Reality Check ✓: The military is in town

CORRECTION: It has been released that the U.S. Air Force operated the helicopters. This means that these "Black Hawk" helicopters are known as U.S. Air Force Pave Hawk helicopters.

Yes, this is an event of note. No, this will not replace the semi-weekly post (coming Thursday)

Interesting evening in Chicago! Jet Planes and helicopters and soldiers and, oh my! Please keep in mind, the purpose is not to create wild theories or make any point, political or otherwise. The purpose is to watch events unfold and ask questions.

Now, let's break it down:

Officially: The Office of Emergency Management and Communications announced that a military training exercise will be taking place. The exercise was said to include three helicopters and military personnel. The purpose of the exercise is to prepare soldiers selected for overseas deployment to operate in urban environments. A spokeswoman for the city said this type of exercise is routine, and done often in cities around the country. She went on to say the training is not related to the upcoming NATO Summit.

What's between the lines: The exercise is stated to be for the purpose of overseas training. This implies that the exercise is only military in nature. Except for the possibility of local law enforcement being used to keep training areas clear, no personell outside of the military should be participating in the training. The announcement itself came just hours before military aircraft landed in the city.

What I observed: Three days ago (Friday, April 13) I saw two fighter jets fly low over Navy Pier, and circle for approximately twenty minutes, before leaving the downtown area completely. From a window, I watched five Blackhawk helicopters land in the parking lot of McCormick Place. After stepping outside, I saw three more Blackhawks and in the same place. Each of these three helicopters held ten men (including pilots). Two smaller, bubble cockpit helicopters took off from McCormick Place's parking lot. Each of these machines also carried a gun mounted in the door on the left side. Chicago Police cruisers and SUVs completely surrounded the parking lot being used as a landing site. Within the police perimeter, Chicago Police vans and trucks, as well as city ambulances and fire engines were among the landing helicopters. All of the helicopters landed in pairs. Between landings, the machines were shut down, and went silent. No personel exited the parking lot to the north, east, or west.

Facts: The 2012 NATO Summit will be occurring at McCormick Place. Typically, when the American President visits Chicago, Marine One uses this same parking lot as a landing site. The McCormick Place structure reaches past each side of the south end of the parking lot. The Secret Service has been creating plans to keep the NATO Summit secure for months. After living in downtown Chicago for nearly two years, I have seen military vehicles in the city exactly three times before today. Two of these were for the annual air show, and one was the result of the filming of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Every time (including today) that military machines have entered Chicago, it has been noted by most major news outlets.

Questions: Why was it announced that three aircraft would be used? After personally counting many more than three, I would like to know why the inaccuracy took place. On a similar note, I would like to know why Chicago fire and medical vehicles were involved with the exercise, as it was stated to be for overseas training. All military branches contain their own safety and medical personnel, so why were Chicago vehicles within the training perimeter? As far as the NATO Summit is concerned, I have a few questions. Multiple government agencies have been planning and preparing security measures for the summit for months. Naturally, much of these measures are secret. Why, only one month before the summit is the military using the summit's location for such a massive exercise? Does this not hinder the preparation process in any way? I also would like to know if personnel involved in the exercise entered McCormick Place. The helicopters did shut down, and no one left the area in any direction leading away from the building. Only two options remain. Either the soldiers and emergency workers conducted their business within the parking lot crowded with city vehicles and at least ten helicopters, or they used the summit site itself. The fighter jets from a few days ago are of interest. These planes were nowhere to be found when the helicopters moved in tonight... With the upcoming summit, I would expect certain security measures to be kept secret. I do, however, feel there is a fine line between keeping information secure, and providing false information. In this case, the city and military are ultimately responsible to us, the people. They each have their own right to use secrecy as a device of protection. I don't feel that includes the right to lie. Yes, the inaccuracies are small, like the number of helicopters. So, why? Why tweak truth? Why not simply announce that information will not be given? Maybe simple miscommunication played a role today. The "maybe" factor is endless, as it is in al situations. Whether or not excitement was related to the NATO Summit, we do know military presence will be increasing over the next month.

Feel free to check out some of the photos I snapped of this evening. On Wednesday, we will go into the rest of the week's events.

Until then,

David

To approach the helicopter landing site, I had no choice but to put away the camera. Below are a few shots of aircraft near McCormick Place.