Rudd letter: F-35s

To all concerned parties ....

I have written before against bringing the F-35s into Gowen field, and will not restate those arguments here. There are clearly arguments, both pro and con, which have been stated with both passion and conviction by well-meaning and sincere advocates on both sides.

I reduce the issue to its essential element: Do you really want to introduce a new factor into the civic discourse of Boise and its environs that will inevitably be a relentlessly, never-ending source of conflict and irritation between the heretofore amicable military and civilian populations? I think not.

I will remind you that I am a retired Navy pilot , Korean vintage, who spent his entire military career surrounded by the roar of jet aircraft (and as a result wear two hearing aids provided by the VA, God bless ’em) and am proudly and zealously pro-military. But I would not bring the world’s most powerful jet into what is virtually a downtown airport.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Rudd letter: F-35s."