The landing of a helicopter on the Agassiz School roof on July 28 was a military exercise—an exercise in poor judgment, that is.
Use of the empty school for unarmed commando training is fine, if surprising, and JP should be proud of its contribution to readying our nation’s outstanding special forces.
But the secret chopper landing was a completely unnecessary risk to residents living just yards from the school and passers-by on the street. Any aircraft landing is serious business, and military helicopters crash with some frequency. There are surely other rooftops in Boston where a landing could be practiced without the chance of crashing into a house.
Jamaica Plain is not a proving ground and its homes are not training props. The City and the military should pledge to keep optional aircraft landings out of our neighborhoods, no matter how prestigious the pilots. The military exists to defend us, and step one should be not endangering us.