The Whir Before the War

The recent Answer Man columns about helicopters in the Washington area prompted a phone call from Ray Lustig, a retired Washington Post photographer who lives in the Palisades section of Northwest Washington.

Ray has lived in that neighborhood for 39 years. He's had a lot of time to make some detailed observations of its various rhythms. One thing he's noticed is that every major U.S. military action was preceded by increased helicopter traffic over his house, as choppers shuttled people back and forth between the Pentagon and CIA headquarters, which is across the Potomac River from where he lives.

Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom -- Ray said they all came after weeks and weeks of helicopters big and small traveling the well-worn air route above his house.

I had a hunch where this was going. Uh, Ray, have you noticed anything, say, recently?

"The movement in June was truly extraordinary," he said, a near-constant chatter from 6:30 in the morning till 2 in the morning. "I figure they're either planning the endgame of the Iraq war or they're going to bomb the nuclear facilities in Iran."

Couldn't those choppers just be full of Pentagon brass taking advantage of the all-you-can-eat salad bar over at Langley?


I track Naval ship and Marine Corps unit movements. The recent sudden deployment of the Enterprise Strike Group on July 8, together with the Survival/Evasion/ Resistance/ Escape instruction now being given to navy personnel, on board the amphibious assault ship in the Persian Gulf, who would be involved in an operation putting marines inside hostile territory - Iran - is, to say the least, alarming. Connecting the dots, I believe that it could portend some type of raid or attack this Fall on Iranian nuclear facilities.

This morning I learned that the combat tour of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13 MEU), currently doing counter-insurgency operations in al-Anbar Province, Iraq, but assigned to the Bon Homme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, will be extended through September. It would be the 13 MEU, operating off of the Bon Homme Richard strike group, that would carry out a raid into Iranian territory.

I am trying to get this information to as many people as soon as possible in an effort to stop these crazies. I would like to meet with CODEPINK as soon as possible to share my documentation on this. I am also been working with Christine Yorty from the UFPJ-Iran subcommittee in getting the word out.
http://mparent7777-2.blogspot.com/2007/07/whir-before-war.html

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Last updated 06/09/2007

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