A Christmas present to my old 490th SMS comrades...

A Little Christmas present for my old comrades of the 490th Strategic Missile Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, MT.  This was Robert Salas squadron back in the late 1960s for those who are interested...

I kept my crew blues hanging in the closet. I last wore the uniform for an IG ORI EWO check ride back in Feb 1985 two days later after pulling my final alert out at Kilo. Then I quietly stowed it away after fulfilling 296 alerts, 4 shy of that mythical 300 mark.

Notice the 100 mission patch, I had a 200 mission patch, but never had it placed on the uniform...why, I don't recall. I have it lying around somewhere.

Remember the squadron patch? Greg Ogletree(SIC?) was championing to have it change to a circular patch prior to my leaving to Grand Forks AFB...sadly, he was successful and we lost a very important unit history identity.

And least I forget, notice the faded look which gave everyone the perception that you had been around the block for SAC...I hated that original darker blue look...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all that served pulling SAC alerts, both missile and bomber/tanker crews.  The same wishes to those that are currently serving...I am with you in my thoughts and prayers.

Merry Christmas...Wishing all a Happy New Year

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all a Merry Christmas...or if you wish, Happy Holidays.  The above photo taken from my living room.

I wish all a prosperous New Year as well.

Apologies for the lack of postings on the site.  I have plans to get back at it after the holidays.  There are interesting topics to write and discuss.

Rich Reynolds, UFO Conjecture(s), is exploring the UFO phenomena as a possible artificial intelligence source...as proposed by Nick Bostrom.  Interesting theory despite any hard evidence to support this possibility.

Kevin Randle and others have been making an attempt to finally decipher the Ramey memo, ala Roswell.  Tim Printy and others have been doing likewise. We'll see if those efforts bare fruit.

I need to finish the Minot 1968 case that was side tracked due to the "Roswell Slides" fiasco.  Unfortunately, I got sucked into that vortex...my own doing.   I've plenty of time to think about the Minot case and time is at hand to transposed my thoughts in a written format.

There are other topics that I want to explore, but I'll have to see what transpires.

So with that said, enjoy the holidays with your family!

Did It Really Happen?: 5 years old...

Exactly five years ago, this blog site came into being.  I posted my first article as a counter argument to the Echo Flight story.  This article still remains as having the most page views.

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2010/11/did-ufos-disable-minuteman-missiles-at.html

Notice I said story rather than incident.  For that is what it truly was, an interesting story that remains as pure folklore.

Since that day five years ago, this blog has seen a steady growth in readership.  A few regulars check in every now and then, but I get a lot of first time page views which contributes to the health and viability of this blog.

I look forward to continuing the blog for the next 5 years.  The subject matter may change, but in the end I'll still ask the question:  "Did it really happen?"

Feedback from my Halloween Story

My previous post described a memory when I was 6 years of age.  I recall seeing the image or shape of a woman dressed in black standing at or near the doorway of my bedroom. This all coming from my peripheral vision.

Despite my memory of the event being "vivid", I did state that there were logical explanations that could account for the image.  As strange as the image was, I hold that there were plenty of external influences that could have shaped a young boy's imagination.

Back in the early 1960s, television content and programming was rife with such mental vehicles:  Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits and Thriller, just to name a few.  Of course the culture (Cajun) that I grew up in was inundated with supernatural themes, superstitions and folklore so this could have been a catalyst.    

I had originally posted the story on my Facebook page and received some interesting comments.  Especially from my wife:

"Glad you never told me that story....or anyone else....especially in the neuro field you work in. Sorry, I bet wild and vivid imagination, watching TV too much."

And that's why I never told her the story.  Nothing like having your better half weighing in.

A Halloween Story...

Well it's Halloween and what better time to tell a real story involving me...

Back around 1963 or 1964, the family was living in a fairly new constructed two bed room house in Abilene, Tx on Glendale Street. The home was part of a new tract of homes being built up in the north side of town. Jim and I shared one of the bedrooms. I would have been around 6 years old, yet I remember this episode vividly, or so I think.

As I recall, I was playing with a set of toys in the bedroom. I don't recall if Jim was in the room with me or not. I was sitting on the room's floor when out of the corner of my eye, at the doorway entry, I saw a woman dressed in a black dress which appeared to flow down and cover her feet/shoes. Her hair was black and worn with a bun. I could not make out any facial features, yet the image was most definitely that of a woman.

I quickly glanced towards the open doorway and the image was gone. I recall getting up and going to the doorway to look and see if anyone was in the hallway...there was nobody. I don't recall being scared, but only curious as to who this could have been.

I want to say that I saw this figure on numerous occasions when I was playing in the bedroom...always out of the corner of my eye and standing in the doorway only to vanish when I would look directly towards the doorway. But with the passage of time, I not sure that the image did reoccur on numerous occasions, but only that one time.

So what did or who did I see? Since I only saw this image out of the corner of my eye, I could have mistaken any subtle movement as that of the image. But why the image of a woman in a definitely black long dress with her hair tied up in a bun?

There are certainly logical answers from a neurological standpoint. Yet at the age of 58, I remember this image vividly. Active imagination from the mind of a 6 year old?....Or, was it something else?

Part Two: James Carlson's Echo Flight of Fantasy

Here is James' second part of Echo Flight of Fantasy as posted on Unexplained Mysteries. Again a great read and a must for anyone interested in the 1967 Malmstrom cases.


