Insight, understanding not always found in official reports, documents

By Steve Hammons

Sometimes things like government documents, news accounts and scientific investigative reports don’t always convey the deeper potential of forward-leaning research into human perception and awareness, as well as other interesting phenomena.

For example, the open-source files on Project STAR GATE provide plenty of educational information about research into extrasensory perception (ESP), anomalous cognition, remote viewing and transcendent warfare.

Much of this material seems quite helpful. And, it seems to be associated with several other types of anomalous, unconventional and leading-edge topics.

ESP research with dolphins seems particularly fascinating. Other studies indicated that humans might be able to perceive across time. Actually, there are several other aspects of “integrative perception,” “complementary cognition” and "transcendent power" that appear to open up new potential for many people around the world.

Yet, when we see these kinds of approaches in real-life practice, they may take many forms. While many modern researchers try to use scientific methods, other examples follow another path. They may be rooted in ancient understanding.

In my novel Mission Into Light, published in 2001, elderly Navajo and former U.S. Marine Corps “Code Talker” Joe Bear is thinking about his association with the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group, a 10-person joint-service military and civilian team based in San Diego. The son of Joe’s former World War II buddy is now an Air Force colonel and commanding officer of the group.

Below is an excerpt from Mission Into Light, Chapter 10, called “Navajo Intel.”

CHAPTER 10, NAVAJO INTEL

Joe Bear and his wife Maggie had returned to their home in the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of Arizona. Their visits with friends in San Diego had been fun, but the trip was tiring. He still drove his pickup the full distance to San Diego and back.

He felt a need to make arrangements with certain friends. Code Talker friends. But for now, he sat on his front porch.

Joe thought about the things he’d seen and done in his time on Earth. As a young man, he and other Navajo Code Talkers were part of the networks of OSS, intelligence, and cryptography experts fighting the Japanese military in the Pacific. The Code Talkers went on dangerous missions and were often near, on or behind the front lines. Many of them did not make it back to the Navajo Nation alive.

The Code Talkers still alive sometimes got together. Some of them belonged to the VFW post in Gallup, New Mexico, just across the Arizona state line. A small modest museum in a Kayenta restaurant displayed memorabilia about the Code Talkers.

And yet, Joe often felt his duty as a Marine was not yet done. Old OSS and intelligence buddies from World War Two kept in touch from all over the country. Some of them helped put together the meeting they had planned.

Tom O’Brien was the son of one of his old Marine buddies. Grown up from the boy Joe remembered. And now an Air Force colonel in charge of an intelligence and research team in San Diego. Joe had a feeling this group was going to accomplish something good.

As he was thinking about these things and looking out toward the rocky hills in the distance, his wife Maggie opened the front door and came out on the porch with lunch time plates of mutton stew and two glasses of cold lemonade.

She put the food and glasses on the table nearby and silently sat down next to him. They had raised two sons, now grown and married with children of their own. Joe and Maggie were the grandparents of three girls and two boys.

They lived comfortably in a newer double wide factory-built home that had all the amenities. A satellite dish on the roof brought in dozens of TV stations to the new thirty-two-inch TV their sons had given them last Christmas.

Joe and Maggie had lived almost their entire lives on the Navajo reservation. When Joe was recruited for the Marines at age nineteen, Maggie went to San Diego briefly to be near him. Joe had often sent her letters from strange places in the Pacific, and the letters were frequently edited by military censors for security reasons.

Maggie took bites of the stew, sipped on her lemonade and reached over to touch Joe’s hand.

“What are you thinking about, old man?”

“Oh, those people on Thomas O’Brien’s team in San Diego. I think about what they are doing and what they might accomplish. I feel hopeful, but sometimes worried,” he told her as he picked up his lemonade and took a sip.

“They have enemies, don’t they, Joe?”

“Yes, wife, they do. Dangerous enemies.”

“They’re coming up for your meeting?”

“Yes. We’re going to take them to that old kiva in the hidden canyon we discovered. Maybe it has some power from the ancient times,” Joe speculated.

Maggie would also attend as well as their two sons, who would help with all the guests.

