Editor,

Speaking for the too-often-silent majority, I want to thank the U.S. Navy for its contribution to the high standard of living we Whidbey Islanders enjoy.

Every aspect of my life is improved by the proximity of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Better schools, better shopping and all the other advantages that a town gets from the input of this kind of payroll, military and civilian.

In the interest of “full disclosure,” before I purchased my home in Oak Harbor, I did take five minutes to consult the Island County Noise Zone Map.

No surprise that the property was less expensive under OLF Coupeville’s flight path. I still hear jets and see them flying around, but it just serves to remind me that my minor inconvenience is the very small price I pay to live next door to the finest group of naval aviators the world has ever known.

Kevin Lannan

Oak Harbor