Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U . S . state of Michigan . The former base includes located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda , bordered by Van Ettan Lake , the Au Sable State Forest . History . Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as Loud - Reames Aviation Field , a soft - surface landing site for Army Air Corps aircraft from Selfridge Field . It was renamed Camp Skeel in 1924 , for World War I pilot Captain Burt E . Skeel , and was used as an aerial gunnery range and for winter maneuvers 1924 through 1944 by the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Army Air Base near Detroit . During those winter maneuvers the army pilots and mechanics battled snow squalls and bitter cold temperatures to get the engines of the planes started . Oil was heated in drums over open fires of pitchpine and then poured into the engines . Crews then worked fast to get the engines running before the oil congealed . No self - starters were available on those early planes so engines were cranked by hand by swinging the propellers . Aviation gasoline to refuel the planes was hauled across the ice - covered lake on a six - foot hand sled which held two barrels . After 1927 the field was also used for aerial gunnery practice . World War II . Three 5000 ' x 150 ' hard - surface concrete runways aligned NE / SW , E / W and NW / SE were built in 1942 and the camp was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field . The airfield was placed under III Fighter Command jurisdiction on 2 September 1942 and the 100th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron was activated at Oscoda AAF on 31 October 1942 . The mission of the field was an auxiliary airfield of Selfridge Army Air Base for the defense of Saulte Sainte Marie and the Straits of Mackinac . The airfield was declared excess by Third Air Force in December 1942 and turned over to Air Service Command and placed on standby status . Third Air Force reactivated the field in March 1943 as a field for training black aviators . The 332d Fighter Group was moved from Selfridge AAB up to the primitive facilities due to racial tensions between the aviators and the local population in Detroit . Jurisdiction of the base was transferred back to First Air Force on 14 August 1943 . The group remained at Oscoda until the end of December training black aviators and once graduated , they would be deployed to Italy where they joined several black fighter squadrons under Twelfth Air Force . Beginning in July 1944 , with the closure of Blackstone Army Airfield , Virginia , it was used to train Free French Air Force ( French : Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres , FAFL ) pilots under the 134th Army Air Forces Base Unit . On 12 July 1944 the arrival of one French lieutenant and 34 enlisted flying students on 17 July , followed shortly by the almost complete transfer of personnel from Blackstone AAF , started a new era of activity at the base . In three months , base personnel figures more than doubled . Under this new setup , the 134th AAF Base Unit ( Fighter ) consisted of four sections : Medical , Supply , Administrative and the French group . A training program was set up that consisted of subjects designed to prepare personnel for shipment to combat zones . Subjects ranged from gas warfare to first aid , and classroom instructed was supplemented by field exhibits , movies , and lectures . The Free French Air Force pilots also went through an intensive period of advanced aerial training , after which they were sent to the French Army Air Forces Staging Area at Bolling Field , Washington , D . C . and from there to a Free French Air Force reception center for assignment to operational squadrons engaged in combat . In the course of one three - month period during that year , more than 125 fliers received gunnery training , through the Gunairstructor , the Range Estimation Trainer , aid the Deflection Trainer . During the subsequent months the mission of the base was broadened even further , to include combat crew training . By October 1944 , 93 French army personnel completed the required training . On 12 April 1945 a bulletin was received from First Air Force re - designating Oscoda AAF as a sub - group of Selfridge , and directing that Oscoda be utilized in the future as a bombing and gunnery range by Selfridge Field . Training of the French pilots ended and most USAAF personnel were transferred out . Continental Air Command . Jurisdiction of Oscoda AAF was transferred to Continental Air Command on 16 April 1945 and ConAC subsequently designated Oscoda as a sub - base