Project Galaxy

By H.J. Walter

This book tells the story of the U.S. government's involvement in the secret UFO program with Navy pilots flying them out of a base in Antarctica. The story unfolds with the accidental discovery of the Antarctic base by a lost explorer and the subsequent coverup. Along the way it describes the various survival situations the navy pilots encounter in their everyday flying in Antarctica as members of Antarctic Development Squadron Six.

To learn more about this book please visit Project Galaxy

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2004
• ISBN: 9781412220859

H.J. Walter

H. J. “Walt” Walter is a retired naval aviator who served four years in the Antarctic. He spent twenty-two years flying all types of naval aircraft, including single-engine props and jets, multiengine props and jets, and the turboprop-powered C-130. After retirement he earned his college degrees. A bachelor of science in education, bachelor of science in earth science, and master of science in education and three years of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. He taught high school technology education and pre-engineering at Canisius College. He was also employed in the engineering department of an aerospace corporation.

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© Copyright 2004 H.J. Walter. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Note for Librarians: a cataloguing record for this book that includes Dewey Classification and US Library of Congress numbers is available from the National Library of Canada. The complete cataloguing record can be obtained from the National Library’s online database at: www.nlc-bnc.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN 1-4120-2074-3

ISBN 978-1-4122-2085-9 (ebook)

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This book was published on-demand in cooperation with Trafford Publishing. On-demand publishing is a unique process and service of making a book available for retail sale to the public taking advantage of on-demand manufacturing and Internet marketing. On-demand publishing includes promotions, retail sales, manufacturing, order fulfilment, accounting and collecting royalties on behalf of the author.

Suite 6E, 2333 Government St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4P4, CANADA

Contents

PROLOGUE       The Phone Call

1       The Awakening

2       The Flight

3       The Program

4       The Mission

5       The Decision

6       The Tightrope

7       The Plan Executed

8       The Cover Up

9       Trouble in Paradise

10       Respite

11       Expeditionary Trouble

12       Riding the Edge

13       Tense Moments

14       Out to the edge

15       Rescue in sight

16       Relief in sight

17       Exposure or Cover-up

18       The Moment of Truth

19       The Omen

20       The Rescue

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my wife Dolores, for always being there when I needed guidance. For being so patient when things went wrong. For always supporting what I was doing no matter how much time it required writing alone in my study.

To a dear friend, Edie Reynolds for helping in editing my book and making welcome suggestions to improve its content.

To my daughter Caroline for urging me to complete this book and also helping in editing and suggesting important changes and improvements..

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PROLOGUE

The Phone Call

Fairfax, VA

Deep sleep had finally descended on Jack Forester after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. It had been a hectic day of briefings, meetings and finally a private dinner with the current CIA Director, Bill Reynolds. The phone was ringing for the fifth time and Jack was suddenly awakened from his hard earned deep sleep. It was a phone call with the potential to invariably alter the entire infrastructure of the U.S. government in Washington, D.C. from top to bottom.

As he picked up the receiver and said hello, he developed goose bumps and chills. He knew instinctively it was the call he had dreaded would come someday, that Project Galaxy would be exposed to the whole world and he would have to face a ravenous press, an unbelieving Congress and the President. The frantic, almost hysterical voice of George Chambers on the other end of the line was telling him there had been a breach in security and that damage control was in progress. Jack was almost certain that the breach was uncontrollable and that the news would soon stun the world’s capitals and leaders. The entire planet would finally know the true story behind the UFO sightings of the past 40 years.

As Jack hung up the phone, his mind racing, he tried to figure out what needed to be done. He fumbled around in the dark and instinctively picked up his silk robe, putting it on without turning on the light so Kate, his wife of some 30 years, could get back to sleep having been awakened by the call.

Going down the stairs in the dark, he chillingly remembered the first days of Project Galaxy. It was back in 1954 when he first saw the Navy directive calling for volunteers for Antarctic duty with Antarctic Development Squadron Six. He had learned from the old, war seasoned veterans that volunteering for any duty was not the thing to do but he curiously read the directive anyway. Hey, he said to himself, after a tour of duty flying with the Hurricane Hunters, flying in Antarctica can’t be all that bad. He submitted his letter to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, D.C., requesting Antarctic duty with Antarctic Development Squadron Six. About a month later he received Temporary Additional Duty orders to report to the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, for psychological screening. All personnel had to be screened to ensure they were mentally stable because of the isolated duty in Antarctica. He would find out later that although the screening was psychological it was for two entirely different reasons. As a young Navy Lieutenant who had handled stressful situations in the past, he knew he would have no problem getting past the shrink.