The discussion regarding the cause of the Echo Flight Incident continues in the 341st Strategic Missile Wing and Combat Support Group Command History covering April-June 1967. "During testing at Boeing, a 30 micro sec Pulse (-10 to 0 volt square wave) was placed on the Self Test Command (STC) line at the C-53P Coupler Logic Drawer interface (STC). Seven out of 10 separate applications of a single Pulse, would cause the system to shut down with a Channel 9 & 12 No-Go.

"Subsequent testing at Autonetics has resulted in the following explanation of what probably happens in the Coupler Logic Drawer. The Pulse inserted is long enough to initiate the Coupler Self test sequence within the C-53P. However, it is not of long enough duration to enable control lines to the computer to place the computer in a Coupler test loop Mode. This causes the Coupler to issue a sequence error due to lack of coincidence between G&C and Coupler Modes. This sequence error, together with the action of two other flip flop outputs (M-17 & M-20), is sufficient to initiate the Coupler and G&C No-Go shut down.

"The effort at Boeing NRA was to determine the source and most likely path of noise Pulse to the Logic Coupler. The results of the Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) testing at the LF and Wing IV indicated that the Sensitive Information Network (SIN) were susceptible to noise of the type that could have caused the problem.

"The SIN lines go only from the LCC to all of the LF's in the flight, which could explain the flight peculiar aspect of the problem."

Had a UFO been involved with this incident, the many months of experiment and procedure by USAF personnel, Boeing Corporation and Autonetics scientists and technical representatives would have hardly been necessary. The documents at all levels of the chain of command very plainly establish that the cause of the missile failures was an electronic noise pulse that entered the Logic Coupler within the LCC and shut down all of the LFs from that central location. In July 1967, message traffic from SAMSO, Norton AFB, in California to OOAMA, at Hill AFB, Utah updates recipients on efforts by the Malmstrom AFB Echo Flight investigators to determine the "singular cause." These messages state right up front that it could not yet be determined; it adds, however, that several follow-on actions had been identified.

Read the rest of the article here. 

James Carlson's views on Echo Flight

James Carlson has been an ardent supporter of mine, as well as I have supported his efforts to bring clarity and sanity to the Echo and Oscar Flights story.  We've developed a close friendship in our search for the truth and education of the masses...at least those who are willing to listen.  While I've attempted to look at the technical and psychological side of the story,  James tends to dive into more aspects of the case that deals with other players in the story.  Back in 2010, James wrote a two part article over at Unexplained Mysteries.  I liked it then and I like it now.

Below is part one of his series:  Echo Flights of Fantasy part one.

The author of this article, James Carlson, is the son of Captain (Retired) Eric D. Carlson, the commander of Echo Flight on March 16, 1967. All of the details and descriptions of events and reports that his father would have been witness to have been confirmed by him as accurate.

On September 27, 2010, in an attempt to build support for the disclosure of UFO-related documents by the U.S. Department of Defense, authors Robert Hastings and Robert Salas hosted a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Only confirmed members of the press and Congressional staff were invited to attend. With them were seven veterans of the U.S. military who have publically affirmed the interference by UFOs with nuclear facilities in the United States and Europe. According to Hastings and Salas, this proves that the claim of the United States Air Force since 1969 that UFO activity has never had an effect on the national security of the U.S. is a lie. Out of all of the witnesses present, three had come forward to discuss their involvement with a well-known case that allegedly occurred at Malmstrom AFB, Montana in the spring of 1967: the Echo Flight incident of March 16, and an associated event at Oscar Flight on March 24-25. Since first being exposed to public scrutiny by Robert Salas in 1995, this alleged confrontation between UFO and nuclear missile silos has come to be considered one of ten UFO incidents around the world that is best supported by the most reliable evidence. Questions raised regarding the credibility of the witnesses insist, however, that this notoriety is hardly deserved.

read the rest of the article

I'll provide part two this weekend.

Yes, my assessment of Echo Flight sinks any UFO event...

The other day, I received a comment posted on Did-ufos-disable-minuteman-missiles-at Malmstrom.  It's an interesting comment and deserved posting here along with my reply.  As I stated in my reply to the comment, it did not deserve to be buried in a 5 year old post. Besides, this gives me the chance to discuss something other than UFO inspired music tracks and the Roswell Slides disaster (yes it was a total disaster that was FUBAR).

Here is the comment from "nsurround":

"There was never a final public conclusion to what actually caused the no-go events. However the EMP suppression fixes did seem to stop these events from happening again or so they say. That being said, it really gives no clue as to what actually happened. What ever the cause it had to be localized. That in itself leaves the UFO option on the table considering the chatter in the control room by persons you do not seem to give much credit to. If the cause was known it should have been repeatable using a test set up by engineers etc. You say, that analysis would have been classified and so cannot be known to persons such as yourself. Your main point now seems to be that no witnesses (security guards) who actually say they saw the UFO(s) have come forward with their testimony. That is a good point but does not necessarily refute the testimony of some in the underground control area. In fact your whole analysis still leaves open the possibility of a UFO type event. The only person that does not seem to understand this is yourself."

I don't know if "nsurround" was aware that I had slightly changed my theory as put forth in "Echo Flight: The Makings of a UFO Myth", but the basic premise of the original post still holds true.  The difference being that the investigation gave no credence that missile maintenance teams were ever in the Echo Flight area during the full flight shutdown.

