Introduction.
This article is based off the testimony of Jonathan Weygandt given to Steven Greer for his “Disclosure Project”.
I became intrigued by his account as i felt his body language and the small detail that it contained gave it credibility.
The following article is all the information i have been able to gather regarding the case over the last few years.
I welcome anyone with more time, sources & resources to pursue this case. I also welcome anyone with further information to contact me on the following email — rghufos@outlook.com
I would like to thank all the following people for their help.
@Teg_OM for all the research.
Jonathan Weygandt for agreeing to talk to me & answer my questions.
*He stands by his original testimony.
*I sent Jonathan all images to look at.
*Jonathan has no interest in involving himself with the “UFO community”.
1.d.R for translation of newspaper articles (which have not been included but maybe in a part 2).
This is neither definite nor a debunking of.
Please excuse any typos, spelling, and grammar this is my first and probably last Medium article.
Disclosure Project witness testimony.
Jonathan approached Steven Greer with his account in 2001.
*A person representing Greer also confirmed this.
Prior to his taped interview Jonathan also travelled to New York in 2001 and spoke with Leslie Kean & Budd Hopkins.
*Jonathan mentions “I told Leslie this”.
Another person that has talked about Jonathan’s case more recently is Commander Will Miller with Joe Murgia.
Will Miller worked with Steven Greer in 2001.
*I asked Jonathan and sent him a photo of Miller circa 2001 but he does not recall him.
Most of the following is based off his original testimony.
*All quotes from the interview are shown with times.
Operation Laser strike, Pucallpa & MACG-28.
“I was transferred over to the section for laser strike in February of 97”.
2:55
Operation Laser Strike was a counter-narcotics operation coordinated by USSOUTHCOM based at Howard’s AFB in Panama under the command of General Wesley Clark.
It involved up to 20 agencies including DEA, USAF, CIA & National Guard.
Jonathan was a marine corps Stinger Avenger Gunner deployed in March 1997 as part of MACG-28, a USMC unit to provide perimeter security for the radar tracking station at Pucallpa Airbase Peru.
*Perceived threats where Narco smugglers and terrorist group known as “Shining Path” both active in the area.
The Marines where under the command of MSgt Chris Diggons & Maj Bob Cole.
*USMC units in Peru from September 1996 until July 1997.
The aim of the operation was to track and identify potential drug trafficking Aircraft exiting & entering Peruvian airspace either by forcing them to land and if they did not comply shoot them down.
There where three bases in Peru with US personnel located at Iquitos, Andoas and Pucallpa.
*There may have been USAF personnel at Juanjui.
In 1997 the air base at Pucallpa was made up of USMC, USAF, FAP (Peruvian Air Force) & CIA Citation tracker aircraft.
*Under CIA direction the Peruvian Airforce mistakenly brought down an innocent civilian aircraft in 2001 which brought an end to US counter-narcotics operations in Peru and started a OIG investigation.
Tracking UFOs, Radars and the USAF.
“He goes I want the logs because they log all these flights coming in you know they’re bearing, what code they’re squawking all that”.
21:02
Jonathan mentions that he overheard female USAF personnel discussing tracking of UFOs which displayed certain characteristics on radar.
A USAF Captain would come and collect these log books and they would need to be signed out by USMC personnel.
*realistically this was probably just the collection of data by USAF once a week for review of shootdown procedures.
*The USAF units involved may have been the 612th AOC, 728th ACS & 24th but i am unsure on this.
Multiple types of radar & detection where being utilized including “Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) & TPS43”.
CIA Cessna Citation aircraft where also based at Pucallpa and used as spotter aircraft to assist the Peruvian Airforce (FAP).
The Crashed UFO.
“They came to us and said look you know we got a situation where we have an aircraft crash that’s possibly friendly and they need us to go and secure the crash site”.
While on perimeter security guard duty one night, at roughly 11pm-12midnight in March/April, SSgt Montealegre (E6), Sgt Allen (E5) & Sgt Adkins (E5) came to them and said they had a downed aircraft which was possibly friendly and they needed to secure the crash site.
* The only aircraft listed as being shot down in the March/April Time period was on 23rd March at 6.05pm, The suspect aircraft did not respond and was shot down, It crashed in a large fireball.
As far as i can tell this aircraft was always considered a narco aircraft & not a mistake.
*I asked Jonathan if he knew who had given the order to the marines to secure the crash site, he did not.
About 8–10 Marines left the Pucallpa base at around 3am in five Humvees with Sgt Allen, Sgt Adkins & Jonathan up front.
They found the area and left the Humvees and then they had to “hump through the bush” the rest of the way. It was just starting to get light.
*Sunrise in Peru for April approx. 6am.
*As as rough estimate from Pucallpa base to the crash site it took roughly 3 Hours travel time.
“we found the area really easy because there was a there was a huge gash in the land where something had crashed”
4:51
They radioed the Marines behind them to halt as they had found the aircraft.
