Jump to content
MrsSurvival Discussion Forums

How sad that so many never get it.....


Trip

Recommended Posts

 

 

 

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by

civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes,

forgetting that it was there long before they were.

 

A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the

back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the

local paper complaining about a group of F-16's that disturbed their

day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke

AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

 

 

 

 

The complaint:

'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at

precisely 9:11 A.M., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass

over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500

feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the 'Tom Cruise-wannabe's feel we

need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's

early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.'

 

 

The response:

 

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):

 

On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship fly-by

of F-16's from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over

the grave of Capt... Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer

who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on

May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a.m.on June 15, his family and friends gathered

at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.

 

Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly-by, and because of the jet noise,

I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of Taps, or my words to the

widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on

behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen

and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.

 

A four-ship fly-by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to

those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional

aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed

was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

 

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?

The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your

thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you,

for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of

their lives.

 

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you.....Jesus

Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul and liberty; the

other for your natural freedom.

 

(signed) Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

 

 

Link to comment

According to a source I checked, the complainant did read the Lt. Col.'s response, wrote a follow up letter and apologized.

 

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/l/lukeafb.htm

 

Summary of the eRumor:

 

A letter to the editor of a local newspaper near Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. It complains about jet noise from a group of F-16s. It asks "Whom do we thank for the morning air show?" An Air Force officer wrote a response that said you could thank the widow and parents of an airman who was killed and who was being honored by the formation of jets.

 

The Truth:

 

This exchange of letters to the editor was published in the Arizona Republic newspaper in June, 2005.

 

Luke Air Force Base is located west of Phoenix near Glendale, Arizona.

 

The original complaint letter was published in the newspaper on June 23 and was written by Tom MacRae.

 

The response that is included in the eRumor was penned by Lt. Col. Scott Pleus, the commanding officer of the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke, and published on June 28. In it, he explained that the flyby was in honor of a fallen airman, Captain Jeremy Fresques, who died in Iraq.

 

McRae wrote a follow-up letter to the newspaper that was published on July 9 in which he apologized for his original complaint:

 

I read with increasing embarrassment and humility the response to my

unfortunate letter to The Republic concerning an Air Force flyby ("A

wake-up call from Luke's jets," Letters, June 23).

 

I had no idea of the significance of the flyby, and would never have

insulted such a fine and respectful display had I known.

 

I have received many calls from the fine airmen who are serving or have

served at Luke, and I have attempted to explain my side and apologized

for any discomfort my letter has caused.

 

This was simply an uninformed citizen complaining about noise.

 

I have been made aware in both written and verbal communications of the

four-ship flyby, and my heart goes out to each and every lost serviceman

and woman in this war in which we are engaged.

 

I have been called un-American by an unknown caller and I feel that I

must address that. I served in the U.S. Navy and am a Vietnam veteran. I

love my country and respect the jobs that the service organizations are

doing.

 

Please accept my heartfelt apologies.

 

Tom MacRae, Peoria

 

Captain Fresques died on May 30, 2005. He was one of four American airmen who were killed in the crash of an Iraqi air force Comp Air 7SL during a training mission in Iraq. The Iraqi pilot was also killed in the crash. Fresques was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron in Florida although he had at one time been chief of communications and information for the 56th Communications Squadron at Luke Air Force Base.

 

Link to comment

We live near Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson...just outside the Craycroft entrance. We have daily training going on directly over our home. Each time I hear/see our military honing their skills to protect our country, I offer a small prayer for those pilots, as well as those serving in harm's way. I served for 8 years ('72-'80) in the Navy and was very appreciative of those who prayed for us.

We hear similar complaints about the noise, as well of the safety of those who live under the flight path for landing and take-offs. I agree...the base was here first and those who choose to live in the vicinity should have realized the possibility of noise before they bought the place! An elementary school even 'closed its doors' because it was thought to be unsafe for the students. Why didn't the 'powers that be' think of all this before the location was even approved for building?

That's what I don't get it!

There are now a lot of homes being built around the south borders of the base...won't be long before petitions start firing up. We've survived base closures in the past, but who knows how much longer that'll happen.

 

"If ignorance is bliss, there should be a lot of happy people out there!"

Link to comment

I am a navy aviation veteran. I worked with parachutes and lots of survival and oxygen gear for our pilots and crews planes. I grew up with experimental aviation and small planes and watching Howard Hughes' big Guppy's taking off at the Santa Barbara airport.

I sure know what it takes to fly planes, especially those that affects our security at home and abroad. Right now we have an especially strong need for our pilots to be on top of things, to be able to maneuver and train. We have commercial pilots having to deal with more emergencies again, residents need to understand ... it goes so much deeper than just noise above our heads! I get so sick of all these 'modern' rules and such. They should be glad they are so well protected. They are protected so they can raise a ruckus I guess... and if they really don't like it, then they should move out of that neighborhood!

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.