"nsurround", it is true that their was never a final public conclusion as to what actually caused the no-go event due to the investigation efforts being classified.  The classified status seems to bother people, but when one puts the event into proper context, ie, the height of the the Cold War then the classification rationale makes total sense.  Yet with that said, the Echo crew commander, Eric Carlson, has repeatedly stated that the entire wing personnel and the citizens of Great Falls were aware of the missile sorties shutting down so the event itself was not classified...only the investigation.

The EMP suppression fix, ECP 1221, that was installed at ALL missile wings did perform as advertised as there is no evidence that such an occurrence was repeated both in a large or small scale. EMP vulnerability was not a Malmstrom specific issue and this was borne out in the engineering analysis and report for those who want to take the time to read it.  To say that the cause was not localized is simply not true.  The focus centered on the G & C coupler/Logic Drawer.  

Recently, I've come to believe that the issue was more than likely an inherent fault with the Sensitive Command Network (SCN) which interfaced with the logic coupler.  This information was in the engineering analysis, but again appears to have been washed aside by those seeking to "understand" the causes. Issues with the SCN was implicated with the Minuteman II system causing the same logic coupler issues resulting in No-Go indications.

"nsurround" seems to think that I've give no consideration to the "chatter" of those individuals in the launch control center.  How he comes to such a conclusion puzzles me as Walter Figel's accounting (different accounting) is prominent in my assessment since he is the only one who mentioned "UFO" concerning one of the LFs.  I also give equal if not greater weight to the statements of the crew commander, Eric Carlson, who had repeatedly stated that a UFO was not the cause of the shut downs.  BTW, Walter Figel has on numerous occasions recanted his original story now maintaining that there was no UFO activity.  Read some of Robert Hastings' comments concerning Figel and you get the gist.  

Now we come to the crux of my current belief.  Nowhere in the unit history and in the engineering report states that maintenance and security personnel that supposedly were out in the flight area were questioned.  To me this is a striking bit of information since it would have been more important to question those individuals who would have been out on the LFs (inside the silo itself) as the sites where dropping No-Go, yet this potentially crucial first hand testimony is not there.  Could it be possible that there were no maintenance/security personnel out there to begin with?  The evidence leads to support the non-existence of such individuals.  And one has to remember that the UFO sighting supposedly came from a maintenance team member "deep inside" a closed up missile silo. How can anyone see anything while inside a closed up silo?  Worse yet, how can anyone make a claim if there was never anyone out there to begin with?

More importantly, all ten of the flights launch facilities were electrically isolated from one another with only individual HICS cabling for command and control purposes going to and from the launch control center.  There was no direct interfacing with one launch facility to another.  So the claim that one event at one launch facility would cause the rest of the flight's launch facilities to go No-Go is a total impossibility.

This leads to the LCC as being the source of the problem as only from the LCC could an event such as an EMP be generated to effect all ten missile launch facilities.  Since topside personnel, security personnel and facility manager, never made a report of a UFO sighting near or over the site, then the UFO angle is totally sunk.  And yes, "nsurround", no one has ever come forward to support the sighting of a UFO in the Echo flight area after what?  48 years.

There is NO area of my analysis that leads to even the most remote possibility of a UFO event.  With that said, I have to seriously ask, "Did it really happen?"

"We'll make great pets..."

I recall this little jingle from back in the mid 1990s courtesy from the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros titled "Pets."

Here's the lyrics:

Children are innocent
Teenagers are fucked up in the head
Adults are even more fucked up
And elderlies are like children

Will there be another race

To come along and take over for us?
Maybe Martians could do
Better than we've done

We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets

My friend says we're like the dinosaurs
Only we are doing ourselves in
Much faster than they
Ever did

We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets

We will make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets
We will make great pets, we'll make great pets
We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets

I've a link to the song via Youtube:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H833o5lnB2E

Fraying of Nerves: Fight in the simulator...well, almost.

Posts from "Tales from the Crew Force."  I chuckle about this now, some 30 years past, but serious shit back when I was at Vandenberg AFB and the 4315th Combat Crew Training Squadron.  My training partner, Ray W. had an issue with our instructor Bill.  

This incident occurred in the Missile Procedures Trainer (MPT) which was a computer driven simulator with complete mock-up of a Launch Control Center.  All of the equipment drawers and consoles were functional and wired into a computer system which an instructor loaded in a "scenario" driven program.  A simulator "ride" could last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on the scenario.  

Back then we referred to the MPT as the "Box."

________________________________________________________________________

Ray Williams....The Quiet Man

How it came about, I can't remember. I was crewed with Ray Williams for the MPT sessions. Ray was from Detroit, recent grad from Howard University. Ray was the quiet type. Never said much unless he had to. Conversation seem to be a chore for him, but that was fine with me. I didn't have a hell of a lot to say myself. Ray was to be assigned to the 10th SMS at Malmstrom.

Capt Bill G. was our MPT instructor. Like Ray, Bill was an African-American, from where? I can't recall. You would think that both being black that a "Brother" helping out another "Brother" would be in the offing. This was not to be the case. From the start Bill had "something" against Ray. Bill simply decided to make Ray his personal project. Unfortunately, I would be forced to endure this ethnic duel of minds. Suffice to say our MPT sessions would be grueling and confrontational as compared to our other classmates.

After a few initial MPT sessions, it was decided that for the rest of the training course, I would ride the commander's position, while Ray sat at the deputy's seat. It would not be until my first alert at Malmstrom that I would actually occupy the back seat.

