Declared the 'sound of freedom' by the US military, the noise of military jets flying at great speed is regarded as a strategic show of force and national pride. For those living on the aural borders of domestic and overseas US airbases, however, the roar of aircraft noise can be a source of physical stress, social friction and political aggravation.

Bringing together a history of cultural imaginings of aircraft noise with a detailed case study from the US military bases in Okinawa, Japan, this ethnography addresses how the sonic crescendo created by military aircraft can be heard in...