ANOTHER SOUTH WHIDBEY CITIZEN JOINS COER IN SPEAKING OUT AFTER RETRIBUTION FLIGHT , WILL YOU?

From: R and A H name withheld  due to fear of harrassment 
Date: August 24, 2014 3:53:22 PM PDT
Subject: NAS Whidbey retribution

Dear EPF folk,

On Monday of this week during one of the several daily “touch and goes” at OLF I called the NAS Whidbey hotline to register my complaint. As requested I provided my street address. That evening we experienced two very up close and personal flights directly over our house which was not the normal flight pattern. Below is an e-mail I sent to our Congressional delegation and Island County Commissioners. The e-mail message describes the action which I can only call retribution for my earlier criticism.

I have also included research data sent me by Maryon Attwood. Please read and draw your own conclusions. if you would like to express concerns over noise and “touch and goes” call Whidbey Island Noise Concerns Hotline 360-257-6665

Shalom,

Dick

In loyalty to the teaching and person of Jesus Christ, my conscience commits me to the way of redemptive love: to pray, study, and work for peace, and to renounce, as far as possible, participation in war, militarism, and all other forms of violence.

Dear Representative Larsen,
I am writing to report what appears to be an act of NAS Whidbey retribution for criticizing the very loud and nearly continuous “touch and goes” at the OLF.

On several days during the week of August 17 there were three “practice sessions” daily – afternoon, 8:00PM and a nightcap at after 10:00. There were so many of these “practices” that it is hard to get my days correct. What follows is the scenario as I best recall. The sequence is accurate even if I should have the wrong day. On Monday, August18, I called the Navy Noise Concerns Hotline during the very loud afternoon fly overs. I gave my name and address as requested and issued a strong comment that in addition to complaints about the supposedly quieter Growlers -NOT- I mentioned the the waste of tax payer dollars by the military. That night the 8:00 evening practice ended with two very low flights that went directly over our house in Teronda West. The normal flight pattern is out over the water in front of Teronda but never directly over Teronda houses. The two retribution flights were also much lower in altitude than normal. My assumption is that this was a deliberate response to my phone call. On Tuesday I again called the hotline. In addition to the normal noise complaint I mentioned that the Teronda flyover appeared to be retribution to my criticism. My wife is angry enough over what appears to be retribution by the Navy that she is planning to contact all public representative from the mayor of Coupeville to Senators Murray and Cantwell. She had been critical of Citizens of Ebbey Reserve (COER), but has always called the Navy to protest flights. The flights over our house proved to be a consciousness raising experience.

The Navy can act out of arrogance because they know Congress will not hold them accountable nor will Congress scrutinize the military budget in the same manner that social programs are scrutinized.

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(from Maryon Attwood)
… More jets mean more flights and extending those flights to places they have not been before. Right now there are 79 Growlers at the base (we think). The Navy has a policy that sites ALL Growlers at NASWI, thanks to Rick Larsen. We imagine that with the 116 to 134 Growlers the Navy wants – they will be flying over Greenback and places south of Coupeville. It just won’t be possible to have enough air space now that they want ALL Growlers to be carrier-based. This means that ALL Growlers have to do touch and go training (FCLP’s) and more use of OLF and ALT field. Plus, you know the P8’s will have to have training and they also will require air space.
We hope to get the Navy to:
stop flights at OLF until the EIS has been completed
move all FCLP’s to an alternative location where it will not harm people or other living things (We think the former Sheppard air force base at Moses Lake would be best)
close OLF because they are using it with a waiver, the tarmac is not thick enough, the runway is less than 6,000 feet where a standard runway is 8,000 ft and we feel like young pilots should have an over-all safer runway and field to land on while training.

There is only about 600 acres around the Coupeville field as apposed to most OLF’s that have thousands of acres around them for safety and to avoid encroachment.

All COER wants to do is safe-guard our communities and the people who live here from irreparable harm.
Maryon  Attwood

Please visit our website at: citizensofebeysreserve.com