“Eat your stew, old man. It’s getting cold.”

Joe reached out and took the nearby plate and a fork. He held the plate of mutton in his lap and started to eat. He’d been eating mutton since he was a small child.

As a young boy he helped his family with the herd of sheep the family had. Both Maggie’s and Joe’s mothers, like many Navajo women, used the wool to weave beautiful clothes and blankets on old-style traditional looms.

Joe remembered the horses and dogs the family had when he was a boy. It was a good life. They lived in a traditional hogan back then. No modern kitchens, bathrooms, and carpet in those days.

Many Navajo families still lived in hogans, or kept one nearby their more modern homes. Even today, many did not have electricity or phones.

As they finished their lunch, Maggie started to clear away the dishes to take them inside to the kitchen.

Joe then made some phone calls to a couple of friends and confirmed a sweat ceremony for that afternoon. These men had known each other since childhood and through World War Two service in the Pacific. After the war, they had grown older, raising families, living out their lives on the Navajo Nation and sometimes traveling around the Four Corners area and the Southwest.

From their home in the Navajo Nation, they had watched the turbulence of the Cold War and Vietnam years shake the larger society of the United States. Assassinations, racial troubles, terrorist threats, had come and gone. They had also witnessed abuse of natural resources, extinction of animals and plants, weather changes, and natural disasters. Technology had made quantum leaps in their lifetimes.

INNER VISION

Later that afternoon, Joe and three friends met at a small hut-like sweat lodge. The rocks to be used for the sweat lodge were sitting on a campfire outside. Using a shovel, the four each carried one large, hot rock to the center of the small hut, then sat in a circle. From a bucket inside, water was poured on the rocks, causing great clouds of steam, and filling the lodge with heat.

Joe had suggested the meeting, and he led the proceedings.

“Great Spirit of all life, hear our words. We seek guidance from You. Our friends and our people want Your Path to be made clear.”

The four good friends then began a song, an ancient song of special medicine words. More water was added to the hot rocks. White clouds of steam again filled the air.

Joe closed his eyes and listened to his friends’ songs. Sometimes they took turns, or joined one another as the feeling moved them.

After twenty minutes or so, Joe started to see something in his mind’s eye.

Clouds. White clouds against a deep blue sky. From inside the clouds, something stirred. Joe tried to see what was inside, but could not. Then he relaxed, and watched, and waited.

Very slowly, a large, white bison stepped out of the cloud and looked straight at Joe. The huge animal then looked down, and gestured with his front leg, as if pointing down. In Joe’s vision, he looked down and saw the shape of the continent of North America. The bison then spoke to him.

“See how the land has changed, my brother.”

And Joe saw North America as it was long ago. Thick forests across all of the eastern half of the continent and into the central plains. This was the land long before the Europeans discovered it.

The only humans were the thousands of native tribes, clans, communities, and families. These people had spread and populated the continent from coast to coast, and from the frozen north to the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.

This vision triggered many feelings in Joe Bear. Strange feelings were swirling inside him. Sadness, grief, anger. But something else was moving him. The white bison again was looking at him, as if trying to communicate.

Joe tried to focus his vision on the face, the horns, the powerful body of the buffalo. The animal was calm and looked at Joe again, then started to glow, radiating a strange light. It again spoke to Joe.

“My brother, beautiful days are ahead. Nature and the Spirit have brought us along this river of life. Our land will be beautiful again.”

The buffalo was happy, Joe thought. That was a good sign.

The bison then gestured again to him.

“Your friends can help us, brother. They may take us home. Look here and see them.”

As the bison gestured down again, instead of North America, Joe saw a large cloud, swirling gently like a slow-motion cyclone. Inside the circling mass were millions of people. A brilliant golden light was shining on one part of the slowly spinning cloud. Part was in darkness.

“Your friends are here,” the buffalo said, pointing to a small bright spot in the cloud. Joe noticed other points and regions of darkness and light.

Joe had questions.

“How can I help them?”

“Look closer, brother.”

Joe then saw the faces of Tom O’Brien and the others as he did when he spoke to them in San Diego. He remembered looking into the faces sitting around the small table in the JRSG office at Point Loma. Joe heard his own words as he talked to the group about the Code Talkers and World War Two.

