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- The Army claim that only training ammunition
was used in a recent mock raid on a small Texas town is a deliberate lie,
according to other Army sources and an investigator.
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- Army Special Operations Command at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, has con- firmed that elite Night Stalkers and Delta
Force troops were involved in a training exercise, code named Last Dance.
Walt Sokalski confirmed that the operation began Feb. 8 in Kingsville,
Texas, and will continue in the area until February 20.
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- He also confirmed that live ammunition
and explosives were used in the middle of a populated area with no advance
warning to residents. Sokalski in- sisted that every possible safety precaution
was taken, including the use of training munitions and special stray bullet
"traps."
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- He told WorldNetDaily that full-powered
ammunition and explosives are never used in areas where civilians are located.
The "simunition" is less powerful and uses plastic bullets that
can only travel 100 yards. Such bullets are not considered lethal.
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- Residents of Kingsville reported hearing
machine-gun fire and explosions lasting two hours when the Night Stalkers
arrived in their little town unannounced. Many suffered sufficient fear
over the incident to seek medical treatment, and some are talking to lawyers
about possible legal action.
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- County commissioners ordered the county
judge to send a letter to the city council and to the Army to protest the
attack on their town and the fact that they were not informed.
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- Night Stalkers are some of the best pilots
in the world. They are expert at flying high speed helicopters at low altitudes.
They delivered another elite group, the Delta Force to the site in Kingsville.
They arrived in a hail of bullets and explosions that rocked the town and
scared some residents nearly to death. Residents of a retirement home across
the street were reported to be on the floor under their beds thinking the
world was coming to an end.
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- WorldNetDaily sent Alex Jones, an Austin
talk show host, to Kingsville to inspect the damage caused to two buildings
used in the dramatic attack. He reported finding brass shells from spent
.308 ammunition, used shotgun shells marked "HATTON Pattern Solid,"
extensive blast damage from grenades, multiple fires in different parts
of the building, bullet holes in the floor and walls and all the windows
of the building blown out completely.
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- "That doesn't sound like fake stuff
to me," Jones responded when he was asked if he agreed with Sokalski's
statement that less-powerful training bullets were used.
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- An active-duty Army captain who asked
that his name be withheld contacted WorldNetDaily after reading Sokalski's
claim. He has many years of experience and is concerned about the nature
of the exercise. He knows what to look for to determine if training munitions
were used.
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- "Simunition and plastic bullets
do not make holes. Only live rounds do. I saw the picture of the discharged
shotgun shell which may have been used for entry," Jones told WorldNetDaily.
He was impressed that evidence was obtained before the scene was cleaned
up.
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- Cleaning crews were actually on site
at the time Jones arrived to take pictures and gather evidence. Both buildings
are now cleaned up, the evidence has been removed, and they are all boarded
up with plywood.
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- "Practice grenades (grenade simulators)
are made of paper and look similar to a very thick toilet paper tube with
clear plastic on each end. They do not function the same as a grenade (they
don't cause damage when they explode). Their purpose is only to make noise.
They leave paper residue that is easy to find," explained Smith.
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- "We didn't see anything like that,"
said Jones when told about the practice grenades.
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- "What you were told by the PA (Sokalski)
isn't necessarily true," the captain charged. "Simunitions were
not used. They never use that. It's a good thing your guy collected the
brass because I'm sure there's none to be found now.
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- "Live rounds are used, and that's
just the way they train. Also, my thoughts on that .308 round. Most entry
teams don't use that as a primary weapon, however depending on what kind
of air support was available you may have had mini-guns firing (from the
helicopters)."
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- Numerous other military officers and
former officers also contacted WorldNetDaily about the claim that training
ammunition was used. They all stated that it was obvious that Sokalski
was either uninformed or deliberately misrepresenting the facts.
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- "They really think we're so stupid
that we can't figure this out," said Jeff Norgrove, a former Night
Stalker. He said that most Night Stalkers and Delta Force members are young
and unaware of what is really going on.
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- "They just do what they're told.
It's exciting, and the pay is very good. They get paid much more than anyone
else, and they have a great time," he told WorldNetDaily.
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- Norgrove said that a very select group
of young men are recruited for these two elite groups. They receive intensive
training, and are considered the very best there is. He said that he is
concerned about the urban assault training that is taking place.
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- "These aren't really military exercises,"
remarked the captain. "What they are is SWAT training. The Army will
never admit that to you, but that's what it is."
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- The exercise is always conducted in the
dark of night. The helicopters are painted dark with a special paint that
resembles sand paper and appears black to avoid radar detection. They fly
with no lights on and have markings that cannot be seen under those conditions,
according to Sokalski.
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- They fly just feet over the tops of trees
and houses at high speed. One helicopter in the Kingsville raid was so
low that it hit the top of a telephone pole, causing a fire by a house.
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- Soldiers get out quickly wearing black
uniforms and begin firing machine guns. Sokalski was asked what would happen
if a frightened resident concluded that these were unfriendly forces and
decided to shoot at them.
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- "They are under orders not to return
fire," Sokalski explained. The soldiers involved would call the local
police to handle the shooter in such a situation.
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- Despite not knowing the circumstances
of the mock attack, no one in Kingsville opened fire on the soldiers or
brandished arms during the exercise.
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