Posted on November 2, 2012 by Fighter Country
Luke Forward received Westmarc’s Special 20th Anniversary Best of the West Award for championing one of the West Valley’s biggest accomplishments — Luke Air Force Base landing the F-35 training center.
The region’s biggest awards were given during a banquet Thursday at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel attended by about 500. Westmarc, a coalition of business, government, education and community-group leaders that lobbies on behalf of the West Valley, launched the awards program two decades ago to promote outstanding contributions to the West Valley.
Posted on January 30, 2012 by Fighter Country
Please consider attending one of the four public hearings to voice your support for the F-35 mission coming to Luke AFB. All hearings include an open house session from 5 to 6 pm, followed by a presentation and formal public comment session from 6 to 8 pm. Make sure and review the DEIS report available here before you attend.
F-35A EIS Public Hearings Schedule:
5-6 pm Open House / Information Session
6-8 pm Presentation / Formal Comment Session
| CITY |
ADDRESS |
DATES AND TIMES |
| Litchfield Park |
Wigwam Resort, 300 Wigwam Blvd., Litchfield Park, AZ 85340 |
5-8 p.m., Mon,, Feb. 13 |
| El Mirage |
El Mirage Elementary School, Gymnasium 13500 N El Mirage Rd., El Mirage, AZ 85335 |
5-8 p.m., Tues., Feb. 14 |
| Surprise |
Sundial Recreation Center, Auditorium, 14800 N 104rd Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351 |
5-8 p.m., Wed., Feb. 15 |
| Gila Bend |
Gila Bend Unified School District, Cafeteria, 308 N. Martin Ave. |
5-8 p.m., Thur., Feb. 16 |
Posted on July 29, 2010 by Fighter Country
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Arizona’s local and state government officials, as well as the Arizona congressional delegation, are delighted with today’s decision that the Air Force has selected Luke Air Force Base as the preferred location for the new F-35 Pilot Training Center. With today’s decision by the Air Force, Luke is poised to transition from its current F-16 training mission to become the Air Force’s F-35 “school house,” subject to completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that is currently underway. “Today’s announcement is great news for our region and our state and represents a major milestone and the…
Posted on February 25, 2010 by Fighter Country
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Feb 25 2010) – West Valley residents are turning out in large numbers this week to show their support in bringing the new F-35 fighter jet to Luke Air Force Base.
Tuesday night’s meeting in El Mirage and last night’s meeting in Surprise each attracted big crowds of approximately 300 people. Luke supporters donning military hats, t-shirts, pins and stickers could be found everywhere at the meetings, which are being conducted by the Air Force to solicit input from citizens in preparation of the F-35 environmental study at the Glendale base.
Based on reports from other communities, such as New Mexico, Utah and Idaho, which are also under consideration to receive the Air Force’s joint strike fighter program, the Luke meetings are drawing record crowds.
“At last night’s meeting in Surprise, there was a line of people waiting to get inside the meeting room,” said Fighter Country Partnership’s Steve Yamamori, whose organization is working with 12 West Valley cities and Maricopa County to bring the F-35 to Luke. West Valley residents and others are showing up in force at these meetings to express their support for the Air Force to bring the F-35 to Luke. This strong support by local citizens is definitely going to send a clear message to decisions makers back in Washington, D.C. that Arizona strongly supports the F-35.”
Based on the criteria the Air Force will use to evaluate sites for the F-35 mission, Luke is well positioned to receive the F-35 and continue to serve as the Air Force’s “school house” for America’s fighter pilots and maintainers.
Local leaders know, however, that until a decision is made, nothing can be taken for granted, and they urge continued strong support from Arizonans statewide.
Luke has been training fighter pilots since 1941, and Arizona features the ideal climate, land, airspace and training rangers – including the Barry M. Goldwater Range in southern Arizona – that cannot be replicated anywhere in the country.
For more information on the public-scoping meetings, which run through Friday, or to register your support for the F-35 at Luke, visit www.LukeForward.com.
CONTACT: Steve Yamamori, Fighter Country Partnership, 623-882-2191
Posted on February 23, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Luke Forward Committee has been sending out thousands of emails to registered supporters the past week providing an alternative option to physically attending these meetings from across the valley. The F-35 Public Scoping meetings are a critical part of the Environmental Impact Study being conducted by the Air Force. The Air Force proposes to establish training F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) training aircraft at one or more existing Air Force installations within the continental United States. F-35A is a conventional take-off, multiple-role fighter with an emphasis on air-to-ground missions. The aircraft was designed to replace and supplement F-16 and…
Posted on February 4, 2010 by Fighter Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Fighter Country Partnership) PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer, Attorney General Terry Goddard and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors today adopted an agreement to resolve a long-standing issue involving residential encroachment around Luke Air Force Base at a special meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors held at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park.
“I’d like to thank key leaders and their staff who joined me in reaching this important resolution that the Supervisors adopted today, including Senator John Nelson, Attorney General Terry Goddard, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Senator John McCain,” said Governor Brewer. “It is a testament to our state officials who came together in a unified and cooperative spirit to uphold the health and welfare of our citizens, preserve the rights of property owners as well as the success of the State’s military bases. Our unified agreement will no doubt make clear to the U. S. Defense Department that Arizona stands ready for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter mission.”
“This agreement represents a major victory for the citizens of Arizona,” Goddard said. “It upholds state law, protects the health and safety of nearby residents and strengthens Luke’s bid for the F-35. It also shows what can be accomplished when a commitment to serve the greater good prevails over political and policy differences.”
The settlement agreement reached between…..
Posted on January 27, 2010 by Fighter Country
Statewide support is rapidly building for Luke Air Force Base and the new F-35 training mission since Gov. Jan Brewer and West Valley mayors launched the Luke Forward campaign.
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Air Force recently announced that it will be holding five public meetings, referred to as public-scoping meetings, February 22-26 in five communities near Luke AFB and its operations.
Public-scoping meetings are just the beginning
The purpose of the public-scoping process is to actively involve citizens and government agencies in helping identify the environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental analysis of the F-35 at Luke. These meetings will provide you with an introduction to the F-35 and its capabilities and mission. Specific information on how the F-35 will be integrated at Luke as a training facility will also be covered.
Open-house format
The meetings will be held using an “open-house” type format where there will be several informational tables for you to visit. Air Force, as well as Luke AFB, representatives will be staffing these tables to answer questions you may have. These public-scoping meetings will have no formal presentations. But, there will be an opportunity to submit written comments to the Air Force regarding Luke and the F-35.
Public Scoping Meeting Schedule:
| CITY |
ADDRESS |
DATES AND TIMES |
| Gila Bend |
Gila Bend Unified School District, 308 N. Martin Ave. |
6-9 p.m., Monday, Feb. 22 |
| El Mirage |
RC Roberts Memorial Building at Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort, 11201 N. El Mirage Road. |
6-9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23 |
| Surprise |
Communiversity@Surprise, 15850 West Civic Center Plaza. |
6-9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24 |
| Wickenburg |
Wickenburg High School Media Center, 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road. |
6-9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25 |
| Litchfield Park |
Wigwam Resort, 300 Wigwam Blvd. |
6-9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26 |
Luke Forward campaign organizers are urging Luke supporters to attend one of the upcoming public scoping meetings, so you can learn as much as possible about the EIS process. Luke Forward has also provided an ability for people to fill out an EIS form on their website if they cannot make the meetings. A Fighter Country representative will deliver all forms to each EIS meeting.
Posted on November 27, 2009 by Fighter Country