Selfridge Field . It was placed in inactive status on 31 December 1945 , and for the next several years , the station operated as a transient aircraft stopover . The base was again reactivated as a primary installation on 20 February 1947 , although it remained in a standby status by ConAC . In late 1950 , an Air Defense Command Radar unit , the 754th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron arrived at Oscoda while its permanent facilities at Port Austin Air Force Station were under construction . It moved out on 20 July 1951 . Air Defense Command . The base became a permanent installation on 1 January 1951 when the United States Air Force designated it as a fighter - interceptor training base for the Air Defense Command ' s ( ADC ) . Much construction was necessary to bring the World War II training base up to postwar Air Force standards . In 1951 additional land surrounding the base was appropriated for military facilities and extended runways . A jet runway ( 6 / 24 ) was laid down along with accompanying taxiways , concrete block buildings and other support facilities to replace the temporary wooden World War II structures that were viewed as substandard for a permanent Air Force base . The base was renamed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953 after Michigan native Major General Paul Wurtsmith , who was killed when his TB - 25J - 27 - NC Mitchell , " 44 - 30227 " , crashed near Cold Mountain , North Carolina in September 1946 . Wurtsmith AFB was considered a vital Air Defense Command base , an alert - status military base equipped with interceptors ready 24 / 7 to respond to unknown aircraft picked up by Ground Control Radar stations in the Great Lakes region . Upon activation , Wurtsmith - based interceptors were directed to intercept unknown aircraft by ADC ground control Radars at Willow Run AFS ( P - 23 ) ; Selfridge AFB ( P - 20 ) ; Port Austin AFS ( P - 61 ) ; Alpena AFS ( M - 105 ) ; Empire AFS ( P - 34 ) , and Sault Sainte Marie AFS ( P - 66 ) , and the interceptors were under the command of the 56th Fighter - Interceptor Wing at Selfridge AFB , Eastern Air Defense Force , ADC . The initial interceptor squadron assigned to Wurtsmith was the 63d Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , assigned on 1 May 1951 and equipped with North American F - 86A Sabre s and was upgraded to the more - capable F - 86F Sabre in December 1952 . On 6 February 1952 , the 4706th Defense Wing at O ' Hare International Airport , Illinois , replaced the 56th FIW as the Command and Control organization for Wurtsmith AFB . At that time , intercepts by the 63d FIS were directed by a manual direction center ( P - 23 ) at Willow Run AFS which received radar data from a wider series of search and height surveillance radars in the Great Lakes Area . In May 1954 the first true ADC - dedicated interceptor , the F - 86D Sabre was received by the 63d FIS , and the highly - capable Northrup F - 89D Scorpion in January 1955 . The squadron was moved to O ' Hare International Airport , near Chicago on 18 August 1955 in an ADC reorganization . With the reorganization , the 412th Fighter Group was activated at Wurtsmith under the 4708th Air Defense Wing at Selfridge AFB . In 1958 a Semi Automatic Ground Environment ( SAGE ) Data Center ( DC - 06 ) was established at Custer AFS . The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense , intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack . The interceptors at Wurtsmith came under the command and control of DC - 06 for direction and guidance to unknown aircraft within the region . With the transfer of Wurtsmith to Strategic Air Command jurisdiction on 1 Apr 1960 , ADC phased down its presence to a tenant organization . The 412th Fighter Group was inactivated on 1 April 1960 . The 18th FIS was reassigned to the 478th Fighter Group at Grand Forks AFB , ND on 1 May 1960 , leaving the 31st FIS as a single ADC interceptor squadron at the base . During the 1960s and early 1970s , ADC retained an alert posture on Wurtsmith with an air defense interceptor force for the Great Lakes area : Strategic Air Command use . The Strategic Air Command ' s 4026th Strategic Wing was activated at Wurtsmith on 1 August 1958 . The 4026th SW was a B - 52 ' s dispersal wing , a part of SAC ' s plan to disperse its big bombers over a larger number of bases , thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike . The 920th Refueling Group ' s KC - 135 Stratotanker s were transferred to the 4026th from Turner AFB , Georgia in July 1960 . It was inactivated on 9 January 1961 . SAC ' s 40th Air Division was reactivated in July 