BURLINGTON — Two local physicians joined the ranks of Vermonters protesting against the imminent arrival of the F-35 fighter jets Friday, demonstrating outside Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Main Street office.
It was the fifth day in a row opponents of the new jets turned up at Vermont’s senior senator’s office to call for a “delay” in the basing of F-35s at the Burlington International Airport.
The planes — the most expensive weapon in Pentagon history — are expected to begin arriving in Vermont later this month.
Jean Szilva, MD, who practices family medicine in Winooski, and John Reuwer, MD, a retired South Burlington emergency doctor, joined the protest in the hallway outside Leahy’s office. The senator’s office door remained closed, after protesters earlier this week refused to leave, prompting aides to call the police.
Leahy’s state director, John Tracy, met with the doctors for about 35 minutes, as they raised concerns about noise mitigation efforts, the impact on public health and Leahy’s involvement in the basing.
“We are here to represent thousands of people who are going to be harmed by the basing in Vermont, and we’re representing especially the medical community,” Szilva said while handing Tracy another copy of the demands. “[The basing] is going to harm them physically, emotionally — and may harm them for generations.”
For Reuwer, the issue of increased noise levels is personal. Last summer, he was biking home past the airport’s runway when he heard a noise he’d never heard before.
“I thought, ‘This is it. I’m going to be in heaven in a few minutes,’” Reuwer told Tracy.
The noise was an afterburner used by an F-16 as it flew over Reuwer’s head. Reuwer said he suffered temporary deafness, and said he was left with minor permanent hearing damage from the encounter.
Reuwer pressed for Leahy to ask the Air Force to install a siren system to alert the public when F-35s will be taking off so they can better protect themselves. Tracy said he would bring that up with the senator, and has brought up all the issues raised with Leahy.
The door to Leahy’s office remained closed for the entirety of the discussion, which Tracy said is a recommendation by Senate security personnel. Tracy said they did not want to call Burlington Police to remove people from the office as has happened previously.
Earlier this week, two retired Air Force leaders refused to leave the office and were arrested on Monday. Four more demonstrators were arrested Wednesday.