Ray and I would spend our "off" time either dining at the Officer's Club or do local site seeing around the area. I remember we drove and walked Pismo Beach. Ray would sometimes borrow my car to run errands since he had no transportation of his own. The contrast was striking, Ray being a somewhat more refined Northerner, as compared to my Southern, barely above "white trash" pedigree. What ever the ethnic and culture differences, we would need each other to get through crew training. Overall, Ray and I got along quite well. I wish I could say the same between Ray and ......Bill.

________________________________________________________

High Noon, Gunfight at the MPT Corral

Ray was having difficulty in our MPT sessions. Bill was riding Ray's ass unmercifully and since guilt by association was a time honored SAC tradition, I was fed into the fray. We were given extra sessions, especially on the weekends. I could tell that Ray was at wits end and who could blame him.

The laws of thermal dynamics and pressure simply state that pressure in a closed system can only increase to a certain point. At that arbitrary point, something has to give; Ray had reached that point.

I can't recall the exact circumstances, but Ray and I were head long into a weapons system scenario in the MPT. Bill was acting as both MPT operator and instructor. Bill was situated up in the box's control room providing instruction and criticism via audio speaker. Bill said something sarcastic to Ray. What ever was said, it was enough!. Ray slammed both fists down on to the deputy's console desk, almost shattering the plexi glass. "God damn it, I've had enough from you!" Ray shouted into the one way MPT observational mirror. "I'm going to whip your ass!" Ray started walking towards the back entrance of the MPT. I remember trying to get between Ray and the exit. Bill came rushing in with a worried look on his face. Bill's facial expression said it all. He had pushed Ray too far and he knew it. I remember Bill profusely apologizing to Ray. It took Ray some time to calm down, but eventually he did. And we quietly finished the ride.

The incident in the MPT was a turning point. After that Bill lessened his leaning on Ray. Oh, to be sure, we still had extra sessions scheduled, but the tone was dramatically different.

__________________________________________________________________

Ray and I would eventually take and pass our qualification check ride given by the 3901st Strategic Missile Evaluation Squadron and both of us would soon make the trek to Montana to join our new squadrons (Ray was assigned to the 10th SMS.)

Such was life as a brand spanking new 2nd Lt...

Relevant comment from a former missile crew member.

I like to post comments that clarify issues raised in past posts.  This comment was posted by a crew member that pulled alerts in the 1990s and was a reply to my post,

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/12/ufo-attempts-to-launch-malmstrom.html

I was at Tango-0 in the early 90s when one of my sorties had similar indications (except no missile away/MV400). It ended up being a bad DCU/MGS. After a series of Radio out and Cable out indications, and target change indications (erroneous because TVR/TOTR did not validate) it finally dropped LFDN, then came back and then went ASG. It was a dying Digital Control Unit in the MGS. By the way, it's called a Ground System Test (GST), not SCN test in Deuce.

The above comment shows that malfunctions did occur out in the field.  Sometimes these malfunctions elicited strange indications. I appreciate that the commentator provided a clarification for GST vs SCN.  This being one of the many differences between MM II and MM III.

Notice that one does not need the presence of a "UFO" to cause these strange indications...a dying/malfunctioning missile guidance system will do the job quite nicely.

Happy Independence Day and for that someone special!

For those of us that are citizens of the United States, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of us a Happy 4th of July...celebrating the birth of our nation.  I have to drift off into my memory banks concerning my time as a SAC crew dog.  I recall that I was out on alert for one 4th of July, the year is totally uncertain, and Ronald Reagan addressed us [the entire SAC alert crew force] on the Primary Alerting System (PAS).  Normally we would have been receiving the normal traffic flow from Looking Glass, SAC and 15th Air Force's command posts, but Ronnie broke into the traffic stream breaking up the monotony of the calls to "Sky Bird" and the requests to "acknowledge now."

As I recall, I was out on alert for most of the holidays...so much for government personnel taking the holidays off!

This is also my wife's birthday.  Happy Birthday Jean.  We seem to be bucking the trend as we have been married for almost 33 years..anniversary is next month.

It has been said that it is rude to mention a woman's age...so much for equality and enlightenment...but I can say that Jean now equals my age...for now.

Last week, Jean had been reading this blog and asked if I really believed in UFOs.  Geez girl, read my posts!   

The continuing analytical approach to UFOs: Is there a point?

The aftermath of the Roswell slides fiasco is running it's due course and has left many wondering what is the future in the studying of UFOs.  Ufology, if that's still an appropriate term, has been dealt a serious blow and many have been hit with the shrapnel of the recent Mexico City farce.  Dew, Maussan, Carey, and Schmitt might have well parked a car bomb in the middle of Roswell, NM and detonated it.

Most who read this blog know that I'm skeptical of the UFO phenomena.  I've come to see very little intrinsic value in the subject matter.  True, the phenomena still offers a gold mine for those, such as I, who are drawn to the psychological mini-dramas that ensue.  This is still what draws my attention otherwise I would have chucked the subject matter and this blog along time ago.

To answer the question posed in the post's title, yes there is a point to analytical approaches, but in my case, only for the studying of the psychological issues that surface with certain cases. 

In the beginning was the word...

Another post from Tales from the Crew Force.  A recollection of my first class session with the 4315th Combat Crew Training Squadron mid-October, 1980, Vandenberg AFB, CA. A humorous introduction to the T.O.-18.

In the Beginning Was the Word.....

