Who should I contact about this. The drainage system was completed last summer. I was stationed at El Toro 93-97 and had a child will I was there that has autism. With so many reports and studies of environmental issues around the bases and their potential effects on human health, the VA must step up to bring a change and compensate their service members after retirement. 27 June. Another one of my sons born at El Toro, had a collapsed bowel at the age of four-months and narrowly survived. 40 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, approx. You just need to claim your condition was caused by the water or even connected to your military service. James M. Montgomery Engineers, Inc. 1988. . The longtime Marine Corps Air Station, . We know people dumped TCE and other chemicals on the ground. Don't know if I've got any ailments yet from there, but I just Retired from MCAS Miramar in 2012. Frankly, I wish we could move faster. MCAS Tustin, located in Tustin and Irvine, CA, consisted of approximately 1,600 acres. Similarly, 11 such sites have been identified at the Tustin base. Salem-News.com's John Uldrich, Bob O'Dowd and Tim King at MCAS Tustin in 2009. However, after reports of groundwater contamination, the military base closed in 1999. If so, can anyone imagine how much jet fuel might have seeped into the ground? MzNiMWUyMWFjNmQxMWEyNzcwZmNjYTAzNTg4ZDVjNTQ1NzZjOTQ2MDcwNDE0 In the early 1980s, residential and commercial areas sprung up opposite the station. Since my last post I have been notified by my primary care physician that I have chronic liver disease. shall have the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.1. Reuse Plan S. R. Holm Jr., attired in freshly pressed dress blues, listened intently until it was his turn to speak. Roger Butow has pointed to the fact that the system at MCAS El Toro to remove the TCE contamination from the groundwater, captures the toxic liquid and discharges it raw and untreated into the Pacific Ocean through an outfall pile a short distance off the coast of South Laguna. Former MCAS Tustin was extensively used for agriculture prior to being commissioned in 1942 for a lighter-than-air patrol base and re-commissioned in 1951 to support helicopter operations. The primary mission of MCAS Miramar is to maintain and operate facilities, and to provide services and material to support the operations of the 3d Marine Air Wing and the other tenant organizations. We havent always been the best neighbor when it comes to taking care of the environment, Holm said. A view of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which is next to a residential area and has been at the center of controversy in Okinawa over claims of water contamination. ZDc1ODgwN2VhNzk5ZWZjNjUwOGUwZTU3Zjc1ZmYyZmVlOGJiNWRlZTIwZjBi A total of 25 potentially contaminated areas were identified on the Air Station, including four landfills suspected of containing both hazardous and solid waste, and other areas where polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), battery acids, leaded fuels, and other hazardous substances were suspected of being dumped or spilled. i was stationes in both places between 1993-1998. NTIwMGEwOTg5NzA5YzA2MTc4NWFjMDE3ZDc4M2Y2MDBkNDliMTVhNWNhMDA0 Fortunately, todays Marine is much more sensitive to the environment than 10 years ago. As I recall, it was finally determined that there was a major underground leak and it was stopped in the next few days. Like his compatriots . Digestive issues, every piece of cartridge and joint in my body is ravaged! Please pass this story to all Marines who may have served at any of the 3rd Marine Air Wing bases and let's continue to bring people onto the same page. Holms remarks, some say, reflect the U.S. Marine Corps gradual change of attitude toward environmental issues. Start contacting your elected officials today and demand an investigation! PFAS at Former MCAS Tustin and Its Health Effects One of the primary contaminants found by EPA at the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was PFAS, polyfluoroalkyl substances. Any property that lies within the boundaries of the Site . . 