Sounds of Freedom-noise complainers

Devil Doc

Teufel Doc
5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2018
Messages
5,399
https://www.military.com/daily-news...will-continue-quantico.html?ESRC=eb_190423.nl

"We have 43 ranges on base," said John DeBerry, Quantico's command visit coordinator. "Most of the louder weapons, such as artillery and bombs, are fired or dropped at Range 7, a little farther in from where TBS (The Basic School) students train. There is another range about four miles from here where our EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) personnel train and have classes."

I live literally through the woods from Camp Barrett. I can hear the bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop of the M-2 I'm so close. I complain when I cannot hear the sounds of freedom. Many people think MCB Quantico is just a quite burb of a base with sterile classrooms and intellectual centers where the generals meet once a year. We have sniper school, TBS students doing call for fire, infantry officer school, and as the article states, the FBI and DEA train there. I'm always amazed at the people who complain about jet noise or booms when that was happening before they moved in.
 
It's like moving to a home next to a hog farm and then complaining and suing about the smell. Duhhhh.... Big problem here. Fortunately I get to hear the sound of freedom.
 
It’s never the sound of freedom when it’s over US skies or on US soil (apart from bases) but you really should know where you’re moving. It probably takes seconds to look up.
 
I belonged to a gun club that has been around since the 1930's The range was shut down by a judge a few years ago because a new development was put in nearby and people started complaining about the noise.
 
I grew up next to an Air Base that flew mainly fighters and bombers, often at low level. On a training day the jet engines could get obnoxious after a while, so I could see how it might make some people complain. But I do agree that folks should do better research into where they’re going to live if they are easily annoyed by noise. Unfortunately the argument of “we were here before them” only holds water in court when the homeowners had to sign a statement of understanding. Otherwise they can always claim they didn’t know about it.
 
How does anyone not know that their new home is in proximity to an active military instillation? You can hear Lejune out at the beaches on Emerald Isle. Always sounded good and watching the aircraft over the beach from New River was always a thrill. New River website states "Pardon our noise it is the sound of freedom".
 
Last edited:
How does anyone not know that their new home is in proximity to an active military instillation?
Public awareness of the military and their regular contact with actively serving members is dropping rapidly. Everyone "supports the troops" and will thank you for your service, but very few are aware beyond that. There have been a number of polls and studies over the past decade that are picking up on this trend.

Years of drawdowns, constant deployments, joint bases, and BRAC have had the effect of making military installations more like gated communities with a non-native population that never really gets out into the local area.
 
I grew up at Camp Pendleton, and loved the flares and the thumps of the night landing exercises. Later, when I flew, I was lulled to sleep by 68 Hz of the "four fans of freedom". P-3 noise is like being rocked to sleep.

F-18s...different matter. Those guys are louder than 747s on takeoff, and when the Q is right next to the departure end of the runway..wow.

Of course, the TacAir guys have planes landing on the roof. That must take some getting used to.
 
LMAO bc as I am reading this thread my house is rattling. It only bothers me on really cold/overcast days because it is much louder and it usually will give me a migraine headache. However, I have never complained because my DH flew fighters for 20 yrs., so I know they are just doing their jobs.
 
They were firing arty yesterday but I could barely hear it as the forest is fully leaved. My dog heard it though. It affects him like thunder and fireworks. He is one of the complainers mentioned in the article.
 
We spent 15 yrs living over a mountain ridge from and Army Weapons test and Eval at Picatinny Arsenal and hearing "Picatinny Booms" were a normal part of our lives. Most of the booms are during the day so weekdays between about 9 AM and 3PM can get pretty active. Not a problem for anyone that I know in the area though.
 
Its no different than those who move near an aiport and then complain about the noise. I do remember reading about these homeowners whose houses were bought maybe 30 years after the establishment of ranch and they wound up suing because of the smell and they won. If you dont want to hear the sound, dont leave near a place where it is loud
 
If they can't stand the sound, they just really need to move, that is all there is to it. I grew up on military bases, I always found the artillery, jets, training, morning formation runs, etc to be soothing.

I was dropping my husband off at Ellington Field one morning and heard the familiar roar, I parked and listened. It had been so long since I had heard them. I was right back in Japan in grammar school.

When we lived at Fort Belvoir, I used to hear the artillery when I was at my friends house or driving by to go to the Tank Farm. To this day, my dog, Georgie Patton LOVES the sound of artillery. I wanted him to get used to big noise, so we'd find a park to play in or a place to visit when the the whole world was rattled by artillery fire. He ignored the dog treats in favor of my popcorn. I've always loved the sound of artillery practice. It probably contributed to why I have a good size Trench Art collection of WWI and WWII artillery shells.

Now, Georgie knows Quantico and the Marine Corps Museum. When we dropped my daughter off for Summer Leadership and Development Academy, he was so excited to go into the Marine Corps Museum. (He is a Service Dog). He loves the Frozen Chosen and Vietnam helicopter exhibits the most. The Marines at the gate got a good laugh when we drove on post for graduation, Georgie was so excited that he could barely contain himself. Thunder, fire works, .50 cal, big ship's horn, he doesn't care, he just loves the noise.
 
I used to live less than a mile from Boeing Everett WA plant. I remember when they were trim testing those big GE engines for the 777, they'd start them at 7am on a Saturday morning, and they'd run them until 5pm at night. I didn't even notice after a while, but I did notice when it stopped. Anyhow, when I bought that house, there was a noise easement in my Deed for that plant and runways. Half my neighbors worked at Boeing, it was the sound of money. (Note, Sheriff Depart also had a gun range there, Saturdays were especially noisy) To me this was a small price to pay for the view i had of the Olympics' and Puget Sound. Schools were exceptional, and the people were the best. What more could you ask for? You want quiet, move to Friday Harbor.

On the other hand, noise is no different than sewage. If there was a pig farm spewing sewage off their property, I'm sure all of you would say that was unacceptable. I guess courts decide what an acceptable amount of pollution would be, whether its noise or sewage.

As far as Military bases go....We can have an Eminent Domain discussion. Choose your poison.
 
Back
Top