The Roswell Report: Case Closed

STATE\1ENT OF WIThfSS
Place: Date: 28 ~v1ay 95
I, Ole .Torgeson, l\:ISgt, US:\.F, (Ret), hereby state that James r>.kAndre\V \Vas identified as
a Lieutenant, t'SAFR on this date at my home and do hereby, voluntarily and of my own
free will, make the following statement. This was done ·without having been subjected to
any coercion. unlawful influence or unlawful inducement.
I enlisted in the C.S. A.ir Force in 1957 and became a Ground Communh.:ations and
Electronic Repairman. I remained in this career field throughout my career. I completed
three tours at the Balloon Bram.:h at Holloman AFB, NlVL I rdired fi:om the Air Force in
1977 as the ~COIC of the Communication and Instrumentation Section ofthe Balloon
Branch at Holloman AFB.
I recall an overnight balloon training mission that was conducted in .!\1ay, 1959. Capl Joe
Kittinger was training back up pilots for one of his upcoming prqjects. I was an airman
assigned to coordinate communications and to assist in the recovery of the balloon upon
completion of the mission. I followed the balloon in an old horean War vintage
"crackerbox,. ambulance that had been converted into a communications van. Another
airman and I tollmved the balloon throughout the night on an easterly trajectory over the
Sacramento ~fountains to an area north of Roswell. Also following the balloon were
n:covery technicians in a ·weapons carrier. We stayed in contact with the balloon crew by
radio and also observed flares the cre\v \Vould light at various intervals so we wutd visually
track them. Just after sunrise I recall the balloon landing not1h of Ros\vcll and Capt
hittinger otlered me some coffee and told me he was going to make one more touch and
go landing to complete the mission. I remember that I took some photographs of the
balloon and \Vaited for the last landing. Several minutes later I remember hearing a "bang".
this was the squib that fired to release the gondola from the balloon. \Vc immediately went
to \Vhere the gondola landed and sa\V the gondola laying on its side and saw two of the
pilots standing and one lying down. Lying on the ground \Vas a shattered helmet that was
\Vom by one of the pilots. Capt hininger told me they \Vere attempting to land to avoid
some power lines and a rmv of trees.
Soon after I arrived at the crash site, a helicopter that was also foUmving the tlight landed
and transpm1ed the three aii·crew members to Walker AFB for medil:al attention. I n:call I
assisted the recovet)' technicians load the balloon and the gondola on the weapons can1er
and then drove 15 to 20 minutes to the hospital at \Valker AFB. \Vhen I arrived at Walker.
\Ve parked the converted ambulance near the hospital and either the other auman \Vith me
or the recovery lt:chnicians calJed the balloon control ccnkr to notily them of the accident.
I recall w·aiting near the hospital tor a short period of time and then returning to Holloman
AFB. During the time I was \Vaiting at the hospital I did not observe any arguments or
altercations. I did not observe Capt hiltinger speaking disrespectfully to anyone. I also do
not recall any male civilians or any vehicles that belonged to a rnortuaty
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