Latest news with #JointBaseLewisMcChord
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Here's why those military helicopters were flying low over Bellevue
Military helicopters buzzed southeast Bellevue and Issaquah Tuesday evening, into the early hours of Wednesday. FlightRadar24 showed they were Boeing MH-47G Chinook helicopters belonging to the army, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). Gary Dangerfield, external communications chief for the base, confirmed that and said special operations teams were conducting training flights on July 15 and 16. 'These activities are not in response to any current event, and every effort is made to limit disruptions to the community,' said Dangerfield. He added that local law enforcement and government entities had been notified and that the Army takes special safety precautions when flying over highly populated areas. Bellevue residents spot helicopters Residents spotted the three heavy lift transport helicopters flying in a 'v'-formation as early 7:30 p.m. They reported them flying so low that the air from the rotors shook the tops of trees, and the sound drowned out a dinner party conversation. 'Military helicopters comply with FAA guidelines regarding routing and altitude. In some training scenarios, aircraft may fly at lower altitudes to meet mission-specific training objectives. These flights are conducted within approved safety parameters,' Dangerfield said. Radar tracked the helicopters flying north across Bellevue, then south and east to the southern tip of Lake Sammamish at about 1,200 feet until they disappeared from radar. That can happen when aircraft fly too low or behind a mountain, or if a transponder is turned off. Video appears to show the aircraft making passes across the eastside as late as 12:05 a.m. 'Night flying is authorized and is a necessary part of aviation training. It allows pilots and crews to gain the skills required to operate safely in low-light environments. Flights at night, including those reported over the Bellevue and Lakemont areas, are conducted to support this critical training requirement,' Dangerfield explained. Residents can report any concerns they have by email or a special hotline. Over 130 aircraft based at JBLM More than 130 aircraft and more than 400 pilots are based at JBLM. They all have mandatory training hours to complete. Chinook helicopters are not small aircraft. According to Boeing, the H-47 series has a maximum weight of 54,000 pounds. The length is more than 50 feet with the rotors folded. The rotors themselves have a diameter of 60 feet. The MH-47G is considered the top of their line. According to they can conduct low-level flights in bad weather with low visibility and cover long distances. They are used to carry troops and cargo. Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
16-07-2025
- CTV News
U.S. fighter jets scrambled to Vancouver airport during alleged hijacking: NORAD
In this Feb. 27, 2017, photo an F-15E Strike Eagle from Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina flies out of the nicknamed Star Wars Canyon turning toward the Panamint range over Death Valley National Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) American fighter jets were scrambled towards the Vancouver airport on Tuesday as a small plane that was allegedly hijacked from Victoria flew in circles around British Columbia's largest airport, the pilot's intentions still unclear. The F-15 Eagle jets responded from a U.S. base at approximately 1:30 p.m., while Canadian CF-18 Hornets were also 'in the process of responding,' a spokesperson for NORAD, the joint North American Aerospace Defense Command, said Wednesday. The U.S. fighter jets were still en route to the Canadian airport when the Cessna 172 landed. 'Once it was confirmed that the aircraft had landed, the NORAD response was then stood down,' said David Lavallee, spokesperson for the Canadian NORAD division, said in an emailed statement. 'For reasons of operational security, NORAD does not provide specifics on alert forces or the bases and locations from which they operate,' he added. 'I can't provide details on numbers of NORAD aircraft involved or where they were operating from.' Read more: Audio reveals warning to commercial pilots at YVR during alleged hijacking Washington state's Joint Base Lewis-McChord is home to a detachment of F-15 Eagle aircraft as part of NORAD's western air defence sector, comprising personnel from the Washington Air National Guard, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Navy. A statement from the Richmond RCMP says it received a report that the small plane 'had been hijacked' and was on its way to Vancouver at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday. The incident forced the temporary closure of the airspace over the Vancouver International Airport, delaying departures and diverting arriving aircraft to other airports while the situation was unfolding. Police said the 'sole occupant' of the plane was arrested after it touched down.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
JBLM resident accused of vehicular assault after passenger hurt in wreck, WSP says
A 26-year-old Joint Base Lewis-McChord resident, suspected of driving under the influence, is facing a vehicular assault charge after crashing a car and injuring a passenger, according to the Washington State Patrol. Just before 3 a.m. Friday, the man was headed west on state Route 142 at Olsen Road in Klickitat County, which is in the southeast area of the state along the Columbia River. Goldendale is the county seat. Troopers say the driver crossed Olsen Road, drove through a fence and crashed into a tree. Both driver and passenger, a 54-year-old man from Goldendale, were hurt and taken to Klickitat Valley Health in Goldendale, according to State Patrol.