Only Jonathan, Adkins & Allen saw the object. The other 5–7 Marines only saw crash site area.
“When I first saw it you know I was scared it scared the heck out of me, I didn’t know what to do and it was just really confusing”
6:17
Observation of the object.
*Was teardrop/egg shaped with narrow end imbedded in the cliff face.
*Seemed to be organic and alive was constantly changing like “gasoline dripping into water” (the mother of pearl effect, this is mentioned by other ufo witnesses)
*The ship looked like it was made of metal but with the same fluctuation as the liquid.
*The humming sound coming from the object seemed to install a fear & when it cut off and everything went still but the object still emitted this flux effect.
* A perceived effect of claim that came telepathically to try and counteract the fear he felt.
*Large vents that looked like fish gills.
*Had a gash in the side of the object that looked like it had been hit by something. Jonathan’s opinion is the damage looked like it had been hit by a H.A.W.K missile.
*He also experienced after effects, this is now referred to as the Hitchhiker effect “I could hear like, it was terrible because it kept going and it still comes and goes”.
*Later on he noticed that the gel like substance had got on his fatigues and discoloured them, and had burned the hair off his arms.
Allen & Adkins shouted at him to get away from the object & they climbed back to the top of the ravine that's when he noticed guys in black fatigues heading towards them from a higher position, a clearing where two US Army CH-47 had been landed.
He notice people in black fatigues, Hazmat suits & a few with DOE rain jackets.
They arrested him, took his gear, cabled-tied his hands and sat him on a cot. Then sent him off in one of the CH-47 and he was handed over to a USAF Lt-Col.
They interrogated Jonathan for around 15 hours, They verbally attacked him to try and scare him but never physically.
The Lt-Col forced him to sign some papers and then he was segregated with other USAF personnel for 3 weeks before being sent back to the US.
*Jonathan doesn't recall even reading the papers or what was on them, he just signed them out of fear.
*I also asked him if it was the same base or another, he is quite sure but just in a different area.
* Jonathan does remember another base being mentioned “Deep in the Bush”. This is likely to be USAF Radar tracking station at Iquitos under the command of USAF Lt-Col Gayla Briles.
Sgt Adkins & Allen, SSgt Montealegre & 1stSgt Powell.
Jonathan mentions 4 names in his testimony. 2 who witnessed the object, 1 who knew of the supposed crashed aircraft and 1 who he told when he was returned to Cherry Point.
With the help of Teg we found contact details for who i believe to be the correct Adkins, Allen & Montealegre.
* I am positive these are the marines Jonathan is referring to for various reasons include dates, ranks and units attached (1997).
*As Jonathan only mentioned them by their surnames & ranks so will i.
Sgt Adkins (E5).
I reached out and he replied he confirmed that he served in Peru as part of Operation Laser strike and had secured the crash site of a friendly aircraft but said it was just a friendly aircraft and it was in November 1996 and that he was not in Peru in 1997.
“I am only aware of a downed mapping aircraft in Nov 1996. Aircrew turned off the collision alarm and flew into a mountain. Peruvian Marines and Peruvian Air Force Commandant went up to retrieve bodies. I was not there in 1997. We were the first in”.
Later on i contacted him again and asked if he recalled hearing any “scuttlebutt” of UFOs while serving in Peru, as of the writing of this he has not replied.
Sgt Allen (E5).
I reached out to him on three different platforms and can confirm he received & read my message Unfortunately as of this writing he has not replied.
SSgt Montealegre (E6).
Unfortunately as with Allen i reached out on three different platforms & can confirm he has received one of my messages but as of this writing has not replied.
1stSgt Powell.
After being sent back to Cherry Point from Peru, Jonathan told a 1stSgt Powell about what had happened. I contact one person who fitted the description, although interested it wasn't him.
*if anyone can locate or knows of a 1stSgt Powell, Cherry Point USMC. as of April/May 1997 i would be interested to hear from them.
5 Other Marines and Air Force.
We found around 50 names of USMC & USAF personnel that served in Peru during 1997.
We contacted about 30, A very small amount replied (about five). After confirming they where in Pucallpa Peru in 1997 as soon as UFO was mentioned it was either a “No” or “I don't remember anything like that”.
One Marine was a little more helpful he asked why i was interested so i sent a link to Jonathan's testimony instead of dismissing it he actually found it very interesting as he had also deployed to Peru in March 1997 and was fairly certain he remembers Sgt Allen & doing perimeter security night shift with him.
“we were there to guard the compound and there was a large radar within the compound that was “tracking” drug planes. We had Peruvian forces on the outer perimeter, and they would come in and out of the compound during their shift changes”.
He cannot remember much more but gave me the names of 2 Marines that would probably have known of Jonathan and may have more information.
I found one of these marines and contacted them but again as of this writing have not received a reply.
*i have no confirmation that this person received my message.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who served in Peru (all bases)1997-
USMC — MACG-28, MACS-6, MWCS-28, 2d LAAD, MASS-2, & MTACS-28, 2d SRIG & 7th Comm Bn.