Jack reported as ordered to NAS Patuxent River after driving for two days from Jacksonville, Florida, in his powder blue and white 1953 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible. The car was a leftover from the earlier days of his bachelorhood when fast women and hot cars were the best mode for relaxing or was it the other way around. It had been a stressful drive to Patuxent River. He had departed Jacksonville about 8:00 p.m. the previous day and had traveled on the main highways which went through every little town and large city on the East Coast. It was almost impossible to make good time as the reduced speed in each town and sometimes stopping for the only red light in town slowed progress to a near crawl.

He was twenty-eight when he met Kate during that early tour with the Hurricane Hunters in Jacksonville. He had dated her a few times and finally gotten her to bed in his room in the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ). When he first saw her in the dim light as she undressed he thought what a sensuous woman. She had milky white skin with measurements of 3926-36 set on a 5’7" frame with beautiful short-coiled golden hair and sky blue eyes, which could put Paul Newman to shame. She always had a cute little smile and exuded a wry sense of humor. Little did he realize that after only a few months he would fall in love and marry her.

As he pulled up to the gate at Patuxent River, the Marine Sergeant on duty spotted his base sticker, saluted smartly, and directed him to proceed. After driving for a few miles, he arrived at the Medical Facility, an old World War II, single story, gray slate colored wooden building, where his psychological screening would take place. He parked his car in the lot assigned to visitors on the North side of the building and went in. He removed his fore and aft cap, as was the Navy custom, and was greeted at the duty desk by a Navy nurse decked out in her navy blue uniform with a set of ribbons that indicated extensive combat assignments. She asked, May I help you Lieutenant?

Where do I find Captain Headland for my screening interview? he asked.

Pointing to her right she directed him to take this passageway, make the first right turn, and find his outer office in Room 109.

Jack thanked the nurse and walked briskly down the passageway of this dimly lit building wondering whether the Navy would ever replace these old buildings. They were dingy looking and took a fortune in natural gas to heat in the winter. He knocked, then entered Room 109. Captain Headland’s secretary was busy filing records in the gray Navy filing cabinet set back in one corner of the room. She had a matching gray desk and chair and an extra chair for visitors to use if necessary. Her desk was neat except for a fading poinsettia plant left over from Christmas in the process of losing its leaves. The walls were bare, not even a standard issue picture of the President was to be seen. The room was lighted by a fixture in the center of the room, hanging from the ceiling with a single 100-watt bulb. As she turned to see who had entered the room, her long flowing brunette hair flashed in the light. Do you have an appointment with Captain Headland? she asked.

He replied in the affirmative, stated his name, said his appointment was for 1030 hours. The secretary strode into the inner office, soon reappearing and announcing that, The captain will see you now.

The person sitting behind an old standard issue steel gray desk, also a leftover from World War II, unexpectedly overwhelmed Jack.

Lieutenant Forester reporting as ordered, sir.

I’m Captain Headland. Have a seat Lieutenant.

Captain Headland was close to 6’2" in height, weighed approximately 220 pounds, had steely gray eyes, short brown hair, and the reddest beard Jack had ever seen. He was wearing dress blues, which included ribbons and badges. The Captain exuded the image of a top military man, sharp and always squared away. His feet were propped up on his desk and Jack noticed his black shoes were beautifully shined. The Captain had been playing his favorite instrument, the ocarina, or sweet potato as it was usually called, and the tune sounded like the Marines Hymn. Jack mused to himself, with this kind of behavior, that maybe this shrink ought to be seeing a shrink. He also noted that the captain was wearing a Marksmanship badge he had never seen before. He thought about asking the Captain about it but did not for fear of embarrassing himself. Captain Headland noticed Jack’s stare and asked the young lieutenant if he had ever seen a Distinguished Pistol Badge before. Jack replied negative, and the Captain was more than willing to expound on just how a Navy man could go about winning such a badge. Jack felt that this helped to ease the tension of the upcoming interview.

Lieutenant, why do you want to fly in Antarctica?

Jack countered. Because I’m looking for adventure and new challenges in the realm of flight.

