Editor’s note: This commentary is by Frank Zaske, of Huntington, who until he retired in June was English as a Second Language teacher for the Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union.
Dear Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders and Congressman Welch:
I am writing to tell you about an experience I had concerning the F35. I thought you might be interested since all three of you worked to bring this plane to Vermont. As I’m sure you know, there has been quite a bit of controversy regarding the plans to replace the F-16 with F-35.
The arguments I’ve heard against bringing this plane to Vermont have been the cost of the plane to the taxpayer, the fact that it can carry nuclear weapons, opposition to more weapons of war, the pollution of the air, the waste of fossil fuels and the increased amount of noise it makes. On the pro F-35 side, the main concerns seem to be keeping jobs connected to the Air Guard in Vermont and supporting those who serve in the Air Guard.
Just to be clear, I have not been active on either side of this issue but I’ve paid attention and all along I’ve been against stationing the F-35 in Vermont for all of the reasons I’ve already mentioned. However, I recently had an experience that is relevant to the noise issue.
Now I hope you will bear with me and read this letter to conclusion but I feel it is necessary to preface my experience with a little background. First of all, I am no stranger to noise. Back in the late 1970s I lived in a second floor apartment in Winooski which was right under one of the descent paths for planes landing at Burlington Airport. This included both passenger and military planes. The military jet at the time was the one that preceded the F-15. There was also a large military transport plane. When any of these planes were landing, it looked like they were about to fly through my living room window. If I was watching television I couldn’t hear it. If I was talking on the phone, I had to ask the other person to wait until the plane past to continue the conversation.
Around 1988 and ’89 I was working on the reinforcement and expansion of the Interstate 89 bridge between Winooski and Burlington. Like my apartment in Winooski, the project was located right under the descent path for commercial and military jets landing at the airport. When planes flew overhead it was quite loud. I never felt compelled to muffle my ears but there was always some on the job site who were. At the time I just thought their ears must be be more sensitive than mine. Of course, working for 13 years as an ironworker, I’ve experienced plenty of loud noise. So the point I’m trying to get across here is that I do know what loud is.
However, in October of this year, I experienced something quite different and disconcerting. I don’t remember the exact date. In any case I was filling my car with gas at a convenience store in Williston when I was startled by an incredibly loud noise. Knowing that this area like Winooski is a landing path for planes, I assumed it was a jet. The thing about it was that it was louder than any jet I had ever heard before. In one sense it was kind of strange and it all happened very quickly. First I heard sound, then my ears started to hurt. The strange thing about it was that it was kind of disorienting and the pain was delayed a little. It was not excruciating pain. It was not the kind that drops you to your knees. However, it was the kind of pain that you don’t want to continue very long. Anyway, I looked up and saw the F-35 fly over head. Once it was past, the pain stopped. Then before I had time to really think, it happened again. The deafening noise, the pain, I look up, the plane passes, the pain stops.
After it was over, one might think my first reaction would be concern for my ears. However, my first thoughts were a kind of almost disbelief, then a realization. What came into my mind was that the noise from the plane really does hurt people’s ears. And I’m sure you know pain is a signal that harm is being done.
As I think about it now, having the F-35s here is not going to affect me very much noise wise. I live roughly 40 miles outside of Burlington and military planes only occasionally fly over my house. So I don’t think I have to be concerned about the noise affecting my well-being. However, I am quite concerned for those people who live in Winooski, South Burlington and Williston. They will be frequently exposed to the F-35 noise. And I know this from experience.
I’m 68 years old and I have done my share of different jobs in my life. For the last third of my working life I’ve been a public school teacher. And as a teacher and a parent I am of course concerned about everyone who will have to hear the engine noise of the F-35. But it is the kids that I am most worried about. Of all of us, kids are the most vulnerable. They depend on us adults to keep them safe and to give them as good a life as we can.
I’m not really clear about why the three of you wanted the F-35’s to be stationed in Vermont. But whatever it is, it makes me wonder, can it be more important than the well-being of the children and everyone who lives where the F-35s take off, fly and land. The children, their parents, their teachers and all adults who live and work and spend time in this area are all going to be affected. And I think it will be for the worse. To me this just doesn’t seem right.
Well, I guess that’s pretty much it. As I mentioned earlier I felt you needed to know about my experience regarding the F35. However, I also wanted to let you know what I think about the matter. Some might argue that its done, the planes are here. I’m thinking what’s done should be undone. So to my mind that’s where you come in.
