A Letter

[Brody]

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 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' 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 Am erican Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

USAF



How ALL phones SHOULD be answered!


GOOD MORNING,

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
.........



Please Press '1' for English.

Press
'2' to disconnect until you learn to speak English



And remember only two 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.

If you agree.......Keep it going

[Chris]

Hopefully the writer of the complaint felt like the fool he/she is...

[WINKY]

Being a veteran myself and having a brother who has done 5 tours in Iraq over the past 5 years in the airforce, all i have to say is this...


Dont piss us off or complain about anything we do on our soil. I would be honored to shake the hand of this LTC and thank him for setting an ungrateful individual in their place.

-PFC HALE Bco 17th Sig Bn 22nd Sig Bgd Germany

[Brody]

You and me both. I hope that letter made the person who wrote take a good look at their life...here in the USA...

However I feel about the war and how we could be using the money we are spending over there to fix stuff here, we still have our armed forces over there risking their lives and dying. These people need our support, gratitude and respect, and it doesn't matter if you do or don't support the war or our governments stand on it. I personally feel that we should turn the whole of the Middle East into a nuclear wasteland and be done with all the BS that comes from over there...that and their pre BC idiot mentality...

I am going to support the Wheelers for the Wounded run as much as I possibly can to show my respect and gratitude.

What about the rest of you people??

[WINKY]

You and me both. I hope that letter made the person who wrote take a good look at their life...here in the USA...

However I feel about the war and how we could be using the money we are spending over there to fix stuff here, we still have our armed forces over there risking their lives and dying. These people need our support, gratitude and respect, and it doesn't matter if you do or don't support the war or our governments stand on it. I personally feel that we should turn the whole of the Middle East into a nuclear wasteland and be done with all the BS that comes from over there...that and their pre BC idiot mentality...

I am going to support the Wheelers for the Wounded run as much as I possibly can to show my respect and gratitude.

What about the rest of you people??


Lets allow walmart to set up shop over there and truly corrupt their way of life, but yes after we turn it into a glass parking lot.

I also may not agree with the reason of war but i will always stand BESIDE my brothers in arms ready and waiting.

[Brody]

Yep...let them deal with a glass parking lot...try getting fundamental or fanatical over something like that and see how far you get.....


Lets allow walmart to set up shop over there and truly corrupt their way of life, but yes after we turn it into a glass parking lot.

And everyone ought to think long and hard about this statement because this is where we all should be:

I also may not agree with the reason of war but I will always stand BESIDE my brothers in arms ready and waiting.

[Pathrat]

Wow, thanks for posting this up. I thought it was great when I got to see all the cool military gear in action when I lived on the bases. What a completely ignorant self-centered undeserving cretin that poster was and what a great reply by the LTC.

I can kind of see your point; a tactical nuke would be like a big giant do-over most of us requested at some point or another in kindergarten. That would negate any 'centuries old conflicts'.

And yes, Wheelers for the Wounded has been put in my calender, in ink.

[Roostercruiser]

defenatly wheelen for the wounded