Maureen Baillargeon Aumand presents an excellent look at our government's use of drones in her commentary ("Drone strikes reveal a lost moral compass," Nov. 17).
The ever-increasing number of drone strikes is leading to tragedies such as that of the Rehman family, well-detailed by Ms. Aumand.
Unfortunately, Ms. Aumand bookended her article with tales of a "very awkward military transport plane" on its "poorly plotted maneuvers" around the Capital Region. This airplane makes her "cringe" and gives her a "sense of impotent rage."
The airplane Ms. Aumand describes is a Lockheed LC-130 Hercules, operated by the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard, from the Stratton Air National Guard base in Scotia.
I can assure Ms. Aumand the LC-130 is not at all awkward (although it may look so). The LC-130 is actually one of the most effective air transports ever built, military or civilian. And its maneuvers are not "poorly plotted."
The mission of the LC-130 flown by the 109th is to support and supply the scientific research facilities in Antarctica. Among the many discoveries made there was the depletion of the ozone layer.
In 1999, the crew of a 109th LC-130 fought their way through a raging blizzard to rescue Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the doctor who developed breast cancer while at the South Pole.
Michael Trout
Selkirk