The sound of freedom bothers neighbors
New Jersey News 12 reports that a few of the neighbors of Weapons Station Earle are complaining about the raising and lowering of the colors there;
Those living near Weapons Station Earle’s waterfront in Middletown at 8 a.m. hear the “Call to Colors” followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner” when the base raises its flag. A similar ceremony takes place at sunset when the flag is lowered.
Base spokesman Michael Brady tells the Asbury Park Press a new public address system was installed during the summer. Brady says officials are using sound meters to adjust the volume.
Resident Bob Wille questions why someone not in the military should have to wake up to reveille.
In the comments (which are mostly worth the read), less irritated neighbors write that reveille is sounded at 8 AM – a few hours later than I’m accustomed to. But if Mr Wille is being awakened at 8AM, why is he wasting so much daylight? He should get a job.
Not all of the neighbors are complaining, obviously according to NJ.com;
Andrew Lucina, a Korean War veteran who has lived near the base for 55 years, told the Asbury Park Press that he looks forward to hearing the music each day and doesn’t feel sorry for those who might be sleeping at that time.
“Play it as loud as they want,” Lucina said.
“I was willing to die for that flag,” he said, pointing to an American Flag he flies in front of his house. “I’m not going to complain about The Star-Spangled Banner.”
I felt at home when I used to hear reveille while I lived across the street from the Old Soldiers’ home in DC. My neighbors looked at me strangely when I was caught outside at 5pm and I saluted in the direction of the bugle.
Category: Navy
Ok, I’m gonna say something here that might ruffle a few feathers (yeah, first time, right?) but I think I might understand this guy just a little.
I work on an air base. A big one. And we have all the requisite music at the appropriate times. Been around this most of my life. But the new ‘big voice’ system the base put in has annoyed even me.
ITS THE FREQUENCY THEY MUST PLAY IT AT. This system isn’t just for Colors or the Banner. It announces weather, warnings, earthquakes, ice cream trucks, you name it. These huge voice coils are stuck playing what should be pleasant bugle calls over something that sends basically air raid sirens. Just so everyone can hear them.
And you end up with ‘noise’. Anyone that’s heard a bugler sound calls knows how wonderful it is. It *IS* very comforting.
Echo taps, anyone?
But this crap they play today? Even if you’re not standing under it, it sounds like crap at a distance. Nothing soothing about it.
So yeah, even though I enjoy the sound of calls, I hate what they’ve done to it…
BTW, they system they have in place here is only about 6 months old (all new speakers)
Jeez, ifya don’t want to hear it. then why live near ANY Military Installation? That shit’s akin to the civilian limp-wrists I always hear bawling about the noise from fighter & trainer jets from an AF Base near me! On another note, I make my living at a paper mill, which sounds its steam whistle at 0700, 1200, 1230, and 3:30. Some do-gooder decided to bawl about “noise pollution” a few years back, and the mill quit sounding it except for emergencies. Very soon, at least ten to fifteen times the amount of people sounded off protesting for the mill to sound the whistle like it always has (A LOT of local folks set their clocks and watches by it!) My point? WE outnumber the wackos, and if we keep pressure in the right direction, we can prevail!
P. S., I’ve been a “Railnerd” since I was a kid, and I find this story akin to another in California where some developer built a housing subdivision on a bluff overlooking the AT & SF mainline going to LA. Someone’s kids were playing on and around the railroad right of way, one got killed, and, of course, lawsuits followed demanding the AT & SF Railroad relocate their main line, which has been there for 125+ years, away from their homes, which had been there for less than ten. Hmmm, more NIMBYism and “Gimme, gimme, gimme” just like this (f)artist?
@MCPO NYC USN (Ret), would you be kind enough to drop me a line at wolf1 at laughingwolf and net? Seems I may be in NYC here soon for a bit, would love to buy you a cup of coffee.
Too funny, I work on a JARB, mostly blue-natured, and we have the “Big Voice” system playing Reveille and To the Color at 0800 (when the AF presumably finally rolls our of bed) and Retreat following by the Star Spangled Banner at 1600, when the AF presumably knocks off whatever work they found to do in between. We have a large number of LIV Obamanites living all around the base, and last summer, they started this same complaint campaign in the local MSM.
Wish I could find a copy of the news tape that had a gentleman of color complaining that “all dat noise be waking my — up, right after I gets home from da club.” I swear that station played that short interview fifty times over the week this non-story stayed in what passed for news locally, and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing each time.
We’ve lived in Westfield Mass for years with Barnes Air Base in town…there were A-10s here at the time and I’ve always loved the sound of them….however the A-10s were moved out and now we have serious fighter aircraft installed here which are far noisier and annoying even miles and miles away from the Base….it’s just something you get used to and you figure out how to deal with it. I’ll always miss the A-10s and I will never much care for the new aircraft, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever complain to anyone at the base or anywhere else about the noise….it’s part of what’s required to defend the nation.
Quit your whining and man the eff up cheesedick….
“No one ever in human history has ever moved back to Staten Island.” Now THAT is a gem. It’s also true.
I didn’t realize Staten Island was in the same class as Pawtucket…
@ Laughing Wolf. Sure thing. Later … I am teaching all morning.
MCPO -_ to quote, “The goddamn Germans got nothin’ to do with it!”
I remember the stories that when KCI was built in the early ’70s, they not only bought enough land for the airport but also all the surrounding land – and the only way anyone could buy or lease any of it, commercial or residential, was to sign a lifelong contract to never, ever sue for noise pollution. I believe this was around the time that O’Hare was getting whacked with multiple suits from people who had moved in well after the airport was built and then decided that planes were noisy.
He should see what it is like having a Mosque on the other side of the wall from your COP. They turned their speakers to point at us. Every morning it sounded like the Imam was chanting at the foot of my bunk. Our plan was that if we ever recieved fire from that direction was to shoot out the speakers while we were returning fire.
I’m of mixed minds on this . When I worked Swing and Mid shifts on the flightline (back when I was in on-base dormitories), Reveille or Taps always seemed to occur right in the middle of my sleep period. That said, I got used to sleeping through it pretty easily. Hell, I can sleep through full-afterburner take-offs within 100 yards, and quite literally slept through a rock concert once. I sleep through helicopter terrain-following flights. (As a maintenance pax, not flight crew!) Won a bet and a case of beer for that once… Silly pilots….
I have to say to our whiner…you don’t like it…there’s bound to be a body of water somewhere nearby your home…don some cement shoes and take a swim.
Turd.
@63, that, or he can suck start either an M1911 or a shotgun!
Maybe the guy works nights.
UPDATE. The base turned down the volume. The TV reporter couldn’t raise the folks who complained that the sound of the National Anthem bothered them, at 8:00 a.m. She knocked on doors and phoned them. Gee, why were they hiding? However, she did find folks who complained that they CAN’T hear the anthem now! One young woman said her little girl would break for the door each morning and sing the Naional Anthem along with the music. The news video is at Fox and is dated yesterday.
Mr Wille needs to go.