respect for the fallen

[manu1959]

got this in an e-mail ....don't know if it is true but i like the response none the less..........


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 o n 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 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.


The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):< FONT face=Tahoma color=#1f497d size=4>

On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship flyby 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 flyby, 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 flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in d! efense o f 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.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

USAF

[Psychoblues]

The complaint was made by a rabid reichwinger gated community woman/bitch and answered by a considerate officer in the United States Air Force without obvious political connection. What more are you looking for, m'59?

We do this in Mississippi whenever we see the Apaches from the Army Reserve, the C-130's from the Air Force Reserve, the C-5's from the Tennessee Air National Guard in Memphis, Tennessee or the T-38's from Columbus AFB, Mississippi:

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[manu1959]

The complaint was made by a rabid reichwinger gated community woman/bitch and answered by a considerate officer in the United States Air Force without obvious political connection. What more are you looking for, m'59?

We do this in Mississippi whenever we see the Apaches from the Army Reserve, the C-130's from the Air Force Reserve, the C-5's from the Tennessee Air National Guard in Memphis, Tennessee or the T-38's from Columbus AFB, Mississippi:

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

as i said ....i thought the response was great....

[gabosaurus]

I have a lot of respect for the fallen. I have zero respect for the idiots who sent them to die unnecessarily. Iraq and Viet Nam were both travesties.

[rppearso]

She should have checked with the FAA first to see if the military had a permit to fly that close to civilian structures and avoided herself some embarrassment. It sounds like it was a one time deal, if it was all the time without cause I could see reason to complain and have the FAA shut them down. That was a pretty PC letter from the lt col because A LOT of military members act just as she describes. All that fancy equipment is owned by the American tax payer so I think we have a right to complain if we think it is being used improperly of course you want to cover all your bases when writing a letter like that so you dont get a retort from a lt col holding a 4 of a kind due to a rare event.

[MtnBiker]

A LOT of military members act just as she describes.


Unqualifiable conjecture.

[Psychoblues]

Exactly, MB, and not a fair statement to boot!!!!!!!!!!!!



Unqualifiable conjecture.

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[manu1959]

I have a lot of respect for the fallen. I have zero respect for the idiots who sent them to die unnecessarily. Iraq and Viet Nam were both travesties.

how about somalia kosovo and darfur.....

[Psychoblues]

None excuse any other, m'59.



how about somalia kosovo and darfur.....

Are there points of contention in this conversation about what is or has happened in Somalia, Kosovo or Darfur? I read back through and I don't get it?!?!?!?!?!

It's always good to be crazy. It keeps one from going insane!!!!!!!

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[manu1959]

None excuse any other, m'59.
Are there points of contention in this conversation about what is or has happened in Somalia, Kosovo or Darfur? I read back through and I don't get it?!?!?!?!?!
It's always good to be crazy. It keeps one from going insane!!!!!!!
:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

I have a lot of respect for the fallen. I have zero respect for the idiots who sent them to die unnecessarily......

was the quote....

thus she would have no respect for either of the clintons gore tenant clarke....

funny she is a big hillary fan.....

do try and keep up....

[Psychoblues]

I see, m'59. That's why I said none excuse the other.



I have a lot of respect for the fallen. I have zero respect for the idiots who sent them to die unnecessarily......
was the quote....
thus she would have no respect for either of the clintons gore tenant clarke....
funny she is a big hillary fan.....
do try and keep up....

goddamned idiots, warmongering bastards, chickenhawk mo*********'s

Is there a cold Busch available in this place!?!?!?!??!??!

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[theHawk]

The complaint was made by a rabid reichwinger gated community woman/bitch and answered by a considerate officer in the United States Air Force without obvious political connection.

A rabid reichwinger? Proof?

[rppearso]

Unqualifiable conjecture.

Actually its personal experience, I didn't say all, I just said a lot. There are enough a**holes in the military to make the person in the OP's articles initial assumptions valid. You can pull up hundreds of articles of military members being sh**bags and having been in the military myself the culture encourages people to behave like that as long as you don't become a headline.

[MtnBiker]

Alot is an unqualifiable amount. Your assesment is meaningless.

[Nukeman]

Alot is an unqualifiable amount. Your assesment is meaningless.As is all of his post!!! MB don't waste your time on the military hating asshole. He couldn't hack it so he thinks everyone is an idiot that is in the military..... Not worth your time or anyones!!!!!!!

[MtnBiker]

As is all of his post!!! MB don't waste your time on the military hating asshole. He couldn't hack it so he thinks everyone is an idiot that is in the military..... Not worth your time or anyones!!!!!!!

Oh I realize that Nukeman, just wanted to point out the insignificance of his statement.

[Nukeman]

Oh I realize that Nukeman, just wanted to point out the insignificance of his statement.Not just his statements, but himself as well :coffee:

[Psychoblues]

I'm not defending anyone here, but I do know that the military is certainly not for everyone. On the other hand, the military certainly defends everyone including those that demonstrate a misunderstanding for their purposes. Check out the 1st amendment, mi compadres. It really does apply to about everyone.

I think I'll just sit here and run my tater trap and drink some shots and beer. I've got my constitutional rights, don't you know?!?!?!?!?!?!??? Get it?

