The perfect response to aircraft noise at Luke AFB

[henryclay]

Named in honor of Lt Frank Luke, a 1st WW balloon busting pilot from Arizona, Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that, forgetting it was there long before they were, complains about the noise from the base and its airplanes. A certain Lieutenant Colonel at Luke deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently an individual who lives somewhere near Luke wrote the local newspaper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from the Lt. Colonel, it should 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-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.
##################

And the response was:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On the day in question at precisely 9:11 a.m ., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Wing 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.

At 9 a. m. 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 devotes to those who have given their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on that day what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects to their friend, their comrade, and their fellow airman.

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 those four pilots flew the most honorable flight 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.

Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
Lt. Col. USAF

[deziloooooo]

Out standing reply, and while I am sure there are at times exuberant passes done by a member of our Air Force, the kind of irrelevant passes done over the Carrier and base by the Pilot depicted by Tom Cruise in "Top Gun ", due to the professionalism of the services, the responsibilities of those pilots who fly our nations air craft and the rules that they operate under, I believe firmly that the highest % of their actions , in the 99 % and up percentile of , all maneuvers and flights are done with that professionalism in mind, and the occasional deviation from that is in all cases when known , dealt with by superiors in the correct manner.