Blue Blurry lines

[flipper]

Military Secrecy & UFOs
I commented that the large number of men involved makes it difficult to understand that why pilots, command or support crew have not talked about the case. He agrees that is troubling, but does feel that military discipline and loyalty is generally effective in preventing leaks. He cited Aldrich Ames as an example of how leaks might be punished.
The 160th was initially classified, centering on antiterrorist missions. In 1983, they had several bad crashes related to the testing of the night vision equipment. Some of these events became fuel for accusation and speculation.
In the early 1980s, there was a great deal of speculation about the Night Stalkers and their activity, and accusations of conspiratorial activities like them faking crashes in order to provide cover stories for man killed in secret missions.
When the 160th loosened up sharing details on their operations, the press lost interest once they were no longer secret. They were able to get back to business without the distractions.

Blue Blurry Lines: An Expert Opinion on the Cash-Landrum Copters
Military helicopters descend on Twin Cities, Minnesota in unannounced “urban warfare” exercises
By Matt Rigel
23 August 2014
On the evening of Monday, August 18, the US Army commenced unannounced military exercises in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. MH-60 variant Black Hawk helicopters buzzed through the downtown and residential areas of the two Midwestern cities.

The ominous exercises, which took place over three days, were led by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security in close collaboration with the local police. They were carried out without public warning, despite the fact that they included late-night low flyovers of residential districts by thunderous war equipment.

Hundreds of stunned residents placed emergency phone calls in the hours after exercises began as several black helicopters weaved in between skyscrapers of both cities and swept through areas at low altitudes and high speeds. It was only after the widespread response that the police and military acknowledged what was taking place. (Video of part of the exercises can be found here.)

“We understand the concern and confusion these activities may have created for the public,” said St. Paul Police Department spokesman Howie Padilla as he defended the exercises.

St. Paul Police Federation Dave Titus responded to these safety concerns by proclaiming, “Controlled practices like these ultimately save lives and make a safer environment for everyone.” The helicopters that flew over the two Minnesota cities are designated for stealth operations ranging from support and reconnaissance to attack missions in various settings. They are generally armed with machine guns and can fly at speeds of up to 300 km/h.

The helicopters were piloted by teams from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, whose combat nickname is the “Night Stalkers.” The regiment, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has participated in a wide range of imperialist interventions, ranging from Mogadishu, Somalia to the war in Iraq.

Military helicopters descend on Twin Cities, Minnesota in unannounced “urban warfare” exercises - World Socialist Web Site

 

[Sentry]

Thanks for bringing up the topic of military helicopters and secrecy. Helicopters are tied to a lot of modern mysteries! There's some truth and alos many legends and rumors, but that's typicla of any topic that kept under lock and key. One thing that fuelled the speculation was the campdown of military secrecy during President Reagan's terms.

The practice runs described in your story have been happening for decades in and around cities. It's usually over before anyone can make a fuss about it in the news, but the have been a few accidents over the years.

 

[Burnt State]

Helicopters are strange. Ever since M*A*S*H I've been aware of their role in modern media. Their sequence in Close Encounters was also significant for me along with Apocalypse Now. They obviously play quite a role in cinema as this "highly detailed" pie chart reveals:

In a more serious vein though, there's something mysterious & compelling about them and their ability to easily maneuver in ways that defy a kind of predictable logic and the mostly straight lines of planes. My neighbour hates helcoptors and distrusts them immensely with a kind of paranoia that I've encountered before with people. One friend insisted they were keeping tabs on him at night and needed the blinds closed at all times. These whirly-birds also can group together like a swarm of insects, fly covertly at night and disappear through odd crevices. They play a very curious role in many of Romero's Dead movies. There's a kind of desperation, intimidation and escapism that they represent all at the same time.

What mysteries are they linked to, Curt, aside from the cattle mutilation mystery?

 

[Sentry]

Yes, there's a close association ot UFOs and copters. The scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind that you mentioned was echoed or stolen in an early X-Files episode, where a thundering light descended, only to be revealed as a helcopter.

Besides cattle mutilations, the other mysteries are the "black helicopters" in general, which are part many conspiracy theories, secret domestic military operations or surveilance. Helicopters are part of many UFO stories in various roles, and in some versions are supposed to be extraterrestrial craft in disguise. I've not studied this, but come across a lot of it in passing where the Cash-Landrum case was mentioned alongside othe copter stories.

The other big role for helciopters is that they are supposed to carry the military personnell that contacts landed UFOs, the Blue Berets. These guys must be tdoing a hell of a job, because nothing but rumors are left afterwards.