Respecting our Military

I found this story (as I often do) at a homeschool message board, the swap. It moved me to tears, and I wanted to share it with you.

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.

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 American Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
USAF

(This has been verified on Snopes.)

First, wow. I can not imagine seeing a military flight formation and thinking anything disrespectful. Perhaps, "WOW!" or cheering for our military, but never thinking they were doing it out of some selfish ambition.

To be fair to the letter writer. He did write back an apology. He is a Vietnam veteran himself. And clearly he feels bad about what he said. Even so, I can not imagine having his response to our military.

My heart and prayers are for those who serve today, and their families. And for the families of all those who gave their lives for freedom. And all the veterans. May God bless you and keep you in this new year. Thank you for your service.


On an another note.. I often hear from those who oppose our military that if we spent more time helping people than bombing we wouldn't be hated. You can read about some of what we are doing over there at this great article, Why Our Troops Are So Hated Around the World. There are so many wonderful things our military is doing around the world and I hope to highlight some of them in the months to come. God bless our troops and God bless America.