I can remember well the day —  sitting in Mrs. Johnson’s fourth grade mobile classroom behind Beaufort High School (now the site of Beaufort Elementary) — when the first new Marine Crusaders made their first flight over Beaufort signaling to the community that the abandoned Naval Air Station was reactivated as Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort.We knew this meant new people would soon be moving to Beaufort and there could be better jobs for those who lived here. We were excited about new classmates (and teachers) coming as many families would soon be transferred to Beaufort.  

It took a little while to get used to the jets roaring over our small town.Beaufort was, at the time, perhaps a little “too quiet” for many of the younger people growing up here. But not long thereafter, MCAS, its aircraft and families became – and have since been – an integral part of the fabric of our community.

Over the years, many of us have developed strong business and personal relationships with military personnel and their families. Many “military brats” (we called them then) like Joan Webster Fordham, Sue Ann Carver Reedy, Pat Conroy,  Connie Hipp, Kathy Conroy Harvey, Pat Owings Alley, Stephanie Edwards — to name only a very few among many – adopted Beaufort as their hometown and have since contributed to the betterment of the community.   

Today, the annual economic impact of MCAS Beaufort is more than $600 million, which is to say nothing of the human resources and rich cultural diversity the military brings to Beaufort. Perhaps even more importantly, many of us feel that by hosting the military in Beaufort, our community is contributing to a strong and vital national defense.      

If the new JSF 25-B scenario unfolds there will be another “new day” for MCAS when The Department of The Navy announces that two training and three operational squadrons of the state of the art (space age to those of us over 60) Joint Strike Fighter 35-B will be based in Beaufort.  

Having read the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the JSF 35-B, I am certain Beaufort will again see some changes. How many people will be coming?  What companies will move here to create jobs to support the initiative? What will be the difference in “sound”; the number and frequency of flights, new and better opportunities for our young people to strive for?

I urge you to looking at the following website: www.usmcjsfeast.com so you too can learn more about the opportunity.  

Furthermore, I would suggest you review www.f35beaufort.com which is the site created by the Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and the Military Enhancement Committee.Committee.  And finally, I encourage you to drop in at the Department of the Navy’s “listening session” on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn from 4-7 PM.   

By taking as little as fifteen minutes,  you will have an opportunity to ask questions and present comments that will be incorporated into the final Environmental Impact Statement which will be used by the Pentagon when making the final decision in December.   

If you are not able to attend, please read the report on line (or at the library) and comment through one of the websites.

The JSF 35-B is the aircraft of the future for Marine Corps aviation and what we know today will be phased out.  If this aircraft is not incorporated into MCAS Beaufort’s future, we could lose the base and its annual economic impact of $615 million. This would be a huge blow to our economy.   

I will be there at 4 on Tuesday to ask a few remaining questions and to share my thoughts with the Department of the Navy.

I support the training and operations missions presented in Alternative #1

 I encourage the use of an Auxilliary Landing Field for training missions.

I plan to invite companies, coming to the area to service the new aircraft, to partner with local businesses and to be active participants in the smart growth and long needed diverse economic development of this special place we all call home.