The American Soldier

Some of my favorite memories of when we lived in St. Louis was of the F-18's flying directly over our house.  The boys would rush out into the yard to see them as they flew by and jump up and down with excitement.  The power and speed of these machines were truly amazing and, in some way, it just made me proud of our country.  So when a friend sent me the following e-mail I was perplexed by the complaint, but so proud of the answer that was given.  The true story is as follows:

 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-1 6s 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 two 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. 


I felt especially compelled to "blog" this e-mail because our family currently has a family member flying with the U.S.A.F. to protect our freedoms.  Thank you Max for putting it on the line for us everyday.  We are proud of you.  Thank you Tamsey for the sacrifices you make also. I read your Facebook posts and know that it is hard for you to keep things together.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.  Our respect is without limit.  Our gratitude for what you do cant be expressed adequately.  


God Bless!