Have you flown in combat?

Yes, sir, Jack replied. I flew dive bombers with Bombing Squadron 114 in the Atlantic Theater, mostly routine bombing missions off the carrier USS Monterey.

Did you know my old friend Gerry Ford? asked the Captain.

Sure, Jack responded. I guess he got himself elected to Congress again this year.

Jack figured he had it made now with them having a mutual, influential friend and all. Captain Headland paged through the manila folder he had in front of him. Jack deduced that the folder contained his personal and medical history as well as his total military record. The Captain looked up,

I see from your file that you are recently married. How does your wife feel about you being gone for 6 months of the year?

She’s adapted to Navy life very well Captain. She realizes that a separation while deployed is a necessity.

Jack knew Kate could take the separation but he had doubts about himself. Kate was a very sensual woman and he wasn’t sure he could handle six months of not touching her or any other woman for that matter. Routine questions followed until finally Captain Headland asked, How do you feel about being isolated from civilization for six months? Do you enjoy flying by yourself or do you prefer multi-piloted airplanes?

I won’t mind the isolation, Jack replied. I’m sure there will be plenty of flying and when I’m not flying there will be plenty of paperwork to take up my spare time. I usually prefer the single seat aircraft. It’s a type of flying that gives you more freedom without the responsibility of all the extra people.

Captain Headland spent a long time discussing the consumption of alcohol. Jack was not a heavy drinker by any means. He had an occasional cocktail when he and Kate went out for dinner. Jack figured idiots designed the questions but he played the silly game by giving him the answers he wanted to hear. The interview lasted about 35 minutes. Finally Captain Headland looked up from the file and asked Jack if he had any questions. Jack responded negative and Captain Headland stated that he felt Jack was fit for Antarctic duty and that he thought he would soon receive orders to the squadron. Jack stood up, thanked the Captain and departed the medical facility.

Jack drove over to the BOQ and checked in. He was quite tired since he had driven all night to get there and needed some sleep before returning to Jacksonville. He wanted to get back to Kate as soon as possible but had better sense than to push his luck figuring he might fall asleep on the road. It was almost noon and Jack lay down on the bunk to sleep for a few hours.

He woke about 3:30 p.m. and decided he would go down to the flight line and check out the squadron spaces. Antarctic Development Squadron Six was on the South side of Hangar Seven but did not have any airplanes assigned to it as yet. The squadron was in the formative stages and few people had checked in. He ran into Lieutenant Commander Charlie Fuller, a trim, well-built, naval aviator about 35 years old with a slightly receding hairline who probably weighed 160 pounds soaking wet. Charlie was wearing his aviation green uniform which made him appear even thinner. He was acting Commanding Officer (CO) until the first CO arrived to take command. They talked about what types of aircraft were to be assigned to the squadron, the anticipated cold weather training and quarters availability at Patuxent River. Charlie told Jack he had been an NROTC Instructor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, prior to volunteering for Antarctic Development Squadron Six and had flown off the carrier USS Saratoga during the war. The Japanese had damaged her at the battle of the Coral Sea right after the attack on Pearl Harbor at the start of World War II. Lieutenant Commander Fuller was anxious to get back in the cockpit again.

After visiting the squadron, Jack returned to the BOQ and freshened up for dinner. The wardroom was typical for its day. On the floor it had wall to wall carpeting, clean, fresh, white tablecloths and napkins, sterling silver utensils and predominantly black stewards serving the meal. After finishing his dinner, Jack wandered into the bar for an after-dinner drink. As he entered, he was greeted by loud cheering and yelling from a crowd of young Ensigns and Lieutenant JGs left over from happy hour who had not yet eaten dinner. What an unruly bunch Jack thought. I was never like that was I? Jack sat at the bar and ordered a Tia Maria. He had become accustomed to the coffee liquor since almost everyone in the Hurricane Hunters drank it while deployed in the Caribbean. His thoughts drifted off to Jacksonville and Kate. He hadn’t called since he knew she was at Rocky and Gloria Flower’s house for dinner and a movie. Around 9:00 p.m. he strolled off to his room and settled in for the night.

