FACT CHECK: Did a hiker stumble across a “United Nations Base Camp” hidden in Missouri?

Claim: A hiker stumbled across a “United Nations Base Camp” hidden in Missouri.

The Conspiracy

Example:

Imagine if you will: You’re hiking along one of your favorite trails, enjoying nature and time to yourself, and all of a sudden, you come across a military base camp in the middle of nowhere, yet not too far away from roads, etc. in order to make shipments and maneuvers to and from said base camp quite easy and efficient. This was the case for one American citizen who recently contacted the online watchdog group Operation Jade Helm And Beyond with the following message: This was an active nine hole golf course hidden by trees less than 600 feet from the JC (Jefferson City, Missouri) airport and they are building something. Idk what’s about to happen but that white tent is surrounded by Mercedes vans that have no licensing and UN stickers on them. I need to get this out because idk how much more is going on but people need to know. Strange military bases have been popping up seemingly overnight in many places across the U.S. in the last couple of months, and many fear they are all related to what is supposed to be nothing more than a military exercise known as Operation Jade Helm 15, which many concerned Americans feel is going to be more than an ‘exercise.’ Gun grabbing and body snatching are rumored to be in the works for Patriots loyal to the Constitution yet not necessarily loyal to the Obama regime and their seemingly anti-Constitutional agenda.

Origins: These images and accompanying text about a hiker who supposedly stumbled across a hidden “United Nations Base Camp” near Jefferson City, Missouri, are part of the Jade Helm aspect of conspiracy lore, which holds that the upcoming military exercise of that name slated for July 2015 somehow has to do with the looming imposition of martial law and use of “FEMA camps” to incarcerate non-compliant citizens.

This particular iteration was published on the Consciously Englightened web site on 12 June 2015 and describes “an active nine hole golf course hidden by trees less than 600 feet from the JC (Jefferson City, Missouri) airport” that has been the site of suspicious construction involving a “white tent surrounded by Mercedes vans that have no licensing and UN stickers on them.” (Apparently these furtive U.N. minions haven’t yet figured out that they shouldn’t situate their “secret” camps where ordinary folk can walk right up to and photograph them. Or that white tents only work as camouflage when the landscape is covered by snow, which it generally isn’t in Missouri in mid-June.)

Of course, none of the photographs accompanying the article showed any vans with “UN stickers” on them; they all appeared to depict a rather plain tent and ordinary construction equipment:

The Reality

The activity captured in these images is indeed part of a military conspiracy — one intended to provide recreation for Wounded Warriors. According to Columbia/Jefferson City TV station KMIZ, what’s pictured here is the Jefferson City site where the National Guard are assisting in the construction of nine-hole golf course for the disabled on land donated by the owner of the Turkey Creek Golf Center:

Danny Baumgarter, owner of Turkey Creek, donated 20 acres to the Missouri Golf Association to build the nine-hole, par 3 course. The National Guard is doing the groundwork for the course as part of a service project. The Guard brought in heavy equipment and constructed tents to live in at the course. The course will be specially outfitted with tee boxes and greens that are wheelchair accessible and can be driven on. Wounded warrior veterans will play for free.

Last updated: 15 June 2015