Sarah Hauck

What has been dubbed the sound of freedom has been a constant reminder of the areas proximity to Camp Lejeune, particularly in the last week.

As part of an extended training exercise aboard Camp Lejeune artillery blasts have been heard into the wee hours of the morning, causing quite a stir even farther and later than normal.

While many residents are used to the blasts and booms that sometimes rattle windows and doors, many will admit that the last weeks activities have been more, well, active than usual.

The excessive military-related noise is scheduled to end Monday, Camp Lejeune-New River Director of Public Affairs Nat Fahy said.

Some residents have contacted to base to share their frustrations, including some asking if such exercises could be moved elsewhere, he said.

Due to recent fiscal constraints and budget cuts, the Marine Corps is emphasizing home station training, which saves the cost of transporting large amounts of Marines, ammunition, and military equipment to remote locations, Fahy said in response to the residents concerns. Additionally, due to the return of many Marines who were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last 15 years, many more Marines are at Camp Lejeune. This means that there are more Marines conducting more training so that they can stay ready to fight when the nation calls on them.

A Hubert resident since 1987, Dawn Morton said the occasional blast has become something she and her husband have become accustomed to.

There seems to be less down time between the largest booms, and it usually doesnt continue after 11 p.m. she said.

Morton said the extra noise in the later hours kept her awake the other night, something she isnt used to with the noise.

Camp Lejeune issued a noise advisory early last week to warn the community of the quiet hour violations due to the exercise.

Morton said, however, the cracks in the sheet rock, pictures being broken when they are vibrated off the walls and her pets seeming nervous during the explosions are things she expected when she bought her home.

Were not military, but we love this area and respect and cheer for our military neighbors, she said.

Former Marine and Queens Creek resident Tim Carmody said the blasts have woken his 2-year-old up, which is frustrating. One of the worst parts for him? The late night shoots after 12 a.m. when you are awoken at 1-2 a.m. when your day starts at 3:30-4 a.m., he said.

Carmody said his familiarity with artillery from his time in the military hasnt been able to prevent him from being startled a time or two by the current operations.

The family never would have settled in Hubert had they known the disturbance from the base exercises would be so common, he said.

I lived off of Gum Branch in the Half Moon area and dont recall hearing it, Carmody said. The worst there was the flight path, which wasnt too bad.

In the initial noise advisory Camp Lejeune issued cited weather also playing a factor in how readily heard the artillery blasts may be during the exercise.

On occasions, weather conditions can also greatly affect hownoisetravels, Fahy previously told the Daily News. Variations in temperatures at higher atmospheres can create a trap-like effect that bounce sound waves back toward the ground, creating areas of high intensity sound miles away from the sounds source.

The additional artillery noise outside of quiet hours is part of a comprehensive live fire and maneuver exercise supported by 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fahy said.

Quiet hours are normally 12:01 - 6 a.m. Monday-Saturday and from 12:01 a.m.-noon on Sundays, Fahy said.

The base releases a noise report every Friday in ongoing effort to keep the community informed.

That report can be found at lejeune.marines.mil/news/noise-advisories.

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Sounds of freedom rattling to far reaches of area - Jacksonville Daily News