“I don’t like I at all. I’d like to know who authorized it,” said resident Vincent Hobson. “It’s inappropriate to do military exercises in a populated U.S. city.”
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley on Friday said she understands the exercises may have been inconvenient for residents at times but city leadership authorized the training to help out the armed forces.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is an important employer and institution in this community, and Dayton is a very "military friendly” place, Whaley said.
“It’s a bit of an inconvenience or a surprise for a few minutes, but this is something our military needs for training for urban areas when they go to foreign countries,” she said.
The Dayton Police Department around 3:20 p.m. Friday posted a message on Twitter saying the training in Dayton has completed.
“We sincerely appreciate the cooperation we received from Dayton citizens, business owners and city officials," said Col. T.J. Rainsford, Army public affairs officer. "We could not conduct this important training without their support.”
Other U.S. cities, like Detroit, have hosted similar military training to prepare troops for the kinds of urban environments they may have to operate in overseas, Whaley said.
The Army put notices on some people’s doors saying there would be training exercises nearby with loud noises, like whirring helicopters and explosions.
But some residents said they weren’t notified or wanted more advance notice or they should have had a chance to provide feedback before the city gave the military permission to do this.
Whaley said the city tried to let residents know about this training by sharing information with the media and publishing information about it. But she said it is hard to reach every resident who might be impacted.
The Dayton Police Department said it sent out an initial press release, and it was helping with door knocks and flier distribution to residents closest to the training.
The exercises were loud enough at times to shake windows and rattle doors. Some residents said the loud noises startled them or put them on edge.
Whaley said she and the city manager met with Army leaders and OK’ed the training.
“We have been inconvenienced a bit, but I think that’s a small price to pay for the important training for our Armed services, and also for our reputation, which I’m proud of, of being a strong, supportive military community,” she said.
Police shut down some streets to assist with the training, including in downtown on Thursday night and in parts of West Dayton earlier in the week.
About 100 service members have been involved in the training, which is supposed to simulate realistic environments and increase the overall readiness of military personnel, said Col. Rainsford.
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