Subject: Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ
Sometimes just a bit of clarity is needed...
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-16s that disturbed his/her 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 F orce 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-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird
special? Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m, a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s 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, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF
Note from Lucy: Sometimes we complain about the stupidest things...Thanks Bro. Sutton for sharing this with me. We all need to remember the men and women who defend our freedoms.....I had written a totally different blog for this week, but somehow I erased it by accident. This article came to mind and I figured that I was supposed to post this instead.
Have a great week everyone!
posted by Lucy Stern @ 1:49 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
By the time I finished reading this, I had chills. Thanks so much for sharing.
The one who complained reminded me of the little weasel of a professor in the movie, People Will Talk, the one who made a major investigation into the curious past of Dr. Pretorious. Near the end there was a line from the slow witted friend, the secondary target of the investigation. He looked at the weasel of a figure after everything had been explained and said to him, "It turns out you are even littler than you were before." or something close.
It seems like people are too quick to complain and only think of themselves. Luckily for us our servicemen aren't like that.
Wow, that was a great letter! Thanks for sharing that with us!
Unfortunately, we live in a society that has trained people to whine, complain, and litigate. And then litigate more.
Personal responsibility is slipping away as a core value.
It it unfortunate that many people take their freedom for granted and have a "it's all about me" attitude. What they forget is that they have agency to make choices, where they live, work, and shop being one of them. As events happen, how you react to them is all about your perspective. I'm sure there were many people elated to see the jets fly by.
Lucy ~ I love this one! ~THX! ~ jb///
you are really nice lucy to cut the military some slack, i appreciate you and all your good advice, some i never mention how it affecst my life....but thanks
That response truly was a stinger and a stunner!
I am amazed by the courage and steadfastness of our soldiers.
Thanks for sharing this.
:-)
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF deserves a promotion.
The person that wrote that complaint deserves a kick in the butt. If not one else offers to do the kicking - give me a call.
Ralph
Hey Lucy, that was a good story. We have a train that goes through Conroe, a law has been passed to keep the horns down at intersections with crossarms.
Maybe they could make a law like that for airplanes so they wouldn't be so bothersome.
Still a good story, most Good Samaritans would die for you, that's what those soldiers are but there are others as well.
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Lucy, I have an award for you today on my blog. I think you will like it.
I hope it is Okay with you, you may not want to put it on your side bar, I see you don't have any there now. (I don't think I will put it on mine either, I haven't put any that I have gotten. One day I might post about them.)
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Thanks for sharing - great letter. Gave me goose bumps!
Fabulous letter. Thanks for sharing.
The letter exchange is true. The complaint was in the Arizona Republic 23 Jun 05 and the response on 28 Jun 05. The complaintant wrote an apology that was publised 9 Jul 05. The name of the Lt Col has been changed and his response did not include the last paragraph. The rest, however, is all very true. Capt Fresque died on 30 May 2005 along with three other airman while training the Iraqi Air Force on a surveillance training mission. The Iraqi airman was killed as well.
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