This morning I went to the train depot to pick up a visitor. While waiting, there were other trains passing through. One was a frieght train with all the cars loaded with military type vehicles: Tanks, troop carriers, variety of support types transports, and box cars loaded with what looked liked old time jeeps (parially hid by box car slats). What was interesting was they were all painted a desert tan (not camouflage), AND ALL THE MARKINGS WERE PAINTED OUT.

If I had not been reading recently about strange movements of military vehicles in different parts of the USA, I would not have given this experience another thought. And that there were no military identifications also startled me. First thought that I had was, "look for UN markings." I saw none, but wondered anyway.

Any thoughts or comments?

-- Joe (jba@there.com), November 24, 1998

Answers

Joe, you wouldn't be anywhere in Arizone would you?

Mike =====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), November 24, 1998.

uh, in case you haven't noticed--there's another war brewing in the Persian Gulf.

I work near an Army shipping depot that saw a lot of traffic during Desert Storm. It's common for military vehicles to be painted over with no or strange markings. A lot of them back then had weird upside down V's on them. More recently, the ones from Bosnia had IFOR painted on them. Nothing to be paranoid about just yet....that comes later.

-- a (a@a.a), November 24, 1998.

Michael - Yes. AZ is the place.

-- Joe (jba@there.com), November 24, 1998.

Joe, can I ask where you are in Arizona... is it near Sedona or Mt. Elden?

Thanks ..

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), November 24, 1998.

looks like stuff going from Fort Hood to Ft Irving.

-- Ron (mongo@earthling.net), November 24, 1998.

Trains were moving through southern part of AZ.

I am not paranoid, but it is interesting when you read and listen your consciousness is sharpened, and you notice things like military equipment that others folks (or me, one year ago) would never think to question.

Anyone else experience this?

-- Joe (jba@there.com), November 24, 1998.

I'm unfamiliar with Arizona... were they headed toward the Phoenix area?

I agree. You tend to notice things that at one time wouldn't have even been an issue. I'm just wondering why there were no markings and why older jeep type vehicles would be used.

Thanks

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), November 24, 1998.

Makes sense to me - here's why.

They cut so much from the defense budget that they cannot "fight" in two places at once. West Coast side, they try to keep things camaf. for duty in Korea (which requires some colors like Europe, but more "muddy" and gray rather than green and forest -like. In the first Desert War it took a "long" time relatively speaking to re-paint in detail the exotic desert camafl. you remember - the rock/dirt/sand mixture takes a while to due for several thousand vehicles.

So, if they go with a half-ass scheme of just solid tan, they can get more trucks done in the same time with less people. (Never mind that the trucks are easier to see, and more US soldiers will (may) get killed.)

Markings - the newer missiles and IR scanners can easier "see" and track the strongly contrasting markings they used to use. So everything now is muted or removed. Some of the newer paint is IR and radar absorbing too - like a land-based stealth tank. This paint is "expensive" too - like a heavy rubber or fibreglass.

Upside down V's were an ad hoc invention during the first desert war to identify friendlies from bad guys - since everybody had the "same" camafl. scheme and many of the same kind of vehicles in a lot of different nations. It worked okay, but wasn't 100% effective. I'm surprised the Iraqi's didn't grab some spray paint and disgiuse the own tanks and APC's that way.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 24, 1998.

Before the Gulf War started, we were driving down I-75 from Atlanta. Near Macon we caught up to several semi's traveling together, all from the Aurora Casket Co. in Indiana. They all turned off on I-16 toward Savannah. I figured somebody was planning ahead.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 25, 1998.

Joe, I know what you mean about consciousness. The other day, I saw a tank(!?!) driving down a street in my small city. It gave me quite a shock. After some consideration, I think it was probably a demo for the cadets which meet weekly at the community hall. HOwever, with all this talk about "Project Abacus" here in Canada, my awareness is certainly heightened.

-- Lois Knorr (knorr@attcanada.net), November 25, 1998.

Probably one of Sergeant Bilko's scams, Fort Irving wasn't that where he was based.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 25, 1998.

Sometimes when military vehicles are being mothballed they will paint over their markings. I know there is a plane graveyard near Phoenix (used to live there), but does anyone know of any vehicle graveyards in the SW?

Rick

-- Rick Tansun (ricktansun@hotmail.com), November 25, 1998.

I have traveled extensively throughout Arizona, and I know of several "graveyards" for military equipment, predominately airplanes,but NOT vehilcles.

About the jeeps I thought I saw, I did not say that they were old jeeps- it is just that the silhouettes reminded me of old time jeeps. I am an old timer, and served in the Army and was assigned to a Armored Division, and I am only familiar with armored vehicles from 40-50 years ago. This equipment was most certainly modern stuff.

To Michael- the train was moving near the Mexicam border.

-- Joe (jba@there.com), November 25, 1998.

This is an example of the Zionist Occupation Government getting UN troops positioned to take power come 2000. They are getting the equipment ready. Then, when 2000 comes by, Clinton will declare an emergency and send in black UN troops to take our guns away and close all the churches (eliminate places of resistance). They will then institute a program to cow the populace and to try to take God out of our classroooms or teach evolution, and promote interracial breeding and other Satanic schemes. But we are ready for them and will strike first, Praise The Lord.

-- Bill Joel Bobster (billyjoe@miss.net), November 29, 1998.

Well, BJB, I would say that you are trying to stir up some trouble, using every tactic you can think of. Race, religion, etc. The thing that brings me GREAT joy, is that you are exactly the type of person the government is looking to exterminate. And guess what? Your phony e-mail address doesn't fool them. They can trace you in a heartbeat. Ah.....the government is still good for something!

-- Good riddance to you (you@suck.bigtime), November 29, 1998.

This may have been done to conceal unit marking and designations since as you say the tanks were in plain view. Movement of military material is usually carried out with some kind of security measures in effect.

-- John Redlingshafer (jeredfer1@attbi.com), December 29, 2002.