He left a call for O600 hours so he could get an early start back to Jacksonville. After a hearty breakfast of two poached eggs, bacon, wheat toast and grits, he checked out with his orders through the Officer Of the Day and was soon on his way back to Jacksonville. Some 30 hours later he arrived at NAS Jacksonville and reported back to the Hurricane Hunters. Since nothing was going on at the squadron, he signed out and went home. Kate was there to meet him. He embraced her lovingly. God how I missed you darlin’. I know it was only 2 days but it seemed like 2 weeks.

Still locked in their embrace, Kate asked, Well, how was the interview?

Questions designed by idiots with idiots administering the interview, replied Jack. Kate, you can’t believe this Navy Captain I met. He’s the shrink assigned to the squadron, but he appears to be in need of a shrink himself.

Jack described his meeting with Captain Headland. What have you been doing for amusement while I’ve been gone?

Well, I had dinner with Rocky and Gloria last night and then we went to the movies. We saw Friendly Persuasion with Gary Cooper. I got home around midnight. We had an officer’s wives luncheon at the skipper’s house yesterday. Same old stuff. All these wives can talk about is parties, children and sex. Speaking of which, what are you going to be doing for the next hour and a half? With a big grin on his face Jack replied, Taking the dog for a walk as he swung Kate around and playfully chased her up the stairs to the bedroom. She had already turned down the bed knowing full well what Jack would have on his mind when he arrived home. He was a virile man who needed his loving. Jack had plenty on his mind and the stress had been building. Kate would worry about him later but for now, First one in gets on top, and she raced him for the nearest side of the bed.

During the time Jack was waiting to receive his orders, there were a few strange incidents which he would only be able to explain later on. There were people asking the CO about him. The subject of discussion was regarding his clearance to handle classified material, his personal relationships, and his ability to work under pressure. His family back in Iowa also reported that strangers had been asking his old school teachers and neighbors about his life in Ames. He knew Antarctic Development Squadron Six wasn’t going to be doing much with classified material but then he dismissed it as routine because he was coming up for promotion to Lieutenant Commander. A few weeks passed and finally Jack got his orders to report to Antarctic Development Squadron Six at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. It was pretty much a routine move since the newlyweds had very little in the way of worldly possessions. They managed to get government quarters on the base, which meant Jack could make it home easier for lunch or whatever else Kate might have in mind.

Jack reported to the squadron in early February, 1955. When checking in, he asked where his newfound friend Charlie Fuller was. The Squadron Duty Officer told him Charlie had been killed flying a Dehaviland Otter, a single engine aircraft that had been assigned to the squadron. Trying to be the good guy, Charlie had offered to do a visual check the landing gear of a North American AJ-1 Savage, a twin propeller, single jet, carrier based, attack bomber, whose pilot had reported over the field with an unsafe landing gear indication. Charlie flew under the AJ-1 Savage which had been circling the airfield at about 2500 hundred feet, and, while checking the left gear, drifted up into the fuselage of the Savage. Both aircraft were badly damaged and the Otter came crashing to earth killing Charlie instantly. All three crewmen in the Savage were also killed in the ensuing crash. Jack had instantly liked Charlie and he was sad to hear this news. Things like that happened often in Naval Aviation and Jack was somewhat used to it although not happy hearing Charlie had been killed.

The squadron worked long and hard to complete all the necessary tasks to be ready in plenty of time for the assault on Antarctica for the International Geophysical Year, an 18 month scientific study of the secrets of the Antarctic continent.

The timetable laid out for the squadron was to complete all the necessary pilot qualifications, Antarctic survival training, maintenance training and then be ready for deployment on September 1st.

There was a lot of traffic between Washington, DC, and NAS Patuxent River since it was only about 30 miles up the turnpike. The organization for the assault on Antarctica was taking shape. The operation was to be called Deep Freeze. Walt Disney even got into the game designing the patch for the Task Force. The patch was 4 inches in diameter and its main feature was a gold fouled anchor. Mounted on the anchor was a shield, colored red, white and blue and having ship, aircraft, penguin and bee embroidered on it. The ship represented the

U.S. Navy surface forces while the aircraft represented all air units which would be involved. The penguin symbolized the scientists who would be studying the Antarctic and its natural inhabitants. Finally, the bee symbolized the Seabees who were responsible for the construction of all the bases to be established in the Antarctic. Left and right on the outer rim were the words Operation Deep Freeze, while at the bottom on a gold scroll were the words, Task Force Forty-Three. The background for the anchor symbolized the lines of longitude converging on the South Pole although only the edges were visible. The Task Force was designated TF-43 and operated in support of the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs (OPP). OPP administered the United States Antarctic Research Project (USARP). During the first season of flying in Antarctica, the squadron would establish all the scientific bases, and the following year the scientists would be flown into Antarctica for the International Geophysical Year,

