Mrs. Harvey's House
In response to a flurry of letters-to-the-editor of the San Diego
Union Tribune (re: increase in noise generated by Marine helicopters
flying out of MCAS Mirimar), the following was printed.San Diego Union
Tribune February 8, 1999 Re: "Is harassment of resident the role of
the military? (Letters, Feb. 4) Responding to Maura Harvey's letter
wondering if the Marine helicopter training flights that passed above
her Del Mar home were simply to harass the residents, I can say that,
yes, our mission is to harass residents, specifically Mrs. Harvey.
We do not train 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide freedom and
security to all residents of the United States. We exist only to annoy the
very people we are sworn to protect, against all enemies, foreign and
domestic. We spend months and years overseas, away from our families
and loved ones, in some cases making less than minimum wage, choosing
to live a life in which many qualify for food stamps, just to have
the chance, one day, to annoy people like Mrs. Harvey. There is no
more sought-after position in the military than the Maura Harvey
Annoyance Task Force. As a matter of fact, the Marines who spent
Christmas dug into fighting positions in northern Kuwait and their
brothers in the sky, braving anti-aircraft missiles and artillery,
were just training to come back to the States and fly missions over
Mrs. Harvey's house. It has nothing to do with the security of the
nation. It has no impact on our ability to
carry out missions in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and
it has no bearing on Mrs. Harvey's ability to enjoy "nature and
peaceful, quiet living."The "strange, almost science fiction war
scene" she described was put on solely to make noise and to destroy
her "scenic view corridors" in Del MarTerrace. It certainly was not
valuable and necessary training to help sustain the lives of those who
ensure this nation's freedom,
should they ever be sent into harm's way to do just that. Next time,
Mrs. Harvey may want to look upon those loud machines and think about
the men and women, who fly, ride in, and maintain them. Ponder the
sacrifices they make in providing this nation with the warm blanket
of freedom we all enjoy. Maybe she might even imagine how much more
disturbing it would be if she were not sure what country the
helicopters were from, or whether they were going to attack her
beautiful neighborhood. But she shouldn't
worry too much about that, because we will not let it happen!
*** CAPTAIN JOHN F. PETERSON, USMC