14. The list goes on and on, the various chemicals are cancer-causing, the types of cancer vary. Location: California, United States. I was stationed at LTA 1963-1964. We normally used large fuel bags or fuel pods for these tactical operations as they were portable, so this was a hybrid or bastardized version of our normal operation, but it worked. Since the death of Ray, Laura became a VA benefit advocate encouraging vets to apply for compensation. In late 1991, the City of Tustin was selected as the Lead Agency, or Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), and was charged with preparing the required reuse planning documents. The Site Management Plan (SMP) details the activities to address the known or suspected residual contamination on the "Site", defined as a portion of MCAS, Tustin, ~805.5 acres, and is further described as Tract No. Orange County residents were shocked by the 28 February 2012 Los Angeles Times article by Nicole Santa Cruz, titled: 'Toxic chemical found under O.C. The base is used by approximately 9,500 active-duty personnel, 6,500 family members, and more than 1,700 civilian employees. t.dvorak@sbcglobal.net. Is there a connection? But they argue that more tests are needed to link the ground water contamination at the air station with that found under Irvine. I was stationed from 1973-75. but also was responsible for the ground support equipment for HMM-362 3dMaw MCAF. Six months after the VA released the benefits, Ray died. Established in 1942, the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin is a former US Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County, California. ODVlZmNiMWM1ZmVhZjBlNDM1MzlmOTFkYjU3ODdhZjg4ZTY3NmZhZmExNjlh This is in stark contrast to Irvine's handling of MCAS El Toro, which they have billed as a future park and housing community, for which it is vastly unfit as a dangerously toxic, EPA Superfund site. Trouble is, this is a big place, and people forget that were like a small city. Lucky I was still active duty and was medically retired a year later. MzZlY2E1NTdjNGE4ZjBiNzViMmRmNjk5ZDRhNWI0MzBjYzBhNDgyMmEwYjkx example, in the 1940s, aircraft refurbishing included the use solvents during degreasing activities. Posted in Uncategorized. For years, one person monitored the handling and disposal of tons of hazardous materials and wastes at both air stations. The Marine Corps took over operations in 1951. never found a link as to my daughters leukemia. I now suffer non-reversible Lung disease COPD level 4. If it receives Superfund status, EPA officials will then oversee inspection, cleanup and monitoring of any hazardous waste sites on base, including the TCE-contaminated ground water. This base was one of the main aviation support facilities on the West Coast. Most of these heroes were denied benefits by the VA. The DRMO was the storage area for containerized liquids, scrap, and salvage materials from El Toro and MCAS Tustin. The extremely quick and secretive cleanup or coverup I should say was driven by greed of developers wanting the property, coupled with the Dept. Thanks to Tim King for his informative research and reporting! ok We use cookies on our website to allow you the best possible service. NGNiNWE0MzY3NTFiMGMxZWEyNTA2YTM5ODIyNTJkODJlY2NlYTU0NjlmODA5 Unfortunatly, only one hangar (#1) was marked as an Historical Landmark by the gov't. Therefore, hangar 2 will be demolished. YjY5OWIyYjNkZGU0M2Q5NDc4MGJkYjAzOTNiMDkwMzE0Mzk1ZGE3MmFjNzJh It cant hurt to check it out. It is time for the USMC/USN/DOD and the VA to acknowledge the fact that they knowingly exposed all of us to these carcinogens and take responsibility much the way they did LeJeune. Seated in the front row, Navy Capt. From the article, Irvine Great Park CEO Michael D. Ellzey: Is This Man An Imposter? NzJjNWY5NTViYjBjOWRiY2IzNTEyMGY4OGU2YWFiMTFlYWY4YTFlYTRlZDEx In late 1991, the City of Tustin was selected as the Lead Agency, or Local Redevelopment Authority ( LRA ), and was charged with preparing the required reuse planning documents. I live near Tustin and have commented to my wife that I cannot believe they let homes be built around the base. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared Marine Corps Air Station Yuma a Superfund site in 1990 because the use of asbestos around the base had led to soil contamination. 