thedrifter
06-06-08, 06:45 AM
June 6, 2008
Not all in Indy welcome Marine war games exercise
Exercises are backed by mayor, who predicts little disruption in city
By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com
When 2,300 U.S. Marines went looking for a new place to practice house-to-house fighting, they received a ready welcome from Mayor Greg Ballard, himself a retired Marine.
After all, the city is second only to Washington, D.C., for war monuments. And the American Legion has its headquarters here.
So when the first haze-gray CH-46 helicopters arrived Thursday, circling Indianapolis to scout landing zones, their friendly reception seemed assured.
But not everyone is ready to embrace the idea of war games in the city.
One woman has organized a protest today over the exercises. JoAnne Lingle, 71, is worried that the mock raids and other combat training at city parks will leave kids on summer vacation with nowhere to play.
"No one knew about it until after the deal was done," said Lingle, who also wonders why the training includes no parts of affluent suburbs such as Carmel. "Who approved it?"
That's the same question the owner of the old Eastgate mall was asking after he heard the property would be the site of Marine training. Rich Banta, co-founder of Lifeline Data Centers, said no one had told him about the plans.
He worried about the safety of troops and workers as his company turns the 370,000-square-foot building into a giant computer room.
"That's an active construction site," Banta said. "I'd hate to see a Ray's Trash truck run into a helicopter."
The mayor's staff said a communications mix-up led to the confusion over Eastgate, which since has been declared off-limits to the Marines. The mall was on an early list of possible exercise locations, the mayor's spokesman said. It was taken out of consideration -- yet mistakenly remained on the list.
The Marines had asked to train in Indianapolis before he was elected mayor, Ballard said, but he was glad to lend support.
"I don't think it was necessary for any citywide meetings on this," Ballard said. "The neighborhoods will be well-informed on what's going on."
Marines have conducted similar training in about two dozen cities across the country, said 1st Lt. Timothy Patrick, the unit's spokesman. Most have been supportive of the training, but there has been resistance.
In February, after first canceling scheduled training, Toledo (Ohio) Mayor Carty Finkbeiner invited Marine reservists to train in his city, but outside the downtown area. Word that Marines wanted to train in a city sparked Internet conspiracy theories that the government is practicing for a pandemic or preparing for "monetary collapse."
The Marines said they just want to use someplace new for drills. Patrick said the reaction he's gotten has been warm and welcoming.
He has received dozens of e-mails from Indianapolis residents showing support. He said several Hoosiers have stopped him on the street in the past few days and expressed gratitude for his service.
"It's hard for a Marine not to be noticed," he said. "We stand out in a crowd whether we want to or not."
Indianapolis is an ideal location for urban warfare training, Patrick said, because it is big enough to offer room for units to maneuver and has two premier training centers nearby -- Atterbury and Muscatatuck -- that the Pentagon has sunk millions into building or improving.
"We need to get out of our comfort zone," Patrick said. "We need to get into an area we are not familiar with."
For Ballard, his time with the Marines underscored the importance of realistic exercises.
"We're all part of the national defense mechanism in some way," Ballard said. "The impact on the city will be very minimal. . . . They just have to trust us that we're doing the right thing for the city and the nation."
Ellie
Not all in Indy welcome Marine war games exercise
Exercises are backed by mayor, who predicts little disruption in city
By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com
When 2,300 U.S. Marines went looking for a new place to practice house-to-house fighting, they received a ready welcome from Mayor Greg Ballard, himself a retired Marine.
After all, the city is second only to Washington, D.C., for war monuments. And the American Legion has its headquarters here.
So when the first haze-gray CH-46 helicopters arrived Thursday, circling Indianapolis to scout landing zones, their friendly reception seemed assured.
But not everyone is ready to embrace the idea of war games in the city.
One woman has organized a protest today over the exercises. JoAnne Lingle, 71, is worried that the mock raids and other combat training at city parks will leave kids on summer vacation with nowhere to play.
"No one knew about it until after the deal was done," said Lingle, who also wonders why the training includes no parts of affluent suburbs such as Carmel. "Who approved it?"
That's the same question the owner of the old Eastgate mall was asking after he heard the property would be the site of Marine training. Rich Banta, co-founder of Lifeline Data Centers, said no one had told him about the plans.
He worried about the safety of troops and workers as his company turns the 370,000-square-foot building into a giant computer room.
"That's an active construction site," Banta said. "I'd hate to see a Ray's Trash truck run into a helicopter."
The mayor's staff said a communications mix-up led to the confusion over Eastgate, which since has been declared off-limits to the Marines. The mall was on an early list of possible exercise locations, the mayor's spokesman said. It was taken out of consideration -- yet mistakenly remained on the list.
The Marines had asked to train in Indianapolis before he was elected mayor, Ballard said, but he was glad to lend support.
"I don't think it was necessary for any citywide meetings on this," Ballard said. "The neighborhoods will be well-informed on what's going on."
Marines have conducted similar training in about two dozen cities across the country, said 1st Lt. Timothy Patrick, the unit's spokesman. Most have been supportive of the training, but there has been resistance.
In February, after first canceling scheduled training, Toledo (Ohio) Mayor Carty Finkbeiner invited Marine reservists to train in his city, but outside the downtown area. Word that Marines wanted to train in a city sparked Internet conspiracy theories that the government is practicing for a pandemic or preparing for "monetary collapse."
The Marines said they just want to use someplace new for drills. Patrick said the reaction he's gotten has been warm and welcoming.
He has received dozens of e-mails from Indianapolis residents showing support. He said several Hoosiers have stopped him on the street in the past few days and expressed gratitude for his service.
"It's hard for a Marine not to be noticed," he said. "We stand out in a crowd whether we want to or not."
Indianapolis is an ideal location for urban warfare training, Patrick said, because it is big enough to offer room for units to maneuver and has two premier training centers nearby -- Atterbury and Muscatatuck -- that the Pentagon has sunk millions into building or improving.
"We need to get out of our comfort zone," Patrick said. "We need to get into an area we are not familiar with."
For Ballard, his time with the Marines underscored the importance of realistic exercises.
"We're all part of the national defense mechanism in some way," Ballard said. "The impact on the city will be very minimal. . . . They just have to trust us that we're doing the right thing for the city and the nation."
Ellie