The class had assembled in a back class room to be issued copies of Technical Order LGM30F-18, abbreviated to T.O.-18. The Dash 18 was basically Minuteman/ILCS's user manual. The manual was approximately 6 to 7 inches thick enclosed in the standard black government issued three ringed binder. It's contents covered the nuances of the command and control system, every equipment drawer, every control panel, all variety of circuit breakers, electrical flow diagrams. and all pieces of communication gear. And that was just part I. Part II contained all of the required checklist procedures for covering normal operations, emergencies, and trouble shooting. T.O.-18's weapon system coverage could be summed up by one simple term...ad nauseum. For the neophyte, it was daunting and not very user friendly.

Capt Gerry Giaconda introduced the T.O. to the class. With a serious and dramatic gesture, he shouted, "You have now entered a new religion..... and this is your bible!" At that point, he dropped the T.O. which landed on a table top, making a loud crashing noise. The class went dead silent. This was classic B movie material. I bit my lip, trying to keep from bursting out laughing and receiving some brand of administrative admonishment. To this day I always chuckle when I recall this scene.

Note:  ILCS=Improved Launch Control System (Malmstrom AFB and Whiteman AFB)

The Deafening Roar of Silence: A Recollection

I wrote this post on my other blog, Tales from the Crew Force, back in 2007.  I attempted to provide a running narrative for my time on an ICBM launch crew back in the early 1980s. The following is my recollection of a training session in the Missile Procedure Trainer (MPT) back when I was at Vandenberg AFB, CA undergoing IQT, Initial Qualification Training roughly around November, 1980.  The MPT was a simulator, that ran computer driven scenarios for weapon systems and emergency war order training.

The Deafening Roar of Silence

Ray and I were rapidly approaching the end of the course. A few more MPT sessions and EWO classes and we would be ready for our SMES certification check ride. To say that Ray and I were anxious would be an understatement.

One early Saturday morning MPT ride, we had Capt. Chuck P. as our operator/instructor. Chuck was SAC's poster child for apathy. He appeared to "give a rat's ass" about nothing. He had already ran head first into that wall called FIGMO. He was riding out the string until retirement.

We were in the middle of the weapon system portion of the ride. It was a predictable scenario. Processing maintenance teams on and backing them off LFs. A couple of security situations: hard OZ, Sit 7, evolves into a full blown Sit 4 due to an IZ alarm; also occurring as if on cue, FSC passing the duress word from topside. Yep, there's a Comm team screwing around on another LF, should be going into Anti-Jam mode a little later into the ride. Every now and then, the distinctive "Raaap" sound of the CMPG printer. MOSRs, VRSA channel checks and calls to and from JOB Control.

Then......nothing.....dead silence.

When you're in the box, something should be "happening." MPT scenarios are event driven. Ray and I look at one another. Silence in MPT is usually a good indication that something covert has occurred or that something big is about to land in your lap. As infant crew members your taught to hold your hand under the CMPG printer and ask out loud, "How's my equipment cooling air flow and temperature?" If all is well the MPT operator/instructor will respond, "Your cooling air flow and temperature are with normal limits.", or, "You have reduced air flow.", or, "You have normal air flow, but it is very warm." These indications allow you to trouble shoot the situation and depending on your findings, run the applicable situation checklist.

It wasn't an air flow problem, besides Chuck was not responding with any verbal inputs. I asked Ray to do a visual sweep of all circuit breakers figuring that was the issue at hand. So we did just that. All circuit breakers were normal, nothing had popped. I picked up the phone which rang to the MPT control room...no answer. I looked at my watch, ten minutes had elapsed. I looked back at Ray, "Fuck it Ray, it's got to be a popped circuit breaker! Let's do another sweep!" We both accomplished another sweep. Same results as the last. Another glance at my watch, twenty minutes had elapsed since our last event. I was at a loss for words. Ray just shrugged his shoulders.

Then.....Line 1 rang. I picked up the phone, Chuck's voice, "I had to step out. That was one big healthy shit that I took. You two ready to get back at it?"

Note: This took place 26 years ago, Chuck if you're still alive and happen to come across this site, FUCK YOU!!

Triggering one's memory with music...

I always find that music will trigger a memory, a fixed point in time.  I have a tendency to associate a particular song to a particular person or event.  Case in point, I met my wife Jean during my senior year in college and associate her with The Cars "Just What I Needed."  BTW, I've never told her this, but when I hear this song on the radio or play it in my CD player, I drift back to 1979 and 1980.

During my first year on crew stationed at Malmstrom AFB, I was a single 2nd lieutenant as  Jean and I would not be married for well over another year as she was finishing her last year in college.  I remember one particular evening, a Friday, back in 1981 where I was packing my "alert" bag for a Saturday alert with my crew commander T.J. McLaughlin.  All of my friends were heading out to the local night spots. Yes Great Falls had a few back then, but there I was in my apartment packing my bag (cold weather gear and Tech Orders).  I probably was prepping to head out to November Flight as that was where we were assigned as crew R 136. 

About my T.O., I was probably making sure that I had the latest change orders posted as I recall that I had recently got nabbed by Stand Eval for not posting the latest changes. I believe that I received a "letter of counseling" from my squadron CO...par for the course for many of us pulling SAC alerts in those days.

While getting things in order and being miffed that I'd have to forgo the evening frolicking with friends, on the radio was Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend." There I was on a Friday night getting ready for work and here was Loverboy singing about the opposite...everybody was working for the weekend and I was working on the weekend.

Every time I hear "Working for the Weekend" I'm always reminded of that long ago Friday night.