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[gabosaurus]

On the road to Basra stood young Lieutenant Jimmy Bly
Detailed to go through the clothes of the soldiers who died
At night in dreams he sees their souls rise
Like dark geese into the Oklahoma skies

Well this is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed

Now Raphael Rodriguez was just seven years old
Shot down in a schoolyard by some East Compton Cholos
His mamma cried "My beautiful boy is dead"
In the hills the self-made men just sighed and shook their heads

This is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
Young lives over before they got started
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed

Tonight as I tuck my own son in bed
All I can think of is what if it would've been him instead
I want to build me a wall so high nothing can burn it down
Right here on my own piece of dirty ground

Now I ply my trade in the land of king dollar
Where you get paid and your silence passes as honor
And all the hatred and dirty little lies

[Psychoblues]

Excellent piece/peace, gabby. Thanks for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't consider my celebration to in any way diminish the importance or seriousness of your work.

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[gabosaurus]

"Souls of the Departed" by Bruce Springsteen. A great American songwriter.

[Psychoblues]

Thank you



"Souls of the Departed" by Bruce Springsteen. A great American songwriter.

Thank you very much, gabby. But, the jamm gives me the heebie jeebies just a little bit, don't you know?

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[trobinett]

Dame, you guys are "going off"..............:cheers2:

[rppearso]

As is all of his post!!! MB don't waste your time on the military hating asshole. He couldn't hack it so he thinks everyone is an idiot that is in the military..... Not worth your time or anyones!!!!!!!

I dident say everyone, I said alot and I would quantify alot as around 60% give or take and you would be a top condender for that 60%. There are another 40% that are good people that have a gift for dealing with 100% of the BS that is generated by the 60%. The thing you hate is I dont take shit from anyone, I dont take on the peasant/private role and when you cant control someone through fear and intimidation you resort to discreditation and that is the standard rank and file 60%ers just like you. Its all the same BS among the 60%ers. The 40%ers are the ones doing anything useful and the 60%ers are hinderences that the 40%ers must overcome in order to be productive, unfortunatly this usually results in high blood pressure and early death (non combat related).

[MtnBiker]

A LOT of military members act just as she describes.



Actually its personal experience, I didn't say all, I just said a lot. There are enough a**holes in the military to make the person in the OP's articles initial assumptions valid.


I dident say everyone, I said alot and I would quantify alot as around 60% give or take and you would be a top condender for that 60%.


Alright rppearso there are currently 1,426,026 active military personal for the US, 60% of that would be 855,615 people. You based your claim on personal experience. Are you trying to claim that you have enough personal experience with 855,615 people to qualify them as assholes? If so how can you confirm such a claim? Or are you just talking out of your ass and making a baseless assumption?

[rppearso]

Alright rppearso there are currently 1,426,026 active military personal for the US, 60% of that would be 855,615 people. You based your claim on personal experience. Are you trying to claim that you have enough personal experience with 855,615 people to qualify them as assholes? If so how can you confirm such a claim? Or are you just talking out of your ass and making a baseless assumption?

Nearly all of TRADOC would be a good start.

[MtnBiker]

You claimed the military, you did not limit it to any one organization. Are you refining your position?

[AFbombloader]

She should have checked with the FAA first to see if the military had a permit to fly that close to civilian structures and avoided herself some embarrassment. It sounds like it was a one time deal, if it was all the time without cause I could see reason to complain and have the FAA shut them down. That was a pretty PC letter from the lt col because A LOT of military members act just as she describes. All that fancy equipment is owned by the American tax payer so I think we have a right to complain if we think it is being used improperly of course you want to cover all your bases when writing a letter like that so you dont get a retort from a lt col holding a 4 of a kind due to a rare event.

I am fairly certain that they had all the required clearance to fly where they did. This was a special flight to perform the missing man formation, which is done quite often over cemetarys all over the country. We also fly over sporting events all the time. And they get all the necessary permissions prior to each flight.
Pilots are not allowed to fly whereever they choose. they have detailed flight plans, down to the minute. And yes I know this for fact, I have to debrief them after each flight here.

AF:salute:

[rppearso]

I am fairly certain that they had all the required clearance to fly where they did. This was a special flight to perform the missing man formation, which is done quite often over cemetarys all over the country. We also fly over sporting events all the time. And they get all the necessary permissions prior to each flight.
Pilots are not allowed to fly whereever they choose. they have detailed flight plans, down to the minute. And yes I know this for fact, I have to debrief them after each flight here.

AF:salute:

I would definatly agree with you, but I am playing the devils advocate on the part of people who are annoyed by "fly bys". There was a fighter pilot up here a number of years ago who used OUR F-15 to try to break the ice on a river because atop the river sits a tri pod and there is about a 1/2 million dollar pool to who gets the closest time to when the ice goes out on the river for the summer. He probably got repremanded not only for the fly by but because it was also attempted fraud/extortion but never the less it still happened. I was comming from the angle that a number of military members have a holier than thou mentality and usually have a piss poor attitude when it comes to civilian military interaction. The col has to be PC because of his position but I call BS because I know exactly what comes out of the mouths of alot of service members when they are sitting around BSing or in the bar, oh yea this slack jawed civilian blah blah blah so I think us civilians have every right to complain about the miltiary when there is even a perception that they have steped out of line because they talk SO MUCH shit and have such shitty unprofessional attitudes (save the select individuals that have to interact with the civilians on an official level). The fact that the slang term pouge even exists is a testimate to the division the military has created between civilians and itself. Who do you think designs, engineers and builds these planes anyways, I think we are entitled to question the application of OUR assets. That being said this woman may have been a bitchy priss but this problem is much larger than one womans complaint about one fly by, this is an example of the military "gaping" itself from the civilian population they protect, the military is suppost to be a representation of the society in which they live not a cult like subculture. The national guard is suppost to be an even closer representation of your friends and neigbors which was not even close to the truth it was simply an extention of the regular army.