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Monday, November 12, 2012

The Echo and Oscar Flight Incidents

Robert Hastings • Articles -- The Echo and Oscar Flight Incidents: "UFOs Disabled American ICBMs"
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5 comments:

  1. Todd HjallmarkNovember 29, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    I recently noted the above comments regarding UFO interference with ICBM sites at Malmstrom AFB in March 1967, and decided to correct a few misconceptions Robert seems to be so obsessed with. This apparently stems, for the most part, from his refusal to accept the claims of the only two people who were present at the time: Eric Carlson, the commander of Echo Flight, and Walt Figel, his deputy commander. Both men have repeatedly asserted that UFOs were not involved with those events in 1967. You are welcome to believe whatever you like, but both Robert Salas, author of "Faded Giant", and Robert Hastings, author of "UFOs and Nukes" have been repeatedly accused of lying about and/or embellishing details of these incidents by those military veterans who served their nation well during the hottest period of the Vietnam War and the coldest of the Cold War.

    If you wish to know exactly what happened in 1967, and why the missiles at Echo Flight actually failed, I encourage you to examine without cost the following narratives:

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/26641522/Americans-Credulous-by-James-Carlson

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/42303580/Echo-Flights-of-Fantasy-Anatomy-of-a-UFO-Hoax-by-James-Carlson [this one is an examination of all the issues for those unfamiliar with the case]

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/49495918/The-Bunny-s-Retort-by-James-Carlson

    http://www.realityuncovered.net/blog/2011/08/strategic-editing/

    http://www.realityuncovered.net/blog/2012/04/how-to-demand-redress-by-shooting-yourself-in-the-foot/

    http://www.realityuncovered.net/blog/2012/10/the-aggressive-pursuit-of-ignorance/

    I would also recommend that you examine the numerous interviews and articles at the Reality Uncovered website:

    http://www.realityuncovered.net/. Many of the articles discuss the events at Echo Flight and Oscar Flight in March 1967, and include interviews with both the commander and the deputy commander at Echo Flight on March 16, 1967. To this day, Robert Salas insists that both men confirm his claims of UFO interference, which both men deny strongly. Robert Hastings, as you've noticed, refuses entirely to discuss the matter in detail or answer any questions regarding the testimonies of these two men, preferring instead to attack the integrity and credibility of those publically raising such issues. He refuses to offer anything substantial in the way of evidence, and fails entirely to explain the details of his claims or to answer any of the valid questions raised by his insistence. What he has done is rely on the craven use of blatant lies and baseless insults in regard to his critics without once managing to refute or even discuss their criticisms. Hastings has even gone so far as to invent entirely the titles and alleged contents of various non-existent books relating epilepsy to paranoia and mental illness in order to suggest that one of his many critics shouldn't be trusted because of the epilepsy he has been afflicted with. Incredibly, he has also publically defamed the author of this missive by insisting that his own father "told him" about a nervous breakdown that has apparently been an ongoing crisis for over three years! Meanwhile, he refuses to answer necessary questions regarding his own numerous, proven lies, and has neglected as well to defend his own theories against numerous accusations of massive fraud and profiteering on a scale UFO proponent communities have only rarely been subjected to.

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  2. Todd HjallmarkNovember 29, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    A lot information regarding this incident can be found at the Reality Uncovered forum, in particular the Echo Flight Incident thread: http://www.realityuncovered.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1688&sid=fb3fd24f098c0f3bc35595ea1b41a146. Every single detail, digression, discussion or subject of argument asserted by both men has been explained and discussed in great detail in the documents and on the websites you've been directed to. Not one question has been left unanswered, a statement that neither Hastings nor Salas can honestly affirm. Both men, in fact, are proven liars who have created fiction and called it fact, something anyone willing to actually do the research can determine very readily for himself, as the events -- contrary to the claims of Hastings and Salas -- have been declassified since before 1980.

    Tim Hebert, an ex-USAF missileer himself, has also written some enlightening articles regarding the case on his blog at: http://timhebert.blogspot.com/. You should take the time to read them.

    Dr. David Clarke, for many years an accepted expert regarding the British military forces' investigations of the UFO phenomenon, has also discussed this case in the context of the "UFO and Nukes" connection asserted by Robert Hastings and Robert Salas. You can read his article on the subject at http://drdavidclarke.blogspot.com/2010/11/flat-earth-nukes.html.

