Jade Helm in Illinois

Didn't all this happen a few years ago with the black hawk helos flying around Miami? Nothing happened then. Is this on a larger scale?

a reply to: kidcraig

Jade Helm, area wise, is the largest exercise ever on US soil. Personnel wise, it's not very large.

a reply to: kidcraig

In the last few months we have had a few helicopters fly over that really shook the house. These were not the usual business types flying overpaid exec's around on high power business lunches. These were the kind that didn't just beat the air, they beat the # out of it. Seems to be happening more frequently, but I haven't been keeping track. I will from now on.

a reply to: riiver

Wow, now that is an important piece of information sharing, ATS has these little gems spread throughout the forum, one day a thread of all the great hits should be made.

a reply to: Phage

as someone (I think that guy shooting photos at secret bases, satellites, etc..) says:

"secrecy is not what you can't know, but a way to do things, as the most secret thing is made of the same matter of all the rest of the world"

a reply to: Vroomfondel

so a reply to the OP. i have worked for a very large retailer that has shops in loads of malls. i can tell you specifically in chicago area those training exercises are hostage, gunman exercises in a large mall/ public setting. they usually tell the anchor store management about it due to the fact we sometimes left our gates open inside the mall to allow for a larger game field. heck back in 2008 ish, all of hawthorne mall was shut down including the outer loop from 9pm to 9 am the next day, they even trailed in boats (they stayed on the trailers) that used the outside parking lot in the back as a "water zone" there was multiple helicopters and life flight in the front as well. so it isn't a conspiracy to take over the world or take away your right to bare arms. but more to calm the wakos that think a terrorist will actually have the balls to do something in the USA and not be like a hollywood villan and revile their plans of terror in a threat.

im sorry but if you tell someone what you are going to do as an act of violence, said person is usually just trying to scare someone. not actually go through with the act

a reply to: mysterioustranger

Ahhhh, nice.

a reply to: snowman22

I appreciate your comments. I have seen regular training in the area before and this was much larger. That doesn't indicate sinister actions on anyone's part, but it was unusual. One of the things that was different about this one was the school buses. There were several of them in a line. You don't bus people to a hostage/gunman situation. And you don't bus people out of one either. Its not an expedient way to get people out of harms way quickly. But it is a great way to move a bunch of people from a sort of processing triage to a more secure facility, if one so desired.

I looked at the location they chose from a strategy perspective. They were in an area that had cement walls on two sides (structures), no direct access from public streets (you had to enter the perimeter road first). The area was closed off with barricades/fences, was well lit with spotlights powered by a large generator, and flashing white and green beacons. Two roadblocks on the perimeter road and you have one very large, very secure area. You don't need that for a hostage/gunman scenario.

And that is the point. I cant imagine many things that would require that kind of enforcement and strategic location other than one in which the goal is to control a large number of people who probably aren't happy about being there.

I can understand the need to practice but I cant imagine what scenario they would be practicing for that doesn't look suspicious in some way. And in the past they have told us about the training. This time they didn't. I don't know if that means anything or not. But it was unusual at the very least.