I participated in at least two dummy recoveries. The meteorologist from the Balloon Branch, Duke Gildenberg, would determine the best place to launch the balloons depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Duke also predicted, with considerable accuracy, where the dummies would impact. I specifically recall a dummy I recovered near the Jornada test range, between Lasburg and Organ, NM. During this recovery I drove a weapons carrier and I was only able to locate one of the dummies. I never found out what happened to the other one. The next recovery I remember was on a ranch just southwest of Roswell. We were given directions to the area by the balloon branch personnel who had been contacted by a rancher. The equipment had reward notices taped to them to aid in recovery. We went to the Smith ranch. I remember the name because I went to New Mexico A&M with the rancher, I knew him as Smitty. We searched that day from horseback and could not find the dummies. The following day we resumed our search from horseback and again could not find the dummies. I also recall that Smitty asked us for some of the parachute material so he could make a shirt. We dropped many dummies from the balloons and I know many were not immediately recovered, but most were.
I served for twenty five years in the Air Force and most of those years were in the aero medical field. I participated in the space program and the highly classified early stages of U-2 program. Never during this time were “aliens” or “flying saucers” a part of any project. There were, however, countless achievements by the Air Force in aerospace medicine that were the result of dedicated scientific research. It seems likely to me that someone could have mistaken our anthropomorphic dummies for something that they were not.
I am not part of any conspiracy to withhold or provide misleading information to the United States Government or the American public. There is no classified information that I am withholding related to this inquiry and I have never been threatened by U.S. Government persons concerning refraining from talking about this matter.
SIGNED:
Raymond A. Madson, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Sworn to and subscribed before me, an individual authorized to administer oaths, on this 20 day of June 1995 at
James McAndrew, 1st Lt, USAFR
WITNESS(S):
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