The United States Army has wrapped up its training exercises in Flint and other Michigan cities.
For the past week, low flying helicopters and explosions could be heard as special training exercises popped up, often unexpectedly in urban areas.
The intent of the exercises has been to give members of the military specialized training in urban environments.
The exercises have drawn mixed reactions. For example, some Flint residents were upset when several loud explosions were heard at a former school building. People had not been forewarned about the military training in their neighborhood.
Officials with the U.S. Army and the city of Flint apologized for not announcing the training beforehand. Though for security and safety reasons, the exact times and locations of each training exercise were not released.
But all in all, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling sees the experience as positive.
“I hope we can all look back at this and see it as a service that out community’s performed,” says Walling.
Generally, the army exercises went off without incident.
But a building in Port Huron was damaged during one exercise.
