The end is near for Operation Last Dance, and the Army may be
planning to have it end with more drama than it began. Officials even
finally admitted that they really do use black helicopters.
A full-time Army source has informed WorldNetDaily that 100 or more
regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve troops left from
California Tuesday to join Operation Last Dance in Texas. They
will combine with the 50 to 60 who have already been actively
engaged in conducting mock raids in Texas towns.
The elite group of 100 is trained to fight terrorists in an urban
environment. They have arrived at Corpus Christi Naval Station and
Fort Sam Houston for the final days of the training exercise that has
caused so much controversy.
Last Dance began Feb. 8 in Kingsville, Texas, and is expected to
end Feb. 20, perhaps sooner. Live fire has been used in
Kingsville where extensive damage was caused to two buildings and a
telephone pole. Residents there are still getting over the shock and
fear caused by the fake attack that looked and sounded very real.
Other exercises in towns around Kingsville and Corpus Christi have
also caused concern by residents and elected officials.
Officials in Port Aransas, a small town outside Corpus Christi
objected heavily when Night Stalkers brought their black helicopters
to town without prior approval. They have also been seen in Austin,
Annaville, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Calallen.
The Corpus Christi City Council, home of the Corpus Christi Naval
Station, voted to give Operation Last Dance a symbolic pat on the
back. Two soldiers gave them a presentation to explain what was
being done. Similar presentations have not been given in other
communities.
The two soldiers would not give their real names “for security
reasons.” They called themselves Zumwalt and Joseph and discussed
the safety of their exercises.
Zumwalt confirmed that the helicopters being used for the training
exercises are really painted black. Numerous military and former
military have contacted WorldNetDaily to correct earlier reports of
black helicopter sightings. They claimed that the helicopters are
dark olive drab, not black.
“We paint them black so that the bad guys can’t see us coming. I
don’t know what ‘X-Files’ episode started the paranoia about the black
helicopters. Those are American pilots with American soldiers who
love this country in those helicopters,” said Zumwalt.
He said he would prefer to paint them red, white, and blue so local
citizens would know they are the good guys and not worry.
The training missions are as dangerous as if they were fighting a
real enemy, and the soldiers confirmed to the City Council that they
often use live ammunition and explosives during such exercises.
“Our guys have been hurt and even killed during these types of
exercises. But we have never had any significant civilian injuries,”
admitted Joseph.
Zumwalt told the council to expect one more exercise in Corpus
Christi before Operation Last Dance comes to an end. An Army source
told WorldNetDaily to expect that event to be bigger and more
dramatic than anything seen so far.
U.S. Army Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
planned and conducted Operation Last Dance after first obtaining
permission from some cities they have been to, but not others. Only
the Corpus Christi police chief and the city manager knew in advance
in that city.
Zumwalt and Joseph complained about demands from other cities for
notice and approval. They said safety would be compromised
if people knew they were coming. They pointed out that a dangerous
situation occurred when 200 people in an undisclosed location
gathered on a factory rooftop to watch them.
The City Council offered a vote of thanks to the soldiers. Zumwalt
and Joseph said all they could offer for the use of Corpus Christi
was their appreciation. They acknowledge that the city was at risk
because of the training exercise, but they said they could not do
anything about that.
Operation Last Dance has already become a political issue for this
year’s local elections. Vic Vreeland, council candidate in
Austin, is mounting a campaign based on his desire to fight such use
of the city in the future.
“I was aware of a proposed ‘table top’ exercise which was to occur
in Austin late last year. The word was that the feds were to pay
$150,000 to the city of Austin for their cooperation,” Vreeland told
WorldNetDaily. He said bad publicity caused by local talk radio host
Alex Jones forced the plans to be changed.
“It still may take place anyway,” he added.
With plans for Operation Last Dance to be over by Saturday, and
sources saying the final mock attack will be somewhere in Corpus
Christi, chances are good that residents there will soon have their
own black helicopter tales to tell.
David M. Bresnahan, a contributing editor for WorldNetDaily.com, is the author of “Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception,” and offers a monthly newsletter “Talk USA Investigative Reports.”
He may be reached through email and also maintains a website.