Here is Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahvSgFHzJIc

Oh, and here is The Cars "Just What I Needed" jogging those college memories of my wife, then girl friend...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5-rdr0qhWk

A little something to help with the Roswell blues...for those that need it.

Here is a little something extra for all of us that have been banging our heads since the 5th of May.  We're getting into the summer months and the weather is nice for most of us and this time of year brings back memories.

War, the Latin/funk/soul band out of Long Beach, CA, produced a great little song back in 1971, "All Day Music."  The melody and lyrics are soothing to listen to.  Close your eyes and drift away with the music.

Enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coHUt4si8Oo

Tell me what you think...

The final stake through the heart...Shepherd Johnson

This it for sure. In truth this has been a dead story since the night of May 5th, but we know how these things take on a life of it's own.   I'll guide everyone over to Curt Collins blog for the details.  Kevin Randle has provided a post as well.

Great job Shepherd Johnson!  And a pox on all of those that attempted to make up a bullshit story and profit from it.

The Roswell Slides: The seduction of the will to believe.

One would think that the mystery was solved concerning the Roswell Slides.  Definitive proof was offered that the slides depicted the mummified remains of a two year old child in the settings of a Colorado museum in Mesa Verde.  This coming about by deblurring the placard associated with the mummy.  But apparently this is not how professional UFO researchers go about their business.  There appears to be another aspect to their research...rebranding the product.

For the past few weeks, all of those responsible for this sordid affair have hitched their respective horses to a new hypothesis:  "The mummy is not that of a child, but that of a mummified ET and that it is possible that disinformation agents had intentionally produced the language on the placard as a means of misdirection."

This is a rather convoluted approach, but highlights the powerful aspects of the "will to believe."  The US government falsified the placard writings to hide the fact that the mummy was actually that of an alien, yet allowed this historical find to go on display for the general public to view.  I assume this could be construed as "hiding in plain sight."  

According to Jamie Maussan, et al, the bizarre appearance of the mummy continues to baffle his medical "experts."  The bizarre physical appearance apparently has led these so-called experts to conclude that the mummy can't possibly be human.  I might remind the reader that all of this "expert" analysis is coming from a mere photograph. There is no actual body to thoroughly assess and render a real expert opinion.  Most are left with speculation at best.

If one ventures over to Kevin Randle's blog, the seductive power of the "will to believe" is currently being displayed in full force.  The comments rendered on Randle's site display magnificently the art of the circular argument and/or the vain attempts just to argue a point to death regardless of the evidence that has been offered and accepted by most sensible individuals. It is as if Occam's Razor has been defecated on and tossed aside. Yes, I'm well aware that Occam has been discarded by Ufologist and ET believers, since it's basic and primordial premise is to separate the logical from the illogical.  I assume that such thoughts are not to be considered as sacrosanct. 

Some of Randle's blog commentators have resorted to the tactic of:  "The universe is so vast and complete with billions of galaxies that we surely can not be alone and it's not out of the question that we have been visited by ET civilizations."  Despite this being totally out of context to the Roswell slide issue, no one from the RSG has argued against this assertion. This tends to be a poor attempt to deflect from the issue that the slides depict a mummified human child, yet a prime example of ET proponents presenting illogical evidence combined with poor arguments defending the illogical.

In the end, believers get the brand of ufology that they deserve.  They must overcome the suductive powers of their own cognitive biases. We, the RSG, have attempted to help in this area despite the push back from others.  The RSG has offered up how we (collective we) deciphered/deblurred the placard. This process has been shown to be repeatable resulting in the same conclusions...scientific method prevails on this point so the issue has been resolved with the exception of a few delusional souls. BTW, this was offered free of charge and without dramatic fanfare.

The truth, as painful to some as it may be, is that the image is that of a mummy of human origin, bizarre as it's appearance may be to some. I'm still awaiting to see if David Rudiak has sent his request to have the images reviewed and assessed by a forensic anthropologist that he knows...no info back from David at this time. Nothing wrong with this approach as I feel confident that any half-assed anthropologist will come to the same conclusion...mummy of human origin. 

The Resurrection of National Geographic Channel? Let us hope so.

National Geographic Channel

Stumbled across National Geographic's "American Genius" last night.  It was by pure accident and all that I could do was stammer out a "hello?"

Last night's premier episode featured the rival of the Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss.  It was informative and spot on.  We tend to forget that we went from crude power flight in 1903 to launching satellites in the late 1950s.  But what was interesting is the Wright brothers refusal to team with Curtiss early on.  Curtiss had proposed that he supply the Wright brothers with his engines.  Orville and Wilbur turned Curtiss down and had a patent approved for their design that stymied the competition and lead to a long protracted legal battle with Curtiss. Even Henry Ford attempted to come to Curtiss' rescue by supplying his legal staff to assist with the legal issues.

The irony was that long after the deaths of both Wrights and Curtiss, their respective companies would merge forming Curtiss-Wright.

This episode had value for the hour long program.  Well done with decent period props.  I personally enjoyed it as well did my wife.  Supposedly more episodes will be aired each week highlighting individual advancements in science and technology along with the rivalry from competitors. 

Could this finally be National Geographic coming to their senses and providing real informative and interesting programming?  Let's hope so.

  

Thoughts from Eusebius....something different.