17026 in the City of Tustin as recorded in the County (TLCP) ownership. The main contaminant is TCE - trichloroethylene, a chemical degreaser that was used to clean jet fighters. On July 3, 1999, MCAS Tustin was officially closed, 57 years after the base and its iconic hangars arose from the farm fields of Orange County. Some of my Marine Corps friends have died, some have lost children, many simply can not be located. Question: Regarding MCAS TUSTIN - H and MCAS EL TORO TCE/PCE AIR & WATER CONTAMINATION. Although the Tustin U.S. Marine Corps Air Station closed in 1999 it has left behind astonishingly high levels of contamination. The VA has done very little to assist me in finding out what is going in. Irvine Mayor Larry Agran has been accused of any number of improprieties relating to El Toro's missing millions of dollars in development funds. Having served there for 5 years until the shutdown and our relocation to San Diego, I began experiencing major digestion issues 2 years after being stationed on El Toro. All the asbestos-contaminated soil was removed by 2001, and cleanup at the Yuma station continued with a focus on groundwater contamination. MDM5ODZhMDIwNTM1YmEyZWRhNDViNDk5ZjZmN2MzMjgyNmU2Y2UyOWIzMGY1 In 1984 I was diagnosed with an ulcer after several years of unknown stomach problems. Deadly Toxic Chemicals From Marine Base Threaten Irvine Neighborhoods Tim King Salem-News.com A legacy of deadly, hazardous waste from a closed Marine air base is quietly invading parts of Orange County, California. It does seem like the city is being somewhat transparent in dealing with the toxic matter and while that is the least they can do, it is still noticeably better in spirit than Irvine as noted in this article. what is our government doing to help us??? By the 1970s, the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin provided support services to the infantry stationed at Pendleton base. But the Marines are changing their ways. Thanks. The evidence was troubling: A vast pool of underground water, stretching more than 3 miles from the edge of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to the heart of residential Irvine, had been contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical. The underground pipes that fed the fuel from the tank to the flightline had gone south. The aquifer is a pocket of porous rock near the earths surface where water collects. As for help from the VA one can only hope. Their findings, released earlier this year, showed the existence of one large plume of TCE-contaminated ground water nearly 3 miles long and half a mile wide that stretches from the El Toro base to a point halfway between Jeffrey Road and Culver Drive, in the Woodbridge area of Irvine. I have a number of medical issues that the VA is trying to tell me I was born with, but, why were they not found while I was in service? For many years, the US military leased more than 500 acres surrounding the Tustin ranch road base for agricultural purposes. Ray used to work at Hangar 296, where he and his team would wash down aircraft with a degreaser, a TCE linked to various health problems, including kidney damage, cancer, and many other health concerns. I was stationed at Tustin with H&MS-16 Aviation Ordnance from 1984-1988. I work, ate, drink and lived on base. All C-section to save their lives. Now my Mother has it and I am showing beginning signs. U.S. military officials say the fee is a tax, and that federal agencies are exempt from local and state taxes. I agree with the post by Phillip, the common practices, dumping and spills, no protection, ect. It appears increasingly to be the case. I was discharged in July 1980. I currently have been diagnosed with an accessory spleen on the tail of my pancreas. The main property, located largely within the City of Tustin . Now has early parkinson his va physician feels is from tce use. I was an MP, I closed MCAS Tustin down in 1999. The DoD began widespread testing for contamination in drinking water at its facilities in 2016 . Therefore, the Marine Corps had . Generated by Wordfence at Wed, 18 Jan 2023 19:25:33 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. All of these bases have great historical significance to the country and So. During the Vietnam War, Tustin became a training ground for US troops, crew chiefs, aircraft pilots, gunners, and other military personnel destined for Vietnam. Date Posted: 1/23/2009 10:59:23 AM. When he stood, surprisingly, he had no counterattack, only a conciliatory offering. The Defense Department needs to notify veterans, dependents and civilian workers of the contaminants and their health effects at EPA Superfund sites. Navy contractors performed much of this work also, and all of the results are filed on the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) EnviroStor Website. 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