Story Archive

This We’ll Defend

Residents of Miami, Fla., were terrified when they were awakened at 1:45 a.m. by military helicopters flying low over the city. Very low: soldiers rappelled out of the choppers onto the roof of a hotel, rushed inside under cover of smoke bombs, and searched the building floor to floor, guns blazing in response to explosions. “The show of force was so overwhelming,” said one woman who watched the assault from her balcony. There were no terrorists, or even criminals: it was a “realistic urban training” exercise for the U.S. Special Operations Command, said Army spokesman Maj. Michael Burns. “They have to train in a realistic environment,” he said, but “we didn’t use any real bullets.” The Army didn’t forget to notify local residents of the exercise: they kept it quiet until the last minute for “security reasons.” Burns noted that such an event “seems very high drama, but to us it’s kind of simple.” (RC/Miami Herald) ...That will surely make residents feel very secure.