Since I've written a novel series about the secret space program, and the SSP is an off-shoot of the UFO phenomenon, it's only fitting that at some point, I deal with the famous Roswell incident. For those not in the know, in July of 1947, something crashed on a ranch north of the small town of Roswell, New Mexico. This incident has had a polarizing effect on those who've studied it. One side claims that a flying saucer, piloted by small gray extraterrestrials crashed and was recovered by the military. The other side insists it was only a weather balloon, with crash-test dummies that were part of a military exercise called Operation Mogul (just a note - Project Mogul wasn't established until 1952 - 5 years after the Roswell incident). I share this because I had an interesting experience when I was 13 years old (1973).
I was home at the time, sick with the flu, stuck in bed and bored to tears. I had a small transistor radio in my bedroom, but I was sick of the pre-no repeat music playlists of the early 70's, so I started channel surfing. I stopped spinning the radio dial just long enough to hear the DJ on a particular channel announce that in a few minutes, the next program would be an interview with what we call today a "Whistleblower," who was going to discuss a mysterious event that took place in the southwestern United States in 1947. I've always loved a good mysterious event, so I stopped my search and lay back in bed to await the interview.
I wasn't dissapointed. As the individual-who remained anonymous-began to share his story, I was spellbound by his tale of a crashed UFO in the desert of New Mexico, the recovery of the disc by the military along with several alien bodies, the transport of the wreckage and cadavers to a base in Ohio, and more specifically to a mysterious "Hangar 18." There the wreckage was studied and back-engineered, the bodies autopsied, and everything kept from the prying eyes of the general public.
Those who follow the UFO phenomenon will recognize this tale. It's the famous Roswell incident. At the time, Roswell was not well known. I certainly wasn't aware of it, and this was before the book of the same name by Charles Berlitz and William Moore was published in 1980. That book re-introduced the incident to the world, and everyone began to take notice once more (incidentally, a movie titled "Hangar 18," about a crashed UFO that was retrieved by the military was released in the same year).
So who was this whistleblower I listened to on my tiny transistor radio while sick in bed back in 1973? I will never know, but his story lined up perfectly with the Roswell crash of '47. Whoever he was, it's obvious he was involved with the whole affair. His disclosure was just more fodder for my fascination with UFOs, aliens and all things extraterrestrial, which ultimately led my writing Solar Warden. My world view has changed considerably since that day in '73, but Like Scarecrow in the novel, my current belief system is not threatened by the extraterrestrial paradigm. Indeed, as you read through my novel series, you'll gain an understanding of what I believe regarding such beings. You may not agree with me, but my novels are fiction, after all. Just enjoy it for what is.
One final note. Do I believe the Roswell incident was a crashed flying saucer of extraterrestrial origin? I'll answer that with the following quote -
"My family moved away from Roswell in 1948 ... and we were witness to the military takeover of the newspaper, the death threats all around town, and of the three covered semi-truck loads of alien craft materials that were taken away. The weather balloon coverup story does not take up three heavy trucks to haul away, or require Army cleanup of the area for two weeks after the incident. I recall the military weather balloons were actually common knowledge in those days, and not something that requires a lot of military brass and others to go around the county making death threats; nor were the remains of any of the weather balloons large enough to take more room to haul away than the trunk of any 1947 Chevy coup by one small man.” (response by Robin A. Walter, to an article “The Other Roswell Mystery” by Andrew May)
Dissapointed that I didn't provide a direct answer? Don't be. Everyone has to have a little mystery in their lives...
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