Editor,

Last month, I ran into a retired Navy official who was involved with the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) committee.

He stated, “Whidbey was done back in 1991 — we had a solid plan to relocate all of the squadrons and close the base” and, “We thought this is what the community wanted — based on the very vocal ‘WISE’ group.”

We then talked about the real Team Whidbey that grew from that dark day and the fact that Whidbey has the highest quality airspace, top community relationship and is slated to have the most squadrons of any NAS.

Today, the “WISE” legacy continues with a few small fringe groups that doggedly promote false claims including “permanent hearing damage,” “noise-induced heart disease,” “declining property values,” “learning disabilities” and, now, “Navy emitters will cause all sort of disease.”

Not a single claim has been validated or even filed in court — and the Growler NEPA study was first published in 2005. They are simply trying the same “WISE” strategy — create a media and political firestorm in the hopes that traction will occur. Well, we, Team Whidbey, are much “WISER” since 1991 and will not let that happen.

That leads to the key question: Who is Team Whidbey?

Team Whidbey comprises the military personnel, civilians and contractors who work at NAS Whidbey. Their primary mission is squadrons ready to deploy in order to defend America and protect us.

As we speak, they are preventing the slaughter of thousands of Kurds at the hands of ISIS — involving six-month deployments away from their family.

However, this team also provides amazing benefit to the community — more than 15,000 hours of annual volunteer services, more than 20 helicopter rescues each, amazing environmental stewardship, including a 76 percent recycling rate — highest in the Navy — and innumerable supported events such as Habitat for Humanity.

For this effort, NAS Whidbey received the most awards of any NAS over the past five years.

Team Whidbey is also the Community that opens its arms to the military team with annual picnics for more than 2,000, business discounts, special programs in the schools, public outpouring for events like the unfortunate Prowler crash two years ago, partnering with the Navy to protect both habitat and airspace including the Ebey’s Reserve, and vocal support both at meetings and online.

The city and county Navy proclamations, in the face of fringe opposition, are a testament to this support. Big Navy has continually held Whidbey as the model for community synergy — and the awards prove it.

This partnership is symbiotic on many levels, including an economy where 88 percent of the county’s business activity is driven by the base. This includes employment, sales tax and property values.

Ninety-nine percent of the community gets all of this information and will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our military team.

The 1 percent fringe will continue their specious rants — but they are going nowhere fast — and we will help them in their endeavor.

Happy holidays for Team Whidbey.

Scott Gray Smith

Former NASWI PWO

Oak Harbor