The aircraft assigned to the squadron consisted of eight R4D’s, the civilian equivalent of the DC-3; two P2V Neptunes a twin propeller, twin jet, patrol bomber designed and built by Lockheed Aircraft of Burbank, California; and three single engine Otters, a single engine, high wing monoplane built by Dehaviland; one R5D, the civilian DC-4; and four H-34 Sikorsky helicopters. The R5D’S, P2Vs and R4D-8’s had the capability to fly to Antarctica. The other R4D’s, Otters and H34 helicopters would be transshipped by cargo ship to Antarctica. Those aircraft flying to Antarctica would transverse the continental United States to NAS Alameda, California, then fly to NAS Barbers Point in Hawaii. Their next legs of their journey would be through Johnson Island, Fiji, Auckland, and finally on to Christchurch, New Zealand, where the squadron would have a detachment set up to handle squadron maintenance and administrative matters. From there, the scientific assault on Antarctica would begin.

Jack was assigned to fly the R4D-5 and went through pilot transition training to qualify as an Aircraft Commander. This particular model R4D was not capable of long range flight. Only the R4D-8, called the Super DC-3, was capable of long distances. The R4D-8 had been modified to carry twice as much fuel than the earlier models and had the Curtis Wright single row radial engine with an 1820 cubic inch displacement, which was more powerful and also more economical. The older R4D’s still had the Pratt & Whitney single row radial engine with an 1830 cubic inch displacement. Because he was a second tour pilot and had many flight hours, Jack easily qualified in the Gooney Bird.

He was extremely upset since his first love was the Neptune which he was already qualified in from his earlier tour in the Hurricane Hunters. The Neptune, with its jet engines, outperformed the old R4D in both speed and distance and it would be more involved in scientific research rather than hauling people and cargo to the outlying bases.

These Neptunes were equipped with two jet engine pods, one on each wing, and they had the performance of some of the newer and lighter multi-engine aircraft. They were a far cry from the early models, namely the P2V-1, including the Truculent Turtle which had flown nonstop from Perth, Australia, to Columbus, Ohio, to establish the world’s distance record for non-stop, unrefueled flight. The old models were dogs with a full load of fuel. The jet engines changed all that though.

Jack quickly forgot the Neptune and settled down to flying the R4D the best way he knew how. The ground training was extremely difficult. Aircraft Emergency Procedures training required a final grade of 100% otherwise it had to be repeated until that grade was achieved. New things were being introduced all the time. Ski and wheeled landing operations were different than normal. Instrument approaches and landings with zero visibility and clouds down to ground/snow level were discussed and then practiced using a hood covering the pilot’s field of vision allowing him to see only the aircraft instruments. Jet Assisted Take-offs were taught, then practiced. Snow and wind conditions were also discussed but no one knew for sure just what the real conditions would be at McMurdo Sound once the squadron reached Antarctica.

George Bickle, a young Lieutenant JG, conducted Antarctic survival training. George had honed his skills climbing western mountains and had climbed Mt. McKinley in Alaska. His experience was invaluable. Captain Headland, the squadron Flight Surgeon as well as a cold weather expert and flight physiologist, supplemented his training instructors.

The Captain had been with Admiral Richard E. Byrd on Operation Highjump. Admiral Byrd was a seasoned polar explorer. He had led one expedition flying to the North Pole and two Antarctic expeditions. He had flown to the South Pole during one of these expeditions in a Ford Trimotor.

Admiral Byrd headed up Operation Highjump, which was the Navy’s assault on the Antarctic shortly after World War

II. Admiral Byrd was now retired and too old to lead this new expedition. Rear Admiral Webb Foote was assigned as Commander, Task Force Forty-Three. He too had been with Byrd on Operation Hlghjump. His life had been put in jeopardy when the Bos’ns chair transferring him from one ship to another broke and dunked him in the icy waters of the Ross Sea some 30 miles off the Antarctic coast. Rescue only took four minutes but those 4 minutes in the water almost cost him his life. After the rescue he had been thrown into a hot shower which took 40 minutes to thaw him out.