USAF — 24th, 612th & 728th.
Also any national guard, CIA, US Army SF 7th.
DOE NEST, SRT & US ARMY Special Operations.
“ Delta Oscar Echo on their back and a couple the guys were wearing like these rain jackets”
25:22
DOE NEST- Nuclear Emergency Search Team.
NEST is made up of multiple units for emergency response with a variety of specialties this includes RAP, ARG & others.
Between 1992–1998 DOE Director of the Office of Emergency Response was Lisa Gordon-Hagerty.
“Nevada National Security Site provides for radiological & nuclear response worldwide, i happened to run those programs in the 1990s”
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty interview with George Knapp.
NEST headquarters are at the Nevada Test site (DOE/NV) and is made up of scientists, technicians & engineers from LLNL, LANL & Sandia. NEST are also supported by DOE contractors such as EG&G & Raytheon.
Tactical & Logistical Support from various special forces including US Army & Navy.
They also combine with US Army 52nd EOD for a variety of emergency responses including nuclear, chemical, biological & high technology devices.
*main intelligence for NEST was NRO & CIA.
*During a back & forth with a DOE foia officer, they asked me if i had any questions so I asked for the DOE’s definition of a “high technology device” as related to emergency response.
I have had no reply.
NEST- “Need to know” and SAPs.
DOE NEST & UFOs.
A very interesting article appeared in an issue of Popular Mechanics (2004) that refers to a Brookings institute report on “Secret plans for first contact”.
Procedures and protocols if a UFO lands.
“A DOE NEST team to tow away the spacecraft and taken to White Sands missile range so as to be near LANL & Sandia Labs for examination”.
NEST involvement would be due to the fact that if the UFO had no exhaust plume it would be assumed to have a advanced nuclear technology propulsion system.
The Men in Black.
“I was arrested I had all my gear taken from me by men in black Camis, had no name tags, they were older men probably in their late 30s or 40s”
12:30
DOE SRT.
SRT- Special Response Team.
As Jonathan mentioned the DOE rain coats i had assumed the older men in black fatigues must have been related and therefore i originally thought they where a Special response team also known as the “nuclear commandos”.
They do have arrest authority on recovery operations and also dress in black fatigues but i think their power in limited to the US & Protection of DOE National labs and assets.
SRT’s in 1997 where made up of contractors from Wackenhut, EG&G, Bechtel.
*A lot of the information on SRT’s is after the formation of NNSA in 2001, I am interested in hearing more about SRT’s pre NNSA.
US Army Special Operations Forces.
“we had like a live fire shooting the jungle and there was Green Berets Army Airborne I mean a bunch of these spec ops guys”
24:22
Someone had mentioned to me that the guy’s in black fatigues may have been a special operations unit/team who where already operating in the area at that time & thought it more likely to be US Army SOF.
Special forces where training Peruvian military at the time but also may have been supporting operation Laser strike (counternarcotics & counterterrorism) by locating hidden airfields used by narco smugglers.
The 7th Special Forces Group where attached to USSOUTCOM in 1997.
*Jonathan mentions seeing them during training.
* also mentions Germans, this more likely to be Royal Dutch army training in jungle warfare at that time.
James T Ramey & A Top secret UFO Program.
While looking for a link between the DOE and UFOs i came across the obituary of James T Ramey, AEC commissioner from 1962 to 1973, in his obituary from 2008 his grandson Dr James Ramey II relates a story that his grandfather told him before his passing.
James Ramey was part of a long-running Top-secret program that investigated any claims of landed UFO this was done due to concerns that the technology might fall into the hands of the USSR and give them an advantage in the nuclear arms race, but nothing credible was ever found.
I contacted his grandson and he confirmed to me that this was correct and accurate.
I asked him if he could add anymore information here is what he told me-
“One thing I will add is that he told me that the team of G-men who investigated the claims having to do with Area 51 in particular (which was under his aegis) deliberately fanned the flames of suspicions about UFO’s in order to distract attention from the prohibited weapons programs being developing there. They would interview anyone with a story in that region in such a way that they gave the impression that they had something to hide regarding aliens… when in fact they were hiding other things. One thing I´m sure about is that in his day (50’s to the early 70’s) the government had no knowledge of aliens; if it had any, he would have been informed, as it was his direct responsibility to make sure the Soviets didn´t get it first”.
As the claim nothing credible was found i suspected that any documents of this alleged program should be in the public domain or become available via FOIA request as it had been over 50 years.
*To date i have not been able to find any documents related to this program.
*FOIA requests- NRC, DOE & NARA all said “no responsive records”.
*The only thing tangentially related was a small newspaper article from 1952 regarding AEC’s interest in UFO sightings.
*NDAA 2023 includes the Atomic Energy Act 1954.
Conclusion.
I have rushed this due to the interest in Crash Retrievals and the stunning revelation's by David Grusch.
In future i may do a part 2 which will include some of the stuff i cut out.