1959 and assigned to Eighth Air Force with headquartered at Wurtsmith AFB . The Division was the parent unit of four SAC wings and advisor to three Aerial Reserve Force units . The Division ' s mission was to supervise and monitor the operation of the 379th and 410th Bombardment Wings , the 305th Aerial Refueling Wing , the 351st Strategic Missile Wing , the 128th Aerial Refueling Group , and the 931st Aerial Refueling Group . SAC also began to extended the runway to 12 , 000 feet in 1959 to better accommodate the B - 52 . Along with the runway extension , a " Christmas Tree " alert pad area was constructed on the north side of the 24 runway end to accommodate 9 alert aircraft , and a " Mole Hole " , where alert crews would live on shifts ready to man the alert aircraft and take off within a few minutes notice . On 1 Apr 1960 , jurisdiction of Wurthsmith was transferred from Air Defense Command to Strategic Air Command . The 379th Bombardment Wing became the Base Host Operating unit , being moved from Homestead AFB , Florida . On 9 May 1961 , the 524th Bombardment Squadron took delivery of its first new Boeing B - 52H Stratofortress , the " State of Michigan . " The 920th Air Refueling Squadron had arrived on 15 July 1960 with KC - 135 Stratotanker s that would refuel them in mid - air . The wing ' s B - 52Hs were the latest , and fastest of the B - 52s , the TF33 engines of the B - 52H offered 30 percent more thrust than the J57s of the G - model , even when the J57s were using water injection . A maximum thrust of 17 , 100 pounds could be delivered , producing much better airfield performance and an extra margin of safety during heavyweight takeoffs . For the B - 52H , the ground roll was about 500 feet less than that of the B - 52G . The TF33 was also much more economical , offering a notable improvement in range . Combat radius of the B - 52H was 4176 nautical miles with a 10 , 000 pound bomb load , as compared with only 3550 nautical miles for the B - 52G . The 379th and its subordinate units ' mission was to operate at full readiness , and support activities included aircraft and vehicle maintenance , bombing crew and unit training , and air refueling support . The wing did not deploy bomber aircraft to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War , as the B - 52H was dedicated to strategic deterrence . However , the tanker aircraft and aircrews participated in the " Young Tiger " TDY effort , and the bomber aircrews went through RTU ( Replacement Training Unit ) training to fly B - 52Ds out of Andersen AFB , Guam and U - Tapao RTAFB , Thailand and were active participants in many of the notable campaigns that took place in Southeast Asia such as Arc Light . In 1977 , the 379th exchanged their B - 52Hs for the conventional bomb capable B - 52G . In 1989 , the Air Force selected Wurtsmith as one of seven bases that would house LGM - 118A Peacekeeper ICBM Peacekeeper Rail Garrison . A Rail Garrison would address the survivability problem by which 25 trains , each with two missiles , would use the national railroad system to conceal themselves . It was intended that this system would become operational in late 1992 , but budgetary constraints and the changing international situation led to it being scrapped . In the early 1980s , Wurtsmith ' s B - 52Gs were modified to carry the Boeing AGM - 86 Air - Launched Cruise Missile ( ALCM ) . The ALCM was powered by a 600 lb . s . t . Williams F107 - WR - 100 turbofan , which is fed by an inlet which folds out on the top of the missile . The B - 52G could carry six AGM - 86Bs on each of the two underwing pylons . Retirement of the B - 52G began in the late 1980s in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ( START I ) , however the Gulf War of 1990 – 1991 resulted in a temporary delay in the inactivation of B - 52G units . Wurtsmith - based B - 52Gs were deployed to the 1708th Bombardment Wing ( Provisional ) , King Abdul Aziz Air Base , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia ( 5 Aircraft ) and the 801st Bombardment Wing ( Provisional ) , ( 8 Aircraft ) . The planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the air war . One plane flew 29 missions out of Jeddah , the most of any bomber crew in the theater . The aircraft returned to Michigan in March 1991 . Closure . The dissolution of the Soviet Union further accelerated B - 52G retirements and led the US Air Force to inactivate Strategic Air Command in 1992 . As a result , nearly all KC - 135 Stratotanker aircraft were transferred to the newly established Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) , while all B - 52 Stratofortress es , along with all B - 1 Lancer s , FB - 111 s , and the soon - to - be operational B - 2 Spirit s were transferred to the newly established Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . As a result of this action , Wurtsmith was also transferred to ACC control . Wurtsmith AFB closed on 30 June 1993 as a result of the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) process , which determined that the development of new weapons and long - range satellite surveillance systems rendered many installations unnecessary . On the morning of 15 December 1992 , the last B - 52G , AF Serial No . 