The flight crews paid strict attention to the training since a survival situation in the Antarctic was always in the realm of reality with the possibility of an aircraft emergency just a few seconds away during the flights.

The personal survival clothing was left over from World War II. There had been no development within the military of new cold weather survival equipment. This situation was soon to change but for now that was all there was for utilization. USARP was studying newly developed commercial, cold weather boots and clothing, which would be purchased in the next fiscal year. Words like crampons, caribeaners, pikes, pitons, alcohol stoves, mummy sleeping bags, and pemmican were injected into the flight crew’s vocabulary. Construction of snow caves and traversing glaciers along with pointing out the dangers of crevasses were taught to all intrepid flight crews. Mukluks were issued but were optional since a new rubberized inflatable boot was also issued. Flying boots were normal but one of the other types of boots had to be in the personal survival bag at all times.

Polar navigation was also another subject of the ground training curriculum. The maps being used were of the Azimuthal Equidistant Projection variety. This placed the South Pole in the center of the map with lines of longitude radiating outward like spokes on a bicycle wheel, and latitude circles placed outward from the pole at sixty nautical mile intervals. Polar navigation was known as grid navigation. Some intelligent individual had determined that over a polar projection a grid could be constructed with the north-south orientation on the zero or prime meridian and the east-west orientation on the 90th meridian of East and West longitude. Lines parallel to these prime lines were then drawn every 60 nautical miles, or 1 degree of latitude and longitude. Through the use of celestial observations of the sun, the compass could be set to this grid with great accuracy and thereby ease the navigator’s burden while crossing so many lines of longitude in such a short time. This same type of grid navigation would come in handy later on in locating specific ground locations on the Antarctic continent.

Present time ………….

As Jack arrived downstairs, his thoughts returned to the current problem. He went into his study and turned on the light. The light revealed a room filled with old memorbilia from his Navy career. There were many photos, all arranged down the walls according to squadron and years served. Wooden squadron plaques interspersed the photos. On the window ledge of the back wall were his many shooting trophies won over the years. His new Macintosh computer was still pristine in appearance on his antique mission oak desk. In one corner of the room stood a four-drawer filing cabinet, which he had acquired during one of his tours in the Navy and kept when he retired. A mission oak bookcase stood next to his desk and held his stamp collection. He had started it as a young boy, encouraged by his father. It was one of his most prized possessions and he was still accumulating stamps. Next to the filing cabinet was Jack’s oak drawing table. It was a gift from his Aunt and Uncle whom he adored very much. He had not used it much of late as the pressing needs of the job had kept him from what he called his daydreams, designing new products, then researching them to try to make them work.

He had a couple of hours ‘til daylight to work out what needed to be done. MJ-12 was the governing body for Project Galaxy, AKA the Anti-Gravity Flight Vehicle program. It was organized by President Truman and consisted of twelve people usually assigned by the President. Over the years they had worked out a top secret plan in case of a leak with several different options to work from based on the nature and place of the leak. The plans were in Jack’s office wall safe at the Office of Polar Programs and, despite the emergency, he knew he could not go to the office to retrieve them before normal working hours without alerting the media that something was amiss. The media were constantly observing the workings of OPP in search of a story. He knew the plans were over 10 years old and had not been reviewed and updated during that period. As the project manager of the Office of Polar Programs, he jointly controlled the program through the United States Antarctic Research Project and the U.S. Navy’s Task Force Forty-three, Operation Deep Freeze. As far as Jack knew, his direct boss at the National Science Foundation was completely unaware that a secret flight program even existed. The other controlling members were Bill Reynolds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and George Laroque of the National Security Agency (NSA). Jack was a junior member of the MJ-12 council and these two men were his only known contacts. Jack had a vague idea who the main members were but had never asked. He had no need to know and, following procedures, didn’t wish to know. He decided he would call Bill Reynolds at first light and apprise him of the situation.

1

The Awakening

Hibbing, Minnesota, three years earlier

It was midnight in Hibbing, as the long black limousine pulled up and stopped in front of 136 Elm Street. A man with a scruffy beard, in much need of a haircut but well dressed, emerged and paid the driver after having his bags unloaded. The driver pulled away and left the lonely figure standing there gazing into the night.

The house was vintage thirties with the porch along the front and down one side. It was painted an off-white color and had the typical round posts supporting the roof over the porch. The porch railing spindles matched the supports and added quaintness to the whole scene.