Then the scene suddenly changed. Those young people were now in Arizona. Joe could see pine trees. It felt like north central Arizona, south of the Navajo nation, maybe the Apache lands to the south. Or maybe he saw the Four Corners region of the southern Rockies. Maybe Ute country. Joe wasn’t sure, but he somehow felt it was Indian land.

In his vision, he saw Thomas O’Brien and these young people involved in a struggle. He saw danger and heard the sound of weapons. He heard O’Brien call out Joe’s name. Joe saw injured and dead people lying on the floor of a pine forest.

He then heard soothing words.

“All is well, my brother.” It was the white buffalo again. “Do you see?”

Joe then looked down and saw North America, the slow swirling cloud of people, and O’Brien’s people of the JRSG, all in one scene.

The play of light and darkness slowly changed, and the darkness faded away like the dawn of a new day. The swirling of the cloud gently stopped. The cloud and the picture of North America started to glow like the white bison.

Joe slowly opened his eyes. He was laying down in the sweat lodge, his body and the towel beneath him were soaked. His friends were also lying down and silently sleeping, dreaming, or having their own visions. One of his old friends was snoring loudly.

Joe slowly got up and walked outside. It was almost sunset now. A warm and gentle breeze dried some of the moisture from his body and hair. The old man raised his arms above his head and stretched. His old body had many aches from eighty-five years of life.

He drank from a canteen of water nearby and ate from a bag of food that their wives had prepared. One by one, his friends slowly awoke and came out of the sweat lodge to join him.

They passed around the canteen and the bag of food. As the four old men sat in the setting sun and relaxed, they started an informal debriefing. What kind of visions did each have? What was seen or learned?

Each had an unusual dream or vision that day. They compared the messages they had received. They tried to interpret images and words. They revealed to each other what their buddies had a need to know.

Joe told his friends about the bison, and looking at North America as if he were up in space.

The Code Talkers had once again completed an intelligence mission, like the days of their youth in the Pacific.

Phoenix-area Indian lands are down-to-Earth site for UFO conference

By Steve Hammons

It seems to make sense that the 20th annual International UFO Congress will be held on Native American Indian lands in Arizona.

The conference, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 23, and running through Sunday, Feb. 27, is located at the upscale Radisson Fort McDowell Resort on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation northeast of Scottsdale. The hotel at the resort is reportedly sold out.

A connection between UFOs and other unconventional phenomena with Native American Indians is something that researchers and average people may want to pay attention to and think about. Many Indian people have legends of “star people” or “sky people” that visited long ago ... and maybe still do today. In addition, Native American cultures often value several kinds of human perception, including dreams, visions, instincts and signs.

In today’s scientific jargon, we could call these kinds of awareness “anomalous cognition,” a term describing extrasensory perception (ESP) and related to what U.S. defense and intelligence researchers called “remote viewing.”

Some of the traits of American Indian perception could also be related to space-time anomalies and “synchronicity” – unusual coincidences that seem to have meaning. And, certain understanding we might acquire through unconventional methods could be interpreted as mysterious communication from the Great Spirit.

Indian consciousness, in many ways, looks at life and Nature as a cycle, circle or hoop. This viewpoint could also provide insight about anomalous phenomena of various kinds.

ANCIENT REALITIES

As retired Army Special Forces Colonel John Alexander, PhD, explained on the Feb. 20 “Coast to Coast AM” radio show, UFO disclosure has essentially happened. Several U.S. presidents, high-ranking U.S. military officers and others have made this clear, Alexander pointed out. He stated to his radio show host, award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp, it appears to be a fact that various kinds of unusual unidentified objects in the skies have been around for decades.

Other researchers note significant indications that the same kinds of phenomena may have been present for centuries.

Here in North America, it is probably reasonable to consider that Native American Indian people could have had close encounters with UFOs, unusual intelligent beings and other unconventional phenomena that modern scientists are still trying to understand.

