morning wake up call

[baiano]

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 Luk! e 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 fle w 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


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.

[CDL holder]

I remember this happening but the version you posted adds to the Lt. Col.'s letter. He DID NOT talk about Jesus in his response to the man. Also, the man wrote into the paper and apologized.

Remember to check Snopes before you forward items for mass consumption. You can verify this story here: snopes.com: Luke Air Force Base Fly-By

[baiano]

it was emailed to me, I posted it as I received it, sorry for stepping on your toes.

[CDL holder]

You didn't step on my toes, my friend. I am just a strong supporter of Snopes because we must fight spam and stop it when we can. I encourage everyone to check their emails out for authenticity before hitting the forward button or copying and pasting.

[Krzy18whlr]

Even without the mention of Jesus it is still an awesome response. Reminds me of the signs posted around air bases, "Excuse our noise, it's the sound of freedom".