Front-page Seven Days story gives voice to 22 people living or working in F-35 flight path

Responses from top Vermont officials are far worse than lame.

The 22 Vermonters quoted in the front-page article that appeared this morning in Seven Days, “Sound Effects: In the F-35’s Flight Path, Vermonters’ Lives Have Changed,” include parents, an army veteran, new Americans, and business owners.

The 22 reveal how mass suffering is being produced by hundreds of 115 decibel F-35 training flights a month amidst densely populated cities. The runway is amidst more than 1000 afordable homes in the working-class Chamberlin School neighborhood. It aims directly at the center of the City of Winooski one mile away. The flight path crosses over densely populated low-income areas of the City of Burlington.

Reckless violence inflicted on civilians by the state would be an understatement. More properly, the F-35 training flights in such a densely populated area are knowingly targeting thousands of working class and ethnic minority families with military violence hundreds of times a month.

The state’s top political and military leaders were also interviewed for the article. Not one addressed the problem the residents and business owners identified: training with F-35 jets in a densely populated area. Noteworthy is that the F-35 works equally well for training pilots taking off from a runway remote from any populated area.

Even now, after nearly two years of F-35 training flights in a city, the governor could not answer as to why he continues to order the training in such a densely populated area. His statement about unnamed “benefits to state and nation” omits mention of his order to train in a city location. His statement in the article may be understood as an admission of depraved indifference to the thousands of families unnecessarily harmed.

Military regulations require a military necessity for any military operation that can harm civilians or civilian property. Absent a military necessity, the training flights in such a city location are illegal under the military’s own regulations.

Write or call your public servants:

Governor Phil Scott 802-828-3333 Chief of Staff <Jason.Gibbs@vermont.gov>

Vermont National Guard's Complaint Line: 802-660-5379

Post your comment on the Vermont Air National Guard Facebook page

Add your own report & complaint to the online F-35 Spring-Summer 2021 Report & Complaint Form: https://tinyurl.com/4zjjn39x

See the responses to the F-35 Spring-Summer 2021 Report & Complaint Form (so far 407 responses): https://tinyurl.com/3svacfvx

Senator Patrick Leahy 800-642-3193 Chief of Staff <john_tracy@leahy.senate.gov>

Senator Bernie Sanders 800-339-9834 <Senator@sanders.senate.gov>

Congressman Peter Welch 888-605-7270 Chief of Staff <patrick.satalin@mail.house.gov>

Burlington City Council <citycouncil@burlingtonvt.gov>

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger <mayor@burlingtonvt.gov>

Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott <klott@winooskivt.org>

S. Burlington City Council Chair Helen Riehle <hriehle@sburl.com>

Williston Selectboard Chair Terry Macaig <macaig@msn.com>

VT Senate President Becca Balint <bbalint@leg.state.vt.us>

VT House Speaker Jill Krowinski <jkrowinski@leg.state.vt.us>

Attorney General TJ Donavan <DonovanTJ@gmail.com>

States Attorney Sarah George <Sarah.fair.george@gmail.com>

Vermont’s Federal Prosecutor <usavt.contactus1@usdoj.gov>

Adjutant General Brig Gen Gregory C Knight <gregory.c.knight.mil@mail.mil>

Major J Scott Detweiler <john.s.detweiler.mil@mail.mil>

Wing Commander Col David Shevchik <david.w.shevchik@mail.mil>