Editor,

After reading Ms. Attwood’s letter in the Jan. 24 Whidbey News-Times, I felt the need to know where her “facts” were obtained.

To begin with, the Growler is not the loudest jet. That distinction belongs to the F-35 fighter, as it has the most powerful engine in an aircraft to date. I would also like to see all of this devastation these planes are causing, as I have not seen anything in our local news broadcasts proclaiming vast destruction.

The Navy, like all the rest of the armed forces, have been instructed to save money, and if they can save $5 million and reduce flight time by 45 minutes, I would think that this is a good thing, and any time a warrior can spend an extra 45 minutes with their loved ones is an added bonus.

If the Navy has estimated flights at 260 days per year at 8-16 hours a day, that does not mean they will be constantly in the air over the Olympics. All that means is, if needed, the window is open.

If the Navy states that they will be flying at 10,000 AGL — above ground level — they will be at 10,000 AGL. Where is your proof that they will fly lower? As far as instantaneous hearing loss, this could occur if you were standing next to the jet at takeoff with no hearing protection. Even with hearing protection, it is loud; this comes from personal experience.

As far as convenience goes, see my above statement. Simulator training is good and being used more; however, tactical jets are not airliners and simulated combat flying is nowhere near what real-world flying is.

I have read the EIS Attwood references and could not find in it any statement about “ ‘taking’ thousands of fish and marine mammals.” I did read what kind of protections they will be using. And if her statement were true, we should see dead fish and mammals all over our beaches.

Her last statement brings up the yellow journalism report of Dahr Jamal that I refuted in an earlier letter. If everything in that report were true, we would not have cellphones or even in some cases radio.

All in all, it is quite clear that Ms. Attwood and her cronies want nothing more than the Navy to leave the Northwest, not just NAS Whidbey. The people like her that think the military and its training are unneeded in this day and age, or it should be done somewhere else, well, there were people like her who convinced our government the same thing at the end of WWI.

And you saw what that got us.

If you support the Navy, I implore you to write your representatives and let them know the voices of a few are not the feelings of the many.

Mike Van Voorst

Oak Harbor