    The folk tales currently being spread by Hastings and Salas have not merely been dismissed as one possible interpretation of their claims; they have been repeatedly dismantled and shredded -- proven as lies by witness testimony and documented evidence. There is no doubt whatsoever that they created this case outright. There were no UFOs involved -- it is a lie, and nothing more. Witnesses that both men have presented to the public have actually come forward to dispute the claims these men have made. They insist that their statements were taken out of context and distorted purposely in order to suggest the presence of UFOs where no such presence could otherwise be established. Salas and Hastings have perpetrated a UFO hoax of the worst sort, and have attempted to destroy the reputations and career service of better men than themselves.

    The commander of Echo Flight on March 16, 1967, CAPT (Ret.) Eric D. Carlson, has released the following definitive statement:

    "Let me start by stating that, as best as I can recall, my only contact with Salas and Hastings has been on the phone. I did tell Salas that he could release my name to whomever he wished, don't know why he needed my permission. I have talked to a newspaper writer in Great Falls, several years age, and a TV producer from one of those UFO shows. With both these individuals I denied any knowledge of any UFO's at Malmstrom. In addition, I stated that there was no, repeat no, incident at Oscar flight as Salas maintains. The man is either lying or delusional.

    "My only contact with Hastings was a call I received from him regarding his book. I stated that his book sounded interesting and he later sent me a copy which I read and gave away .... At no time did I mention anyone's mental status; yours, mine, his, or Salas', although in retrospect I could comment on Salas'.

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  3. Todd HjallmarkNovember 29, 2012 at 11:59 AM

    "My memory is quite good regarding the events at Malmstrom and there is no doubt in my mind that there were no reports of UFO's and no incident at Oscar flight. I will be willing to discuss this with anyone who is truly interested in the facts."

    His deputy commander at Echo Flight, COL (Ret.) Walter Figel, Jr., has insisted as well that UFOs were not involved, and adds that his version of this event has been distorted by both Robert Salas and Robert Hastings in order to give the impression that an actual UFO was involved. He asserts very strongly that no UFOs were involved, nor were UFOs ever reported. Regarding the comments made on your website by Robert Hastings, COL. Figel has never, throughout the years I've known him, accused me of lying, and has, in fact, been refreshingly open and definitive in regard to the events of March 1967, and has repeatedly confirmed all of the aspects of this story that I've made available and that my father, Eric Carlson, has repeatedly confirmed. It's all just more of Hastings' pathetic nonsense.

    Walt Figel has released numerous comments regarding the incidents of March 1967, including the following definitive statement:

    "James,

    "First – your dad has not lied about anything nor do believe that he is even capable of lying about anything at all. He was, is, and always will be an honorable man. You should remember that always – I will.

    "Second – Bob Salas was never associated with any shutdown of any missiles at any time in any flight and you can take that to the bank. Just think about this for a split second. He is a person wrapped up in UFOs to the Nth degree. Yet he could not remember he was not at Echo. Then he thought he was at November – wrong again. Then he thought he was at Oscar – wrong again.

    "Third – There is no record about anything happening at November or Oscar except in people’s minds that are flawed beyond imagination. Salas has created events out of the thin air and can’t get the facts straight even then. My best friend to this day was the flight commander of the 10th SMS at the time. He and I have discussed this silly assertion in the past couple of years – he thinks it is all madeup nonsense for sure. I put both Salas and Hastings in touch with him and he has told them both that an incident at November or Oscar never happened. In addition he was subsequently stationed at Norton AFB where the engineers tested the possible problems. No little green men were responsible.

    "Fourth – I have always maintained that I do not nor have I ever believed that UFOs exist in any form at any place at any time. I have never seen one or reported that I have seen one. I have always maintained that they had nothing to do with the shutdown of Echo flight in Montana."

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  4. Todd HjallmarkNovember 29, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    "Fifth – The event at Malmstrom has a hand written log from me that was turned in just like all the other logs that I wrote over several years. I would think that if I wrote something like that in the log, there would be copies, it would have been classified at the beginning and then released along with the classified SAC messages and base reports. Nothing in that urgent SAC message even hints of UFOs at all and I think that it would if the official logs or telephone calls had referenced that fact.

    "Sixth – When it happened, neither your dad nor I were “visibly shaken” by the events. It was just another day with a unexpected event in our lives. It was rather underwhelming at the time. No one rushed out to see us, no one made us sign any papers, no one interrogated us for hours on end.

    "There is no Air Force “cover-up” [of the events of March 1967]; it just did not happen the way Salas and has portrayed the course of events. I am sorry that you are all caught up in a pissing contest with these people, I really am. They are just not going to let go no matter what you say or do. He has made a 15 year career pandering about the country talking about things he has no knowledge about. I am not at all interested in taking them on – it’s not worth my effort – I have more important things to do with my life. I much rather just stay out of it.