In Arizona, earlier and current inhabitants include the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Zuni, Yaqui, Southern Paiutes, Akimel O'odham, Tohono O'odham, Mojave, Maricopa, Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hualapai, Jocome and Jano tribes, as well as the Yavapai, hosts of the UFO conference. In the Phoenix region, at the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert, there are several Indian communities whose lands nearby help form a rich cultural environment in a modern metropolitan area.

Throughout North America, Indian people have beliefs, legends and perspectives that could be very valuable to us today as we try to learn more about forward-leaning edge-science topics of interest.

ADVANCED PERCEPTION

How can we combine ancient accounts and insights with our modern research into unconventional phenomena that are not completely understood?

One way might be to develop an “integrative perception” or “complementary cognition” that merges our logical mind with intuition, gut feelings, ESP and instincts. This approach seems to be at the heart of the many successes of the U.S. Project STAR GATE remote viewing program.

Prayer, meditation, creativity and other kinds of internal exploration and communication can probably also play parts in increasing our understanding about our environment and ourselves. Looking to Nature, as American Indians do, might provide additional understanding about realities, both conventional and unconventional – including UFOs.

Who knows? The circles and cycles of Nature might contribute to a repeat of the March 1997 phenomena when one or more large mysterious objects or craft reportedly cruised at low altitude right over the metro Phoenix area one evening.

At least that’s what hundreds or thousands of people living in Phoenix’s “Valley of the Sun” claim to have seen.

The International UFO Congress is featuring many credible researchers and will also have sky-watching sessions at night. The heavens above Arizona’s Sonoran Desert at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation should provide a good view. Being on the far northeast outskirts of metro Phoenix, the urban “light pollution” will be replaced by vistas of the Milky Way Galaxy, our home neighborhood in this vast Universe.

Or maybe, unusual visitors will pick a bright, sunny Arizona day to show us they are here.

Focus of UFO disclosure should be on meaningful factors

By Steve Hammons

Some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) seem to many people to be “intelligently controlled physical craft of some kind from some place that is not here.”

That is a premise of and a quote from the new book A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel. These authors use a starting point that is beyond the various discussions about the question of “if” Earth humans are being visited by spacecraft and other kinds of phenomena that are quite unconventional.

They seem to feel that this has already been well established.

As a result, Dolan and Zabel say that their book is not trying to prove that some UFOs are related to intelligent beings, though they do include some very interesting information that supports this view.

“Thousands of books have been published, all debating whether UFOs are real or just figments of our imaginations. This book is not one of them,” the authors state.

READINESS AND PREPAREDNESS

Their starting point is: What does it mean? What are the factors involved? How is human society on Earth going to adjust to it? How will it unfold?

Dolan and Zabel may have a point. A moderate amount of research using reliable sources certainly gives the impression that it is quite possible or probable that some UFOs represent real circumstances that we should look at carefully.

It naturally follows that we should be prepared psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. In addition, human societies and cultures should be ready for various impacts affecting public health and safety, economics, technology, scientific knowledge and other elements of life.

Dolan and Zabel say, “An acknowledgment that ‘UFOs are real and some of them are not us’ will not end the debate, but only lead to more questions. It might also mark a new phase of the mystery.”

As the authors of A.D. After Disclosure point out, there are many valid questions and some lead to other unknowns. The desire for full disclosure of information about the UFO phenomena related to the U.S. and other nations is understandable. Yet, there could be certain aspects that require careful consideration.

Is the standard “need-to-know” guideline for the handling of sensitive information a good way to proceed? Or, should different methods be used to increase acclimation, readiness, insight and understanding?

Dolan’s and Zabel’s website AfterDisclosure.com presents a variety of views from researchers and observers who are interested in these kinds of subjects. The site is a resource that seems to provide a reasonable overview of the investigations into and discussions about the UFO topic.

WHERE TO FOCUS

It might be helpful to consider the viewpoint of Dolan and Zabel about where to focus our attention. Is it worthwhile to engage in endless debates about whether Earth is being visited by intelligent beings or is that actually already evident?

