This letter is in response to the comments of the lady who recently expressed her displeasure with the noise of the military aircraft [“Jet Noise,” Peninsula Voices, Aug. 17].
She told how the persistent volume adversely reduced her ability to enjoy Hoh Head north of the Hoh River near our beautiful seaboard.
In 1941 when I was 6 years old, Southern California had not yet turned into the crowded and blighted area it is today.
My parents and grandparents frequently took my sister and me to the nearby seashore, where the public could camp for a week at a time.
The mountains were also nearby, and we could camp anywhere we wanted to.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was the site of a devastating surprise attack.
Almost immediately, the beaches in California were closed to the public.
They were patrolled by military personnel or converted to other defense purposes.
The mountains were also closed to the public to safeguard the dams and reservoirs and forests from sabotage.
Everyone was also severely restricted in travel due to gas and tire rationing.
These are very dangerous times.
We, as a nation, are being threatened from many directions.
History has taught us that the best way to prevent a war is to be prepared for one.
I hope the letter writer would think of what might happen to her lovely walks if our military were not properly trained and prepared for an attack.
She might use my loss of a childhood (age 6 to 11) as a learning opportunity.
John J. Malone,
Port Angeles