    "Hopefully, we can move on. I did read about a briefing on the 27th here in DC. I am here in VA about 10 miles away. Interesting. Hopefully this helps you and confirms to you at least that your dad is a straight shooter and does not lie to anyone."

    Robert Salas' commander at Oscar Flight, Frederick Meiwald, insists that he doesn't even believe in UFOs -- a strange comment to make in light of Salas' insistence that a UFO took out the missiles at Oscar Flight during an incident that resulted in an injury to one non-commissioned officer, requiring that man to be evacuated from the site by helicopter. When interviewed by Robert Hastings, he stated unequivocably that he doesn't remember anything at all about a UFO. In fact, Robert Hastings himself has written:

    “Meiwald then elaborated and said that he couldn’t support everything Salas has said about the incident because he had been resting/sleeping when the first missile or two dropped offline -— which occurred moments after Salas received a report from the Oscar Flight Security Controller about a UFO hovering over the Launch Control Facility’s front gate.

    “Although Salas had quickly told Meiwald about that telephone conversation, Meiwald says that he can’t remember it.”

    In another interview conducted by Hastings, Meiwald is equally clear:

    "RH: Okay. Now, when Bob, I think moments [after] he woke you up, or you got up and sat down at the commander’s consol—he of course had received a call from the Flight Security Controller, saying that there was a bright red, oval-shaped object hovering over the security fence gate—my understanding is that is what he told you as soon as you were at your consol, that he had received this call and, uh, that of course coincided with the missiles beginning to malfunction. Do you recall him telling you that?

    "FM: I really don’t remember that portion of it, relative to the bright object. I remember an unusual condition [but] as far as the details, uh, I can’t elaborate on that."

    The following exchange is also revealing:

    "RH: Okay. He of course has also said that you two were, uh, when you were back at Malmstrom, you were debriefed by OSI and required to sign non-disclosure statements. Do you remember that?

    "FM: I remember being directed to do that. But that was no problem. I’ve been one of these people, when told to forget something, I forget it—eventually [inaudible].

    "RH: Right, well, is that a polite way of saying that you really don’t want to discuss this, even though you know more than you’re saying?

    "FM: No, I’m saying I don’t remember."

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  5. Todd HjallmarkNovember 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM

    For nearly ten years Salas was using Meiwald as confirmation of the events at both November Flight and Oscar Flight, stating that either my father or someone else called Meiwald on March 16 and told him all about Echo Flight. When interviewed by Hastings, Meiwald stated, "Whatever happened over at Echo, I have no idea." He has rebuffed completely the attempts by Hastings and Salas to establish confirmation for the UFOs they've invented.

    Meiwald has also clearly stated in other interviews with Salas that only 3-4 missiles failed during the one missile failures event he has recalled; he's NEVER stated outright that the UFO story he told Salas in 1996 had anything at all to do with missile failures; it's never even been mentioned in context.

    My father, the commander of Echo Flight in March 1967, was present when all ten missiles were taken off of strategic alert by an electronic noise pulse generated internally at the launch control facility. This pulse interfered with the normal operation of the logic coupler on the guidance and control module for that facility, causing thereby the failure of the missiles, which were, in effect, simply turned off. The incident was very well documented and was thoroughly investigated, and every word that Robert Salas and Robert Hastings have ever said on the subject has been repeatedly discounted or proven outright to be little more than lies and embellishments created for the purpose of making money from the sales of their books, the sales of associated videos, and the speaking fees they charge as a matter of course when retelling their ridiculous little folk tales.

    I'm not asking you to believe these points I've outlined. It isn't necessary, as they're already included in the public record and can be examined by anyone who's interested in the subject. I do ask, however, that you give some further thought to claims you've discussed. You should be aware that there is another point of view in regard to this matter -- one that has been repeatedly confirmed by those men who were actually involved with this singular event in USAF history, has been very well-documented through the years, and was very thoroughly investigated by the USAF for some months after the incident itself.

    There were only two witnesses at Echo Flight in March 1967: the commander of the flight, CAPT Eric D. Carlson, and the deputy commander, COL Walter Figel, Jr. Both men have publically afirmed that there was no UFO. Robert Hastings is merely an agitator -- a liar and a fraud who has repeatedly misrepresented the claims of the men involved in these incidents. He started utilizing this methodology years ago, found out it was convincing to a few ignorant people, and continues his path of slander and disruption as a result of this minor success. He's just a petty con-man and a fraudulent huckster -- nothing more.

    Most sincerely,
    James Carlson
    Albuquerque, NM

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