Maybe our discussions should be related to more useful directions such as: Are there more than one type of visitors or unconventional intelligent beings? Who are they? Where are they from? What do they want? How long have they been around? Are they friendly, hostile or neutral? Are there dangers involved? Can they help us in various ways?

As the authors of A.D. After Disclosure and many other researchers point out, the roles of our defense, intelligence and scientific communities are also of interest. Certain elements of these groups probably have gathered solid information on the subject over the years and decades.

Our communications media also have an interesting position in dealing with this general topic. Are the increasingly diverse mass media being responsible and providing credible perspectives for their audiences?

And will average people in many walks of life and in many circumstances use the information and insight in ways that are constructive and healthy? These appear to be issues that are worthy of examination and exploration.

An additional element to consider is that the idea that we are being visited by interesting beings may just be the tip of the iceberg.

We could learn that our basic understanding of Nature and the Universe needs updating. There may be new insights about human consciousness, life after death, and how time and space function in mysterious ways.

Dolan’s and Zabel’s position of looking beyond petty debates and misinformation so we can concentrate on more important and meaningful aspects of the situation seems to make sense.

Disclosure on anomalous topics not so mysterious after all

By Steve Hammons

UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation, multiple dimensions, the afterlife, extrasensory perception (ESP) – these are just a few of many forward-leaning and edge-science topics that seem to be generating increased public interest.

The natural curiosity about certain unconventional areas seems to be very understandable and appropriate.

Leading-edge research into anomalous subjects can sometimes seem a bit far out there. However, in many cases it may not be much of a leap from more conventional areas of common knowledge and routine study.

The continually-evolving mass media appear to be handling emerging understanding about anomalous phenomena in a wide variety of ways. In some cases, the media presentations on certain topics may seem to be “dumbed down.” In other instances, the intelligence of the general public is respected.

An element that could sometimes be overlooked is the significance of grassroots factors involved in the increasing awareness and perception about interesting unconventional phenomena.

MORE UNDERSTANDING

The concept of “disclosure” in regard to certain unconventional topics can imply many kinds of developments. For example, many people think that government officials should announce something of significant interest about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation.

At the same time, disclosure can involve gradual education and acclimation through various media platforms that inform people in different kinds of ways. Movies, TV shows, books, articles and other works of fiction and non-fiction can be important parts of disclosure.

Consumers and audiences of many kinds of media seem to be increasingly aware of emerging possibilities and probabilities about some edge-science topics.

A good example might be the open-minded way that theories and research about ESP are sometimes presented and accepted. Since many people have had experiences with significant gut instincts and intuition proving to be valid in their own personal lives, the concepts surrounding expanded human consciousness may seem quite reasonable and logical in some ways.

Although the research and activities of the U.S. government efforts known as Project STAR GATE might stretch the limits of usual beliefs about human abilities of perception and awareness, even these interesting multi-decade defense and intelligence programs may not seem so strange after all.

LEAP OF FAITH

An additional area of interest is how the many types of unconventional phenomena seem to be related.

What about connections between ESP and the afterlife? Do certain UFOs zip in and out of hidden dimensions? To some researchers, there are multiple combinations of anomalous topics that seem to have connections.

Are there any common denominators? Where do some of these phenomena overlap? When do we consider something “scientific,” “natural” or “spiritual” in discussing these kinds of subjects?

These questions do appear to indicate that what we might consider unusual areas of research could actually just be very natural. ESP, multiple dimensions and other intelligent life are, somewhat obviously, part of Nature. To the degree we consider edge-science subjects as an integral part of the natural world and universe, we will probably be more able to accept and understand various situations.

Of course, just because something is part of Nature does not mean it is always pleasant or wonderful. Life and death, creation and destruction, survival of the fittest – these kinds of dynamics in Nature are serious factors indeed.

Yet, the vision of transcendence beyond some of the difficult aspects of life and “reality” is something that humans have reached out for throughout history. Transcending our normal state of affairs on planet Earth is a goal that seems to be increasingly achievable.

More disclosure – various kinds of disclosure – will most likely move us forward to greater understanding of ourselves, Nature and a transcendent intelligence.

