Re: Dave Herrera’s letter to the editor (“Purpose of Fort Vancouver is lost,” Our Readers’ Views, June 12), I believe Mr. Herrera’s opinion is myopic and biased.
David Herrera was superintendent of the Fort Vancouver National Historic site in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During the same period I was associated with the “One Place Across Time” fundraising effort which supported the historical significance of Pearson Field. Pearson Field is the real historical site. The “Fort” is simply a re-creation.
Additionally, Pearson Field is a working/teaching airport, a valuable asset of the city of Vancouver, and self-supporting.
It is not simply “an airfield for the wealthy class,” as Herrera states. Readers may have read of the current shortage of commercial airline pilots. Aspiring pilots learn to fly at airports like Pearson. Until recent new programs, the airlines have never taught people to fly and the military certainly does not.
I invite everyone to visit pearsonfieldeducation.org for more information about the history of Pearson Field. Familiarize yourself with the true history of the area surrounding the “fake fort.”
