsmith air force base. Mdhhs former wurtsmith air force base, iosco county. Marjorie gay karbginsky our son and daughter were born there too. We dont yet know full extent of wurtsmith air base. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. Wurtsmith afb oscoda michigan, oscoda, strategic air command. Wurtsmith afb 4427n 8322w wurtsmith air force base is an inactive installation that formerly operated as an aircraft training facility. Wurtsmith air force base oscoda, michigan military base. I was actually doing research for a book about drinking water in.
My other sac assignments were 305th fms at grissom afb, 6th strat wing at eielson afb and the 43rd fms at anderson afb. In 1953, it was formally named for michigans world war ii hero, major general paul b. When i was stationed there in the 1980s wurtsmith was an elementary school. Thirteen crew members are killed, while three survive. The wurtsmith air museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of wurtsmith air force base and avaiation in michigan. Wurtsmith afb and its contamination military history of the. Wurtsmith air force base, michigan alumni public group. We moved to the wurtsmith facility near the base perimeter halfway through my 19591960 eighth grade year and i believe that they built wagner high in the school area that i first attended. Welcome to the wafb historical site dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of wurtsmith air force base and the units assigned there. King salman air base saudi arabia kleine brogel air base belgium kunsan ab republic of korea. Wurtsmith afb remembering wurtsmith wurtsmith afb 1923. Whitehead on a fishing trip there would not have been an air force base in oscoda michigan. I started out as a personnel specialist in airman records, then officer records, and finally in promotions and testing. More detail appeared in reports of sightings on oct.
Aug 18, 2016 wafb began operations in 1923, under the name of camp skeel, and was officially named the wurtsmith air force base in 1953. K1 air base erbil, iraq kabul international airport afghanistan kandahar airfield afghanistan key field air national guard base. This yearbook covers all grades kindergarten to high school. Paul bernard wurtsmith was born in detroit, michigan, on 9 august 1906, the eldest of three sons of fred bernard wurtsmith, a railroad engineer on the pere marquette railroad, and his wife ella. The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is east ta which is approximately miles away and has an elevation of 586 feet 34 feet lower than wurtsmith air force base historical. Historical wafb information picture of wurtsmith air. I remember when my wife and i first arrived at the base, they put us up in a resort cabin on lake huron. It is about the historical contamination and bases like wurtsmith all across the. Wurtsmith air force base 174 executive summary wurtsmith air force base is located in northeastern iosco county and covers a 5,223acre area located on the northeastern part of michigans lower peninsula, approximately 2 miles west of lake huron. The wurtsmith air force base a very important air force base in michigan during second world war. Alan kamuda, detroit free press connect tweet linkedin.
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. Wurtsmith air force base served primarily as a combat crew and bomber training base throughout its 70year history. Later renamed brooks citybase in 2002, the base was recommended for closure by the defense base realignment and closure commission in 2005. Apr 12, 2018 after seeing their towns magnificent waters tarnished and neighbors getting sick, more and more people in oscoda, michigan are starting to speak out against a system that is failing to accomplish what they want most. Wurtsmith air force base oscoda, mi civilian exposure.
Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the dates you. Delivery of the b52 operational bomber named state of michigan marked. Wurtsmith air force base has been an integral part of the united states air force from the 1920s to june 3rd 1993. In 2012, the michigan department of health and human services mdhhs issued a do not eat fish advisory for all fish caught from clarks marsh and for resident fish in the lower au sable river, south of the former wurtsmith air force base. Clark air base philippines wurtsmith high school yearbook. Redesignated the 379th bombardment wing, heavy, on january 9, 1961. Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest official weather station. The land surface is a fivemile wide plain bounded on the west by 80foot high bluffs. After all of that great history, the wurtsmith air force base is still standing as a place that is visited by a plethora of people. Wurtsmith predated wagner high school at clark air base.
Wurtsmith memorial schools and wagner high school whoa. Wurtsmith afb and its contamination military history of. Since its establishment in 1923, wurtsmith played an important role in world war ii, vietnam and the persian gulf war, hosting the 4th army air force base fighter unit and 379th bombardment wing respectively. Post script one of the wurtsmith high school student newspapers. Delivery of the b52h to operational units began on may 9, 1961 when the 379th bombardment wing at wurtsmith afb in michigan received its first aircraft.
The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. It received b52s and kc5s and began conducting strategic bombarding training and refueling operations. This area was formerly part of wurtsmith air force base where jet fighters were once housed. After seeing their towns magnificent waters tarnished and neighbors getting sick, more and more people in oscoda, michigan are starting to speak out against a system that is failing to accomplish what they want most.
Nov 17, 2017 after all of that great history, the wurtsmith air force base is still standing as a place that is visited by a plethora of people. Air force b52 crashes on takeoff at fairchild afb near spokane, washington. Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as loudreames aviation field, a softsurface landing site for army air corps aircraft from selfridge field. The 7061st munitions support group was one of a number of designations for the u.
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