Camp Hero was a real coastal defense military base that was decommissioned in 1981.

The physical setting of the myth is entirely real. Originally built to protect the East Coast during World War II, the Montauk Air Force Station operated a massive radar antenna capable of detecting aircraft up to 280 miles away. As satellite and coastal defense technology advanced, this giant ear became obsolete. The military officially closed the station on January 31, 1981, leaving behind empty bunkers and a towering radar dish.