No lights were on in the house as the man picked up his luggage and started up the stairs leading to the front door. He set the bags down and searched his pockets for his house key. After some time he found it in his vest pocket, opened the door and, after some fumbling, found the light switch for the entryway. The light came on to reveal a well-tanned man with wrinkled skin standing some 5 feet 10 inches tall with a physique worthy of a 42 year old. He was neatly dressed in a navy blue, three-piece suit with white shirt and red silk tie. This was the now famous Arctic Explorer, Swede Larson.

Swede had just returned from his triumphant snowmobile trek to the North Pole. When he deplaned in Minneapolis, he had a hero’s welcome along with his two companions who accompanied him on his round trip to the pole. After his welcome back news conference, he had boarded the plane for Duluth and then had the limousine drive him to Hibbing. He brought all his vehicles and equipment used in his expedition back to Minnesota. These were being stored in a warehouse at the airport in Minneapolis. He had great expectations of making a fortune in endorsements from the equipment product manufacturers of what he had carried on his expedition.

There had been a crowd of some two hundred people to greet him in Minneapolis but missing was the one person he had yearned to see, his ex-wife Susan. He had learned of the impending divorce during one of his daily radio conferences with mission control located in Kansas City, Missouri. They reported they had talked with Susan and she had informed them of her intentions. After 15 years of his schemes, she had had enough and left him. He was always dreaming of something to make him rich. Some schemes had failed but others had been successful. For Susan it was the long separations and lifestyle on which she based her decision. She had filed for and been granted the divorce while he was on his Northern trek.

He picked up his luggage, brought it into the foyer, and set it down. He was too tired to lug it any further. Departure from Anchorage, Alaska, had been earlier that morning after a short flight, courtesy of the US Air Force, from one of the floating research ice islands in the Arctic Ocean. These floating stations on the Arctic ice pack were continually resupplied by the Air Force. Swede Larson had been up almost 30 hours and was too tired to do anything but get himself up the stairs and into bed.

The spring sun woke him late the next morning, shining brightly in the glistening crisp 40° air. It was already mid-May and spring was well on its way in northern Minnesota. As he sat up in bed, he looked around the room. It still had the aura of Susan. She had decorated it in a feminine motif and the smells of perfume and bath powder wafting about had Susan written all over them. As his feet touched the floor, he espied a handwritten note attached to the mirror above the dresser. He leapt from the bed, in excitement and anticipation, and raced over, grabbed it and, as he unfolded it, started to read.

Dear Swede, she began, I can’t put up with any more of your big money making schemes so I am leaving and getting a divorce. I still love you but refuse to return until you get a real job and settle down in one spot. You needn’t try to call me but I will be keeping track of what you are doing. If I should decide to begin our relationship again, I will contact you. Signed Susan.

Swede finished reading the note, then folded it neatly and placed it in the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed. If that’s the way she wants it, then she’ll just have to wait, he mused, because he was already planning his next expedition, a snowmobile trip to the South Pole similar to the one just completed to the North Pole. After this next expedition, he thought, he could retire and settle down to lecturing and endorsing the products taken to the North and South poles. The images in his mind flashed like an old movie while thinking about the new venture. He disrobed and stepped into the shower. He finished dressing and went downstairs figuring that maybe he could at least find some coffee with which to make a pot.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noted how neat and clean Susan had left things. She hadn’t taken a thing with her, not even the family pictures off the mantle over the fireplace. He went into the kitchen and found the coffee canister half full. The coffee had to be at least 5 months old since Susan had been gone that long. He found a filter and put on the Mr. Coffee. While it was brewing, he went about opening windows to get some fresh air into the house. It had been closed up since before Christmas. He sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, having poured a cup of coffee. With pad and pencil in one hand, coffee cup in the other, Swede made notes of things he needed to accomplish in the next few weeks.

After finishing his notes, he got his luggage from the foyer and dragged it up the stairs to his bedroom. Transportation was going to be a necessity so he proceeded to the two-car garage and flipped open the door. Inside there was one vehicle remaining, his 3 year old Nissan pickup truck. The Cadillac was gone, probably taken by Susan when she left. He wondered if the truck would start, after sitting unused for those many months. He doubted it would.

Taking his keys and placing them in the ignition, Swede pumped the accelerator pedal a few