Homes on Ft. Huachuca evacuated as precautionary measure due to suspicious letter

Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Wednesday, January 08, 2003 | BY BILL HESS

[SandRat]

FORT HUACHUCA -- As a precaution, a small part of a housing area was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a resident there received an unsolicited package with anti-government messages.

The package was one of three anti-government mailings received this week by families on post, Fort Huachuca officials said this morning.

The packages did not contain powder or other hazardous materials but did have "unsolicited anti-American government propaganda," said Frank Shirar, the post's deputy public affairs officer.

The fort's emergency response team and the FBI responded around 3:45 p.m., and traffic to the area around Stedman Street was stopped, said Lt. Col. Marian Hansen, the post public affairs officer. Six houses were evacuated, including the home the mail was addressed.

FBI agents determined the package did not contain any hazardous material and the street was reopened around 5 p.m., she said.

Shirar said there were several clippings and other materials in the packages that showed "a dislike for current administration policies," he added.

One item was a doctored photo of President Bush and an Arab with cartoon-like balloon comments, Shirar said. Some of the items "linked the Bush family to Hitler," he said, adding other material listed dislike for the administration immigration policies and other programs.

The bottom line of the material in general is that "our (national) politics suck," he said.

The packages have a return address, listing a person by the name of Stan Jay from Los Angeles. A check by the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review to find a telephone listing for such a person was unsuccessful.

Regarding the other two packages received, one was turned into the Military Police and the other turned over to Maj. Dan Ortega, the fort's director of public safety, Shirar said.

None of the people receiving the packages knew the person whose name was part of the return address, he said.

The packages were sent to the last name of the family and their address at different post housing sites, Shirar said.

No other complaints of such packages have been reported by the Sierra Vista postmaster as being delivered in the civilian community.

[SandRat]

If this doesn't qualify for the delivery of at least hate speech if not an outright attempt at terrorism I don't know what would be. Of course the individuals who sent the parcels used a phoney return address and name.

If I posted this wrong I sorry, this is my first post.

[norraad]

Thank you, very good & welcome new poster.

Every expletive deleted who hates us for our ways comes from a cultural background lightyears more repulsive than our own.

Could someone please explain this to me?

[Fred Mertz]

Why target the military when the civilians are such easy prey?

[per loin]

Sierra Vista? Is that the one south of Whereville, or the one in Whatstate County?

[savedbygrace]

IIRC, it's in southern Arizona.

[Marie]

It's where I live. It's also where many of our army intelligence people are trained. It's also the location of Signals Intelligence. (SIGINT)

[SandRat]

Sorry Fred, remember the parcel went to the family quarters US mail box on the front of the family quarters that the wife or kids pick up the mail from. If it had been the bad stuff, the military service member would not have been the intended target. It would have been the innocent, ... again. At least this time it was only something that made you feel filthy for only handling it.

[Marie]

In mid December Tricare Triwest facilities in Phoenix were broken into and several harddrives were stolen. Information on those harddrives included the names, addresses and social security numbers of about 500,000 military personal and their families. I wonder if this is what the thieves are going to use it for.

hmmm. Personal terrorist attacks of military families. I can see how that could be effective.

[Fred Mertz]

I saw that news about the half million veteran retirees' records being stolen. I'm surprised it didn't get more play here on FR.

[blam]

Welcome aboard and good post.

[Marie]

Here's the link to the article. We recieved our letter of explination from Triwest on Monday. It sucks. "This is what happened. Sorry. It won't happen again. There's nothing anyone can do about it. If someone steals your identity because of this, deal with it. Etc."

:-p~~~~

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/813281/posts

[Gamecock]

Actually, it's the US Army Intelligence Center and the Home of the US Army Signal Command. Two seperate branches.

I was stationed there for 2 years, miss it a lot!

[Marie]

Thanks! After 13 years, I still don't speak "Army." Drives my husband nuts. :-)

[Gamecock]

I was assigned there from 2000 until this past June. We loved it so much we are thinking about retiring there one day!

The mountains are spectacular!

[HiJinx]

The "Patch" is gone, but the picnic area is still there. A soldier broke a bone while repainting the patch back in the early '90s and the base commander decided that was enough of that foolishness.

[HiJinx]

You mean these mountains?

[FRMAG]

Fred,

What was unsaid is that Huachuca is a central training facility for intel types. HAs been since Army Security Agency was disbanded in 1976 and all the training functions of Ft Devens, MA were transferred there.

[Recon by Fire]

How's the hunting and fishing there?