Posted on 08/20/2014 5:53:58 AM PDT by TurboZamboni
The Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment has a saying -- "Night Stalkers Don't Quit." It apparently doesn't always let people sleep, either.
The airborne unit's Black Hawk helicopters arrived without warning Monday night, rattling for hours over Highland Park and around apartment buildings in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, and angering residents and elected officials alike.
They'll be back.
The copters are taking part in U.S. military exercises that will continue sporadically into Thursday evening -- local law enforcement officials said -- but now with a little more public notice.
"It's something that we do 10 to 15 times a year throughout the country," said Maj. Allen Hill, a spokesman for the unit -- known as the "Night Stalkers" -- based out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
"It provides our pilots an unfamiliar environment -- an area they're not accustomed to. Towns like Minneapolis, St. Paul, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, they're all great hosts," Hill said. "The cities invite us."
When they flew over the Twin Cities in 2012, St. Paul and Minneapolis police began notifying the public three days before the training ramped up. At the time, police said they didn't want to tie up 911 centers with calls from alarmed residents.
This time, though, no such warning was made.
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
seems like Ferguson MO would be a good training ground right now
As MG Wurman, Ft Dix CG, used to tell officials of surrounding towns who complained about NJ ARNG artillery fire on the weekends: "That's the sound of Freedom". He would also say the Russians or ChiComms would not even listen to their complaints were we to stop training.
With no warning, low-flying copters buzz St. Paul, Minneapolis
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_26362024/low-flying-copters-alarm-st-paul-residents
quite a few people freaked out
Detroit- any mishap and you only hit an abandoned building.
Fort Ord used to light up the beach and part of Monterrey Bay. Great show that we could see and hear from the Presidio.
I’ve always lived within earshot of a base, Selfridge ANGB and Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The sound of freedom to me is a F-16 flying over or a test bomb exploding at APG.
So, where is Highland Park in relation to Brooklyn Park (where the Dr. Sawyer who died of Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria called home, and where some 25,000 Liberian people mainly live in the Minneapolis Suburbs)?
about 15 miles away
Thanks! It may be completely unrelated, but I had to ask.
I live in upstate NY (upstate is anything north of NYC) near the Paladin center. Last year they held some sort of helicopter training at night. For almost an hour they were buzzing the houses and town. It was four copters. They never said what it was but it appeared to be one copter was an observer, two were pursuit and one blacked out copter was the “prey”. The Two pursuits chased the one without lights around and around at low altitudes. The observer held position about half a mile away. The town complained and it never happened here again. The Paladin center was originally a woman’s college changed to Guideposts, and now a tactical training center. (https://www.paladincenter.com/ )
For 17 years I lived about 10 miles north of Camp Swift, a 10,000 acre WWII training site located in Bastrop County, Texas just east of Austin. On many week-ends, even 10 miles north, if the wind was out of the south I could hear the thump, thump, thump of the 50 cals.
Like you, I always responded to the whiners that “I love it, it’s the sound of freedom”. In 17 years, I think I managed to shame a handful of folks.
During a recent thunderstorm here my wife was complaining about the thunder. After spending 26 years on active duty and living on base most times I just told her to pretend it was artillery. Complaints stopped.
Couple of strafing runs should solve the problem......
Loved that show.
Just what are the practicing for?
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