Southwest's Four Corners is region of beauty, mystery

By Steve Hammons

In fiction and fact, the Four Corners region of the American Southwest has long been an area associated with beauty, Nature and mysterious phenomena.

The convergence of the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah is an arid region of dramatic rock formations, fantastic canyons, vast dry plains as well as the pine-covered mountains of Colorado’s southern Rockies.

American Indian nations and communities of the Navajo, Hopi, Ute and others are also found in the Four Corners. Many American Indian tribes have beliefs and legends related to unconventional phenomena.

Mysteries in the area are sometimes associated with the American Indian residents, the ancient history of the region as well as secret government activities and even UFOs.

Accounts of a UFO crash in northwestern New Mexico in 1948 continue to be part of UFO lore.

STORIES AND REPORTS

Popular and prolific western novelists and World War II veterans Louis L'Amour and Tony Hillerman are just two writers who explored the cultural, historical, physical and metaphysical landscape of the area. The works of both writers have been adapted for TV and movies.

Both Hillerman and L’Amour had strong connections to the Four Corners. Hillerman’s mystery novels about two Navajo Nation tribal police officers set in the region gained tremendous popularity. L’Amour lived part of the time in the Durango, Colorado, area where he did much of his writing.

And, both men delved into unusual and anomalous phenomena associated with the history of the area and the people who live there.

Hillerman’s Navajo police characters Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee often faced strange phenomena in their investigations. L’Amour made an interesting departure from his more conventional Old West tales in his 1988 novel set near the Four Corners titled "The Haunted Mesa" about a portal into another dimension.

L’Amour’s part-time home in Durango plays a part in the ongoing research about UFOs. Some researchers claim that in 1948, the year following the alleged Roswell incident, another unusual flying craft crashed south of Durango near the town of Aztec, New Mexico.

According to these reports, secret U.S. government teams responded to the area and flew in scientists to examine the situation. They reportedly flew in to the airfield at  Durango and and then traveled by road the 35 miles to Aztec, according to some researchers.

As part of the clandestine operation, the craft and possibly bodies were obtained and transported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, a center for analysis of foreign aircraft and technology.

A March 28, 2010, article in the Durango Herald newspaper reported that a former U.S. government “remote viewer” (one of the psychic spies who allegedly used ESP to gather intelligence) spoke about the Aztec incident at the 13th annual Aztec UFO Symposium held in March 2010.

The individual, Lyn Buchanan, told the audience that his remote viewing consulting and training firm examined the Aztec UFO crash reports and concluded there is truth to the accounts, according to the article.

"In short, there was a crash,” Buchanan was quoted in the Durango Herald as saying. “The ETs in that ship weren't dead; they were alive. And negotiations happened between them and the government."

The same newspaper article also reported that Buchanan revealed to the symposium audience that the George Clooney character "Lyn Cassady" in the 2009 movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats" was based on Buchanan.

SECRET SIGNAL

In the second of my two novels, "Light’s Hand" (the sequel to "Mission Into Light"), I also take readers into the Four Corners region with three members of the secret 10-person Joint Reconnaissance Study Group (JRSG).

The main character, Mike Green, along with Amy Mella (an Air Force captain) and CIA analyst Jennifer Thorsen are sent from their home base in San Diego to the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona and then on to Durango.

Their first task is to link up with two National Security Agency (NSA) officials who are interviewing a good friend of the Joint Recon Study Group, WWII Marine Code Talker veteran Joe Bear, at his home.

The NSA has picked up signals intelligence (SIGINT) coming from deep space. And, the signals appear to be in two codes – World War II Navajo Code Talker language and Morse code.

Green, Mella and Thorsen are to find out what is involved, assist as needed and report back to their team leaders and the JRSG commanding officer in San Diego, Tom O’Brien, an Air Force colonel. They are authorized to access information from the two NSA agents and from Joe’s interpretation of the mysterious message.

From northeastern Arizona, the three JRSG members are sent on to Durango to interview a former Army intelligence officer who is now an instructor at the state college there. He reportedly has knowledge about unconventional topics of interest to the JRSG.

They are also directed to scout around the Durango area to locate a suitable property for a safehouse. The reason is not immediately clear to them.

