Last night, I experienced something truly unbelievable.

Starting around 9 PM, the sound of helicopters began to be heard. At first, I thought it was just a police helicopter.

But the noise grew louder. When I opened the window, I saw several military helicopters flying low.

I've lived in Pasadena for a long time, but I've never seen anything like this.

What was even more surprising was that the helicopters began to land on the roof of an old hospital that has been closed for over 20 years.

Not just me, but my neighbors also couldn't sleep properly.

On the neighborhood community board, posts were popping up asking, "What is going on?", "I thought there was a terrorist attack", and "Are they filming a war movie?".

It was chaotic until 2 AM, but it turned out to be military training.

Although they said they were using blank rounds instead of real ammunition, residents had no way of knowing the difference.

When helicopters suddenly land and gunfire is heard in the early morning hours, it's natural to feel anxious.

Honestly, the first thought that came to my mind after this incident was this.

"Who on earth thought it was a good idea to conduct nighttime urban warfare training in the middle of quiet Pasadena?"

Pasadena is known to be a relatively quiet and stable residential city in Los Angeles County.

What's even more frustrating is that there was virtually no prior notice. The city explained that they posted an announcement on Instagram.

However, not every Pasadena resident checks the city's Instagram daily, and many elderly residents often do not use social media at all.

To say that they "notified" by posting important public safety information on Instagram feels incredibly irresponsible.

Especially for a large-scale training involving helicopters and gunfire, isn't it common sense to provide at least a few days' notice through text alerts, local media reports, or mail notifications?

In fact, many residents called 911 because they had no idea what was happening.

I also briefly considered whether I should report it. City Council member Rick Cole criticized the lack of sufficient prior notice to residents for such military training in the middle of the night, and I completely agree.

It's not that I oppose military training itself. It is necessary for the military and police to train for emergencies.

The issue lies in the location, timing, and communication with residents. If helicopters are flying and landing all night in the middle of a residential area with thousands of residents without proper notification, it's only natural that there will be backlash.

Pasadena has many tourists and retirees. There are veterans with PTSD, parents raising young children, and elderly residents for whom sleep is crucial due to health issues. For these individuals, military training in the middle of the night is not just a noise issue; it can cause real stress and anxiety.

The anger of the residents who lost sleep last night is not simply because it was noisy. They feel their right to know what is happening in their neighborhood has been ignored.

If such training is necessary in the future, I hope they will adequately inform residents through various means such as text alerts, local news announcements, and mail notifications.

At the very least, I don't want to wake up to helicopter sounds at dawn and think, "Is there a terrorist attack?" again.