Veteran's Day

[howrangi]

This happened here in Phoenix. Understand the first letter is a complaint to Luke AFB and the second is the response from the senior officer.
Complaint: Quote:
    A wake-up call from Luke's jets Jun. 23, 2005 12:00 AM "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 reply is classic, and a testament to the professionalism and heroism of the folks in the armed services. The response:
Quote:

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 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 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 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. Scott Pleus
CO 63rd Fighter Squadron
Luke Air Force Base

[-MAD- SARGE]

Very Nice Response indeed.  And special thanks to all those who serve and have served!

[Cochise116]

Good response, I hope the write of the first letter feels really Sh*tty. And on that note I would like to thank all of you on these boards and around the world that are currently serving or have served! Thanks for keeping us safe!

[Gantaliano Hoff]

It amazes me how ignorant some people in this country can be. So many of us don't realize how important it is to be supportive of the military and their personel. I hope this person has learned his lesson.

On a more positive note, I thank everyone who is supportive of the military, and I too thank those who gave their lives so I can live here safely, there is no appropriate 'thank you' to give to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we can only respect and honor what they did by striving for the same ideals they died for.

God Bless them.

[Gantaliano Hoff]

Found this little poem, you may have seen it before but it's though provoking:

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves? !
No, freedom isn't free.


I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington .
No, freedom isn't free.

[DUDE]

On the topic of poetry... well enjoy!


"Stand Up"!

                      The ugly vibrations of the C47's engines were everywhere

                      As we sat huddled in the fear and the darkness

                      Wrapped in layers of weapons, grenades, and ammo

                      Waiting for the command that would

                      Bring us closer to the enemy below.

                      Our silence as soldiers was emphasized

                      By the grim sounds of war that were coming closer

                      And made each of us burrow deeper into our fears.

 

                "Hook Up"!

                      God, but it was great to move our stiffened bodies

                      As we hooked our pack's hook to the

                      Cables that ran the length of our deliverer

                      And stand up as soldiers in our wildly bucking plane

                      Now we could see more clearly the sights of the war

                      That came alongside the plane's windows

                      And added much to the heavy burdens

                      We strapped on our backs in the African twilight.

 

                "Go"!

                      At last the damned waiting was over

                      As we literally exploded out the narrow doorway

                      So eager to get the hell out of that waiting agony

                      As we snapped into so many mushrooms in the sky

                      Whose darkness was lit by tracers and flares

                      We were each as deadly in our small, self-contained way

                      As the later-to-be A-bomb that hit Japan

                      As the 505 smashed into the rocky hills of Sicily!

[-Wraith-]

RIP Capt. Fresques

Very disturbing that when someone doesn't understand something, they're so quick to judge out of pure ignorence. Sickens me inside.

On another note, very nice poems guys. I especially liked that one Gant, it's called "Freedom Isn't Free" correct?

[Gantaliano Hoff]

RIP Capt. Fresques

Very disturbing that when someone doesn't understand something, they're so quick to judge out of pure ignorence. Sickens me inside.

On another note, very nice poems guys. I especially liked that one Gant, it's called "Freedom Isn't Free" correct?

Yes