Michigan Military Activity

Ronaldski

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http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-7/115643252738500.xml?bctimes?NEB&coll=4

If you hear machine guns on the Saginaw Bay, the sound may be coming from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is proposing to create 26 ''safety zones'' throughout the Great Lakes, including six in Lake Huron.

The closest two to the bay would be east of Tawas City and north of Port Hope in the Thumb.
The zones, at least five miles off shore, would be used for periodic training by Coast Guard personnel, some involving real machine guns and real bullets, officials say.

Coast Guard officials say boaters will be notified of training exercises through transmissions on marine band radio, and marinas and harbor masters also will be advised.

If someone happens to wander into a zone when live rounds are going off, Coast Guard officials will shut down the exercise, said Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier, with the U.S. Coast Guard in Cleveland.

''We need those training zones to maintain our homeland security posture, to make sure our members are trained on law enforcement, environmental response tactics and to make sure they're qualified with weapons,'' Lanier said.

The ''safety zones'' don't sound too safe to Cindy Jacques, manager at Jerry's Marina in East Tawas.

''You're not kidding about this?'' Jacques asked when told about the proposed gunfire training exercises.

She said it doesn't sound like a good idea.
There's a lot of people out there fishing and sailing,'' she said.

''There's a lot of people that don't have marine radios on board their boat.''

The U.S. Coast Guard Station Saginaw River has four boats capable of being equipped with .308-caliber machine guns, said Michael J. Pollack, senior chief at the station
Pollack said the zones are being established because an international treaty between the United States and Canada had previously restricted live gunfire training, and Coast Guard personnel had to be certified with weapons on waterways outside the lakes.

A diplomatic compromise has since been worked out, he said.

Lanier said the live gunfire training will involve shooting at targets in the water from various distances.

''The main reason we set those zones are to allow people to still enjoy the Great Lakes, but to keep them in a safe distance while we conduct our training,'' Lanier said.

''The main thing is readiness, making sure that our members are ready to respond to anything that may happen on the Great Lakes.''

Pollack said the guns that will be used here are ''crew service weapons'' that Coast Guard boats are equipped with for homeland security patrols.

Pollack said his station is still reviewing the policy and zones, and no training exercises have been scheduled.

The proposal, published recently in the Federal Register, has raised some eyebrows.

Anne Woiwode, state director of the Sierra Club in Lansing, wonders if the live gunfire training will be scheduled around spring and fall migration, when thousands of birds, including sensitive species, visit the Saginaw Bay.

The Coast Guard is proposing to categorically exclude the proposal from an environmental review, which would examine such concerns. The Federal Register notice on the proposed zones doesn't say anything about bird migration.

''There's a huge number of unanswered questions,'' said Woiwode, whose group plans to file public comments on the proposal before an Aug. 31 deadline.

Lanier said he's not sure what potential environmental impacts have been investigated, but ''they've made a preliminary determination that there are no factors'' that would require a more comprehensive environmental review.

- Jeff Kart covers the environment and politics for The Times. He can be reached at 894-9639 or by e-mail at jkart@bc-times.com.
 

gpp10x

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President Bush is supposed to be here on friday campaining for Mike Bouchard.
 

Chief71

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Lapeer Co, Michigan
AWAC Activity

Around 9:45 tonight DARKSTAR (from Tinker AFB) was calling out bullseye vectors to TEJAS 22 on ACM freq 225.300. I wonder if they were just playing some wargames or if someone is getting ready for a trip to the sandbox.
 

wesm1957

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VP coming to Grand Rapids this coming Monday

I wonder how active MilAir will be monday afternoon. I know everything else will be active.
 

Chief71

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Lapeer Co, Michigan
Skud said:
When you program in those three are they AM mode? the 314.200 is the one I am not sure of

I have 314.200 in AM mode.


Has anyone spotted OH-58 Kiowas flying out of SANGB lately? I spotted on today sitting at the Lapeer Airport. It was similar to the one below.
oh-58-DD-SD-00-00977.jpg
 

markm1245

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Dec 22, 2003
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Oh-58a

The Army Guard has several OH-58 RAID Kiowa's based at the avaition support facility in GrandLedge. Did it have high skid gear? Like this one?

P1010662.jpg


MI-NG RAID 72 ( 21867 ) taken at the Taylor armory open house 4th of July weekend.
 

Chief71

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Lapeer Co, Michigan
markm1245 said:
The Army Guard has several OH-58 RAID Kiowa's based at the avaition support facility in GrandLedge. Did it have high skid gear? Like this one?

P1010662.jpg


MI-NG RAID 72 ( 21867 ) taken at the Taylor armory open house 4th of July weekend.

Thats her alright! That was the first time I've ever spotted them in my area. Do you have any freqs for them or the Blackhawks from Grand Ledge?
 

BMT

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Feb 1, 2006
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Military Activity

Guys and old trick!! They turn the freq cards over to the blank side. ;-))

BMT
 

briano

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Jul 19, 2006
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MSP Heli at Selfridge

Heard a MSP Heli announce its arrival at selfridge on TG 1261

then heard other traffic on selfridge channels when the heli went south.

they talked about taking photos of the runway, from the south and then from the north ( saw it in the 23 mile rd area) right in the flight path.

any thoughts as what might me the reason?
 

PMSCAN

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There was talk of MSP Chopper setting up shop at Detroit City Airport in the former Detroit Police Aviation hanger. Maybe there looking for an alternate location at Selfridge? Being originally from Detroit I miss hearing " Alpha 1 " or for the later years " Air East "!
 

briano

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briano said:
Heard a MSP Heli announce its arrival at selfridge on TG 1261
...

they talked about taking photos of the runway, from the south and then from the north ( saw it in the 23 mile rd area) right in the flight path.....

I will answer my own question, which became apparent after thursday's event.
They were preparing for the pres. visit. previewing the motorcade route, and giving them a general view of the area.
 
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