In the partial excerpt below from Chapter 7, Mike, Amy and Jennifer arrive in the Navajo Nation after flying from San Diego to Farmington, New Mexico:

[Extended novel excerpt below.]

By lunchtime they were pulling into the small Navajo town of Kayenta in the northeast corner of Arizona. The village was a jumping off point for trips to Monument Valley and other nearby scenic sites.

Mike drove the final stretch down the highway and turned off on a gravel road. After three or four miles, they spotted Joe’s and Maggie’s names on a mailbox and drove up the dusty road toward the house, sitting on a small hill. They noticed Joe’s pick-up next to the house and a navy blue sedan parked in front. Mike pulled up behind the sedan and the three of them got out.

Joe opened the front door and stepped out on the front porch, raising his hand in greeting and smiling broadly.

“Welcome,” he simply said as Amy and Jennifer hugged him. Mike managed to find Joe’s hand for a shake. Then, more hugs all around as his wife Maggie came out to the porch.

“Come on inside you three,” Maggie said as she led the way.

In the living room, Mike, Amy, and Jennifer saw a woman and a man sitting on one of couches typing on laptop computers. Joe introduced them.

“This is Jane Danski and Mark Jensen from the NSA. They wanted to talk with me about some things. I think O’Brien wants you to talk with them too.”

After more handshakes and introductions all around, everyone took a seat, except Maggie, who went out to her kitchen.

Jane Danski explained that they were authorized to fill in the JRSG operatives on the reason they were talking with Joe. She and Jensen spelled out the situation briefly. A Morse code transmission coming from deep space had been detected by NSA signals intelligence.

After a lot of research on the translation from Morse code, someone knew enough about World War Two cryptography to suspect it might be related to the Code Talkers, or something similar.

Joe had confirmed it and had made a preliminary interpretation for them. They were writing their reports, which they would soon transmit via communications equipment in their car that included a satellite uplink connection. They would send their encrypted reports directly to the NSA in Maryland.

Mike, Amy, and Jennifer had become accustomed to unusual events since they joined the JRSG. However, that fact didn’t dampen their excitement. Amy posed the obvious question.

“Are you free to tell us what Joe thinks the message says?”

Danski and Jensen both shook their heads in the affirmative.

“Go ahead Joe, if you want,” Mark Jensen said.

As calm and steady as ever, Joe gave them his interpretation of the message.

“As you know, back in the war, we used Navajo words for animals and natural things to stand for military meanings, to identify things like aircraft, ships, troops, or military activities.”

“Out of the message these folks gave me, and I figure it was translated the right way from Morse code by the NSA, there were some key words.”

“I picked up Code Talker words for ‘ships,’ ‘scouts,’ ‘friendly indigenous forces,’ ‘liberation,’ which was a term we used back then to mean a few different things. Also, the words ‘secret’ or ‘covert,’ ‘landing,’ such as a plane or marine beach landing, and a word that could mean ‘supplies.’ There were some other references to ‘darkness’ or ‘night time’ and ‘light’ or ‘daylight.’ I also think some of the words were trying to say something about a time frame or schedule.”

“The basic message, as best as I can figure out, is something like ‘scouts will recon a target covertly at night, or during the dark, to liberate the local friendlies. Then, later, a landing will bring supplies in the day or daylight.’ Something like that. That’s what I make of it anyhow.”

They all glanced at one another and it was obvious they all were thinking along similar lines. The NSA people knew, in general terms, that the JRSG was working on usual phenomena, such as UFOs, among other things. Jane Danski posed the question to them.

“So, Mr. Bear, do you have an idea what this might mean? What do you think?”

ON TO DURANGO

After this meeting at Joe Bear’s house in northeastern Arizona, Mike, Amy and Jennifer head to Durango where they are to interview a Dr. Ben Westman, an anthropology instructor at Fort Lewis College, a state college there. Westman is reportedly a retired Army intelligence officer.

They have been assigned to interview him, take notes and make reports on what he tells them.

Then, they are to conduct reconnaissance in the Durango area to find a property suitable for a secure “safehouse.”