Image obtained from Wikipedia

A note to readers:  I've added this post as something different as far as topic matter.  I've always been fascinated by the early Christian Church and have spent considerable time reading texts regarding the initial fathers of the Christian movement.  The likes of Paul, Origen, Tertullian, et al, continues to intrigue.  What one takes from the blog post below concerning UFOs is somewhat at the discretion of the reader, however I see elements of the necessity of the employment of critical and rational thinking hinted at by the post's subject matter.  I readily profess that I'm not an expert in the area of antiquity, but am drawn to it none the less...Tim Hebert

A few years back I had procured The History of the Church, written by the early Christian scholar, Eusebius.  This work was translated by G. A. Williamson (1965) with an introduction by Andrew Louth, 1988.  Eusebius' great work opened the door as to pointing me in the right direction as far as the works of the first generation of the Apostolic Fathers.

During Eusebius' scholarly works, he was Bishop of Caesarea. ca 313 AD.  The city of Jerusalem was a mere shell of it's former self as a result of the decimation of the Jewish population and culture by the Roman legions under Titus and Vespasian following the two Jewish Wars (66 AD, 135 AD). Even in name Jerusalem had changed to Aelia Capitolina. Thus was the changing landscape of politics and geography during Eusebius' times.

Andrew Louth, in his introduction, stated that though Eusebius was a great scholar, he was lacking in producing original Christian thought. This may be true to some extent, but Louth seems to glance over the fact that for all practical purposes, Eusebius was issued what tantamount to a gag order after being denounced at the council of Antioch in 325 for his support of Arius and Arianism.  So from then on it seems that Eusebius had to walk and talk a fine line in order to avoid excommunication from the Church.  To this day, Eusebius is largely forgotten, or ignored, by the Catholic Church.  Such is the price that he paid going against the grain of church politics.

The following is an excerpt from The History of the Church which I believe provides great insight into the past thinking of our religious scholars and a hint at some of Eusebius' original thoughts:

Why He was not preached long ago, as He is now, to all men an to every, what follows will make clear.  It was impossible for the teaching of Christ in all its wisdom and virtue to be grasped by the human race in its former state.  At the very beginning, after the original life of blessedness, the first man disregarded the divine command and fell into this mortal, transitory state, receiving this earth with its curse in place of the former heavenly delights.

His descendants, who peopled all our world, showed themselves much worse, apart from one or two, plunging into a beastly existence and a life not worth living.  City and state, arts and sciences meant nothing to them; laws and statutes, morality and philosophy were not even names...nature's gift of reason and germs of thought and culture in the human soul were destroyed by the immensity of their deliberate wickedness.

Eusebius

I've bold printed the main idea that is of importance, yet kept the full paragraphs as to keep it in the context of Eusebius' thoughts.  True the above passage pertains to Christian thought as Eusebius provides a rationalization for the coming of Christ at a specific time period in our history, but what is of interest is his reasoning that certain aspects of man's intellectual development had to be achieved to set the stage for the coming of Christ.

Let's look at Eusebius' words in a secular light.  Man's cognitive state had to evolve beyond the old hunter-gatherer days and his nomadic lifestyle to embrace new ways of thinking. Eusebius in two paragraphs of his writings encapsulates the intellectual impact of the Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Persian civilizations.  Man's ability to develop the concepts of art, science and philosophy and cultivate the fruits of these intellectual endeavors was paramount for the continuing and the fine tuning of rational thought.  It is from the nurturing of these disciplines that a sense of governance, law, morality and ethics came into being albeit not perfect, yet constantly evolving as such concepts are never static. 

As they say in the mummy business, "That's a wrap." Last thoughts.

I wanted to post my last thoughts on the Kodak slides and then future post will get back to normal, but should something sensational crop up I'll post it.  But for me this should do it after a few closing thoughts.

As most know, I'm a member of the Roswell Slides Group and I was in the process of writing up a detailed comparative analysis study of the slide image vs. that of an actual mummy of a child.  With the deciphering of the placard, my work really became unnecessary as the efforts by others in the group nailed the image as that of a mummy specimen.  Rather than rendering an opinion, I was treated to a fascinated night as I observed in real time how it all came about.

As I write, I'm being informed by others in the group that Jaime Maussan is still discounting our efforts.  He is currently under the opinion that the placard's writing/text may be an attempt to hide the fact that what is on display is still a deceased humanoid-like ET alien mascarading as a child's mummy. Such is the will to believe or the will to cover one's ass. I'll leave the reader to make the distinctions.

Images provided by Gilles Fernandez

Since Maussan and others still hold out on an alien outcome, I'll share briefly my thoughts on my initial and subsequent assessments. With my experience in anatomy and physiology, there can be no question that the image is that of a mummified child.  The clearer photo, not the deceptive dark blue lighted image, provides the evidence.  If we omit the placard for the moment, strict observation shows what appears to be the remains of a child or adolescent of undetermined age lying in the supine position on a glass shelf.  The effects of desiccation, the drying and shrinkage of tissue, is evident as what remains of tissue forms a contour around the head/skull and the exposed long bones both upper and lower extremities.  The appearance of an over enlarged head/skull may be correct or a visual distortion based on the positioning of the head and the angle of the photo shot and the surrounding lighting.

A lot was made that the remains had no teeth.  True, no dental landmarks can be seen, but that does not mean that teeth were present or not.  Again, this all depended on the age of the child at death.  The same was said of the remains showing only four fingers on the right hand.  Based on the position of the right arm/wrist/hand the thumb was out of view, yet adjacent to the right index finger, or the thumb could have been curled up under the palm of the hand or the index finger.  