57 - 6492 , the " Old Crow Express , " was flown to Davis - Monthan Air Force Base for storage . Current status . The Oscoda - Wurtsmith Airport became a public airport in 1993 . It now occupies a portion of the base and is primarily used for cargo and light general aviation . There is no scheduled airline service . The Airport offers 24 - hour near - all weather daily access . The former USAF air traffic control tower was demolished in 2002 . The airport ' s UNICOM frequency is 123 . 0 MHz , which doubles as a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency ( CTAF ) . Automated weather is available by monitoring the ASP VOR on 116 . 1 MHz or by telephone at ( 989 ) 739 – 1310 . Services are available through Oscoda Aviation Services at ( 989 ) 739 – 8486 . The Wurtsmith Base Conversion Authority terminated in 1994 , when the Charter Township of Oscoda took over as the Redevelopment Authority . The Authority was organized under Michigan Public Act 206 of 1957 . It has five municipal constituents : Oscoda Township , AuSable Township , Greenbush Township , Iosco County and Alcona County . The purpose of the Authority is generally to operate and maintain a public airport . The Michigan Legislature created the Wurtsmith Renaissance Zone in 1997 , which exempted businesses and residents of the 5 , 000 acre ( 20 km² ) zone from all state and most local taxes . Most of the former Air Force facilities remain . Sections of the World War II airfield remain as well as the wartime aircraft parking apron . Those facilities were used by Air Defense Command interceptors , with the ADC alert sheds remaining and a section of the Wartime NW / SE runway being converted into a taxiway for the interceptors to use for alert launches . ADC control and maintenance buildings remain intact , albeit unused . The Wurtsmith Division – Yankee Air Force Museum is housed in the old ADC alert facility . The SAC B - 52 alert facility and alert pads remain and are unused . The large parking ramp built by SAC for B - 52s and KC - 135s now is utilized by the Oscoda - Wurtsmith Airport as aircraft parking space , and some of the old SAC hangars also appear to be in use . Most of the ground station appears to be unused . About a third of the buildings appear to have been demolished , their foundations remaining . Another third have found new uses . The base athletic facilities remain in use ; Kalitta Air has a large operation at the airport . Other tenants at the former base include the Aune Medical Center , Alcona Health Center Dental Clinic , Alpena Community College , and numerous private businesses ; the remainder being unused , such as the former base commissary and exchange . The former military housing units have been refurbished by the Villages of Oscoda , and now serve as a major population base in the Oscoda area . Oscoda township ' s Robert J . Parks Public Library is located on the former base and is part of an eight - library cooperative in Iosco and Arenac counties . Adjacent is the Shoreline Players Theater , a stage theater for the performing arts , housed in a former movie theater . Environmental concerns . On 18 January 1994 , the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to add Wurtsmith Air Force Base to the National Priorities List . This would make the base a Superfund site . The proposal was driven by the discovery of contaminated groundwater on the base . Contaminants of primary concern include metals , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , and volatile organic compounds , including trichloroethylene , 1 , 1 - dichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 1 - trichloroethane , and vinyl chloride . Knowledge of the contaminated soil and groundwater have been known since 1977 , and cleanup efforts began before the Superfund program was created . In 1999 and 2001 , Soil vapor extraction systems were added to remove the volatile organic compounds from the site . Since 2004 , bioventing and biosparging systems have been cleaning the soil and groundwater as well .