Eric Johnston, a 51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff’s deputy from Texas has organized a group of Texans to keep an eye on U.S. Military during “Operation Jade Helm.” Johnston leads the Texas branch of a group called “Counter Jade Helm.”
Operation Jade Helm is a scheduled military exercise in Texas and six other states involving 1,200 personnel from four of the five branches of the U.S. military. The exercise is designed to train soldiers in modern warfare, including maneuvering through civilian populations.
However, some Americans in the southeast states where operations jade helm is taking place worry that the government is practicing a war against its own people or the enforcement of martial law. However, since the exercises are closed to the media, no one will have any idea what they are doing prompting this group of Texans to take matters into their own hands.
“If a team member sees two Humvees full of soldiers driving through town, they’re going to follow them,” Johnston said. “And they’re going to radio back their ultimate location.”
The organization “Counter Jade Helm” was founded by a 44-year-old former Marine names Pete Lanteri who has over 200 volunteers in his Arizona-based group.
“We’re going to be watching what they do in the public,” he said. “Obviously on a military base they can do whatever they want. But if they’re going to train on public land we have a right as American citizens to watch what they’re doing.”
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When the troops land in Texas for Operation Jade Helm next week, someone will be waiting for them.
Hundreds of people have organized a “Counter Jade Helm” surveillance operation across the Southwestern states and in an effort to keep an eye on the contentious military drill that’s sparked many suspicious of Uncle Sam’s intentions.
Eric Johnston, a 51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff’s deputy who lives in Kerrville, is a surveillance team leader in Texas. He’ll coordinate three groups of volunteers, about 20 folks in total, who hope to monitor the SEALs, Green Berets and Air Force Special Ops in Bastrop, Big Spring and Junction when Jade Helm kicks off on July 15. With media prohibited at the drills, the volunteers could be a main source of information for the highly-anticipated seven-state exercise.
But locations more precise than the towns around which troops will drill remain unknown. For the citizens’ surveillance operation, therein lies the first challenge.
What do you think about Jade Helm and the civilian response team? Sound off in our comments!