The clincher in the anatomy structure of the image was the rib cage structures.  Humans have 10 sets of ribs on either side that are prominent and being attached to the vertebral column and sternum  What can be seen on the groups comparison mummy is 9 ribs with the cervical ribs out of view. The image in the Kodak slide deceptively shows only 5 sets of ribs. One should note that each of the 5 ribs are wide vs. that of our comparison mummy.  What we are actually seeing is the lack of fine demarcation that is separating the ribs.  This can be attributed to attached tissues and desiccated muscle, ie, the intercostal  muscles.  Thus we actually have the normal set of 10 ribs. What is absent is the sternum.  This is consistent with the preparation of the body for mummification as the visceral organs are removed during the process.  You will note that both images show the results of this process.

The above should give pause to Maussan and others that still harbor hope that the image depicts something else other than human.  Add the deciphered text on the placard and the identification is complete.

As far as to what should befall those that fostered these images on the general public, I suggest that we leave it to the rank and file of ufology.  They are in a better position to exact whatever cost that should be placed on the reputations of those that conjured up this story.

I here that there is a movement to shame the promoters of the May 5th event into refunding the money of those that attended the event.  To this, I say caveat emptor.  As I stated a few months ago:

Personally, I hope that Maussan fills all 10K of the seats. I want everyone to sit through hours worth of preliminary BS complete with all of the trappings Then when its time for the main attraction, I want to hear, in Spanish, English, broken English, the collective utterance..."what the hell?"

Sometimes people need to be fleeced and at the end of the day know that they've been fleeced, taken for a ride, no more than a collection of marks in a Roswell three card monty game. 

That is the only way that they will learn or understand that however long this dog and pony show last, it's time wasted, time that can never be reclaimed.

Besides if the Roswell group wants to metaphorically cut their own throats, who are we to stand in their way. We must politely allow them to oblige themselves.

I have to say that prophecy has been fulfilled.  Let's hope that people are much wiser in the future.

Kodak "Alien Slides" Sunk...It's Over. The Fat Alien Sings

I received the news a couple of hours ago as Curt Collins had published in his Blue Blurry Lines blog that the placard associated with the Kodak "alien" on display had been deciphered.

http://www.blueblurrylines.com/2015/05/the-placard-of-roswell-slides-final.html

It's as it was always thought to be:  a mummy.  It's not a dead alien involved in the Roswell crash, nor the alleged Aztec, NM crash, nor a secret display in a secret government/military lab, nor the prop for a disinformation operation. It's a mummy.

From Curt Collins' blog:

MUMMIFIED BODY OF TWO YEAR OLD BOY

At the time of burial the body was clothed in a xxx-xxx cotton

shirt. Burial wrappings consisted of these small cotton blankets.

Loaned by the MR. Xxxxxx, San Francisco, California

The "research" team of Adam Dew, Tom Carey and Don Schmitt supposedly spent a year or so researching what the Kodak images represented.  This group then turned the slides over to one Jamie Maussan, who in turn had "experts" in the fields of anthropology, forensic pathology, etc. and all supposedly came the the conclusion that the images depicted something that was not human...not of this world.

The poster child for "I want to believe", Tony Bragalia, gave the smug impression that the images shown in the Kodak slides would change every fiber of our belief system.  The slides would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that dead alien bodies were indeed recovered at Roswell and skeptics and debunkers would be eating crow after the "Great Reveal of May 5th."

Up to six thousand people paid their hard earned money to attend the "Great Kodak Extravaganza" at Mexico City's National Auditorium.  A further 3000 or so paid to view the event on-line in a pay for view fashion.  These folks were told that they themselves would be witnesses to a changing paradigm...."BeWitness", be part of an event that would change history as we knew it.

It was dog shit!....pure unadulterated dog shit...

What took Dew, Carey and Schmitt well over a year to research and come up with a dead Roswellian ET alien, only took a few individuals 48 hours to come up with the proof that the image in the slides was definitively that of a mummified body of a young child...a human child.  So much for the field of ufology.

But it may be even worse, if such is possible.  What if all of the principles involved in this dog and pony show knew that what was being peddled was false?  The original unveiling of the slides were cast in a dark blue lighting [not the original lighting of the photos themselves] with the purpose to visually distort the images as to be seen as something bizarre and freakish...not of this world.

The placard shown in all of the photos was either heavily blurred or blotted out by white light, yet one photo shot had a fairly good quality of the writing on the placard that was not shown at the Mexico City venue.  An oversight by Dew, Carey, Schmitt and Maussan?  Or was it deliberate with the intent to obfuscate the possibility that they knew all along what was written on the placard?  

At what point in time was it determined by the group that what they had in their hands was the image of a mummy.  It was plain for all to see.  A small human mummified body lying on an open glass shelf surrounded by other artifacts.  The obvious setting for a museum.  The open chest cavity showing the results of the ritualistic removal of the visceral organs during the mummification process.  The state of desiccation of the body as a whole.  Perhaps by the time Carey, Schmitt et al made the true discovery it was way to late in the game to change direction and admit that they had made an honest mistake.  It was either incompetence as researchers or an outright attempt to scam the general public with the hopes of a big pay day. 

I had proposed this on Rich Reynold's blog:  whenever Bragalia, Carey, Dew and Schmitt are mentioned, there should be an astrik (*) by their names depicting their combined epic failure.  Ufology's version of a "scarlet" letter with an automatic admittance into Ufology's Hall of Shame