Editor,

Regarding the letter, “Alarmed by plan to hike number of Navy EA-18Gs” in the Aug. 15 Whidbey News-Times, I know this is the post-truth era and anyone can print anything they want without regard for facts, but please consider this:

You say that the jet noise impairs hearing. I spent most of my adult life on aircraft carriers listening to many years of jet noise. At 78, my hearing is perfect. Your assertion that jet noise impairs hearing simply isn’t true, Rebecca.

You claim that jets fly low during touch and go landings. What an absurd charge, of course they fly low, they’re about to touch down, just for an instant before going around.

You say the runway — presumably OLF Coupeville — does not meet minimum standards.

That’s just wrong, Rebecca. It meets all the requirements for field carrier landing practice, or FCLP, which is all the Growlers use if for. The runway is not long enough for a fully operational airfield, which it is not.

You say 400 homes will be condemned. That’s wrong too, Rebecca. You must be referring to the establishment of an Accident Potential Zone that would apply only to those living under the pattern when using the southern approach. Nobody’s home will be condemned.

You say operations will “decimate our economy and destroy tranquility.”

You might consider the $800 million dollars the Navy contributes to our economy every year.

As for “destroying tranquility,” having people choose to live near an air station then express shock when they see an airplane is a sad cliché — a lot like choosing to live near the railroad then complaining about the trains.

I’ve lost good friends on aircraft carriers who were sent out without adequate training. The skills learned at OLF Coupeville are necessary for survival.

It appears that the detractors are more concerned with their personal comfort than the lives of the aircrew.

You say we now have a bully willing to put our own pilots at risk. Who is this bully Rebecca? Really, I was one of those pilots and I’d like to meet him.

You say the Navy propaganda distorts the facts. You’re pretty good at that yourself, Rebecca.

Kent Vandervelde

Oak Harbor