New York Times
07-06-2025
- New York Times
2 Veterans Found With Stolen Military Guns and Nazi Material, Officials Say
Two masked men dressed in fitness clothing worn by Army Rangers made their way onto a military base some 50 miles south of Seattle on Sunday night. The authorities said the men were intent on stealing thousands of dollars in combat equipment from an Army Ranger regiment there. However, the robbery quickly went awry. A soldier walked in and began asking questions as the two men were surrounded by piles of equipment. The soldier was bludgeoned with a hammer and one of the attackers brandished a knife. As the robbers fled, they dropped a bloody rucksack full of stolen combat gear. Handwritten on the rucksack was the name 'Fields,' which investigators discovered matched the last name of a man whose identification had been scanned when he drove that day onto the military installation, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. His name led the authorities to a home elsewhere in Washington State, where they said they discovered a startling scene: rooms and rooms of Nazi and white supremacy paraphernalia and a stockpile of stolen weapons. That, according to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington, tells the story of the investigation that led to the two men, identified by the authorities as Charles Ethan Fields and Levi Austin Frakes, being charged with assault, robbery and theft of government property 'by force and by violence and by intimidation.' The 11-page complaint and a Facebook post by the sheriff of Thurston County, Wash., so far amounts to the only public information about the activities of the two men, who were both identified in the complaint as veterans, leaving more questions than the authorities will currently answer. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say
Two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included grenade launchers and body armor, along with Nazi paraphernalia, were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend, investigators say. Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday night at their home in Lacey, near Olympia, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man. One of the defendants told investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or trade, and agents found about $24,000 in cash at the home, wrote Special Agent Christopher J. Raguse of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The federal complaint charges them with robbery, assault and theft of government property. They also face investigation on state charges of unlawful possession of incendiary devices, short-barreled rifles and a machine gun. Each was being held at the Pierce County Jail on $500,000 bail. According to the complaint, a soldier entered a building at the Army Ranger compound at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday night and found two men, partially masked, with a cluster of U.S. Army property around them. The soldier questioned them about what they were doing and told them to pull down their masks, which they did. A fight ensued, and one of the men brandished a hammer and struck the soldier in the head. The soldier continued to fight despite losing a large amount of blood and managed to get control of the hammer — at which point, one of the men pulled a knife. The soldier then let them go, the complaint said. During the fight, one of the men dropped his hat. It said 'Fields' on the inside. Using base entry logs and surveillance video, investigators determined that Fields and Frakes had entered Lewis-McChord together about an hour before the attack, investigators said. Additionally, the wounded soldier, who required hospital treatment, told investigators that he asked around his unit about the name Fields after finding it on the hat. The soldier learned that Fields had been assigned to the Ranger Battalion around 2021, and he was able to identify him as one of the attackers based on photos shown to him by others in his unit, the complaint said. The complaint did not include details of Frakes' military service. The FBI executed a search warrant at a home shared by the defendants on Monday and arrested them. Agents found rifles positioned at the upstairs windows, the complaint said. Authorities said agents seized about 35 firearms at the home, including short barrel rifles and an MG42 machine gun — a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II. Other seized gear included grenade launchers, Army-issued explosives, body armor, ammunition and ballistic helmets, authorities said. Photos from inside the home showed Nazi paraphernalia, including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika.