Their trip to Durango is partly described in the following excerpts:

They were on the road by eight o’clock the next morning. Amy was driving their rental car east northeast on U.S. 160. After about an hour, the highway took them past the small park that marked the meeting point of the states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado.

U.S. 160 cut through the corners diagonally and a minute later they were in Colorado. The road climbed steadily through hilly country due north to the town of Cortez. More trees and green plants, they noticed.

The highway turned east at Cortez and Amy was now piloting the rental car steadily higher into the mountains. The road curved through beautiful pine-covered forests and pastures where horses grazed. Before long, they’d be pulling into Durango. Amy wondered if they should call the man they were supposed to interview today, or wait until they got oriented and rested.

“What do you guys think? Want to get in touch with this Ben Westman guy right away today?”

Mike just wanted to get where they were going and get out of the rental car.

“I say let’s get settled in our rooms, get something to eat, walk around Durango and get our bearings, then decide.”

Jennifer was in no rush.

“Sounds good to me. Colonel O’Brien told us to take our time and add on some R&R days for ourselves too. We’ll be better interviewers if we’re rested, I think.”

In another fifteen minutes they were getting into the outskirts of Durango. Neighborhoods of homes were nestled here and there among the pines. The road brought them to the central part of the town, tucked in the San Juan Mountains.

On Main Avenue, downtown buildings still reflected the 1800s history of the Durango. Now, shops, restaurants, and offices filled the restored downtown area. The Animas River flowed right through the middle of town.

They drove past the train station where the famous Old West steam train was ready to take visitors further up north into the mountains. Up to the town of Silverton at over eleven thousand feet and back.

On a small plateau above downtown was Fort Lewis College, where the man they were to contact was a professor of anthropology.

After backtracking, Amy found the inn they were looking for and pulled in the parking lot. On the drive up, the three had decided to get a one-bedroom suite instead of two adjoining rooms. They all wanted to get out of the car and walked together up to the lobby. It was a newer inn just outside of town on U.S. 160 with residential style suites complete with kitchens.

They brought in luggage and cleaned up. It was lunchtime too and they had left Kayenta without much of a breakfast. All three were eager to scout around town. Mike had been in Durango a few times before.

“There’s a lot to see around here. Purgatory ski resort, the Mesa Verde National Park ruins, and San Juan National Forest. This is wild country. Bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, elk, a lot of wildlife.”

Amy was getting a funny feeling. For some reason, this town felt familiar, yet she’d never been here before.

“I like the feel of this town. I sort of feel at home.”

Jennifer looked at her with a smile.

“I know what you mean, Amy. I’m glad we have some extra time here after we do this interview. It’s good Mike’s been here a few times before too. We’ve got some advance recon on the area. Let’s get some lunch in town and look around.”

They left the inn and drove for a few minutes back into town. They found a small restaurant not far from the train station and ordered sandwiches. The window next to their table faced Main Avenue and they watched the people and cars pass by. It was a sunny sixty degrees or so outside today. Visitors and locals walked around town, enjoying the day.

Amy wanted to call Westman that afternoon. If they were going to reach him at the college they should call before the end of the day. They only had his office phone number at the campus.

“We’ll feel better about taking some R&R when we’re done with our duties, I think. I say we get in touch with him after lunch.”

Jennifer agreed.

“Work first, then play.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mike said.

As they ate their sandwiches, Amy pulled a cell phone out of her fanny pack and dialed a number she had written down in her small notebook.

“I’m trying to reach Doctor Westman. Yes, I can leave a message. Voice mail is fine, thanks. Doctor Westman, this is Amy Mella from Colonel O’Brien’s group. My associates and I are in Durango and we would like to meet with you at your convenience. I will call you back when you return from lunch.”

ANTHROPOLOGY INTELLIGENCE

When they finished their meal, they walked around the downtown area. The architecture of many of the old nineteenth century hotels and other buildings gave them a feeling of the Old West. Western art galleries, hotels, saloons, and stores offering everything for the outdoor mountain life lined Main Avenue. Over an hour passed quickly as they explored.

Sitting on a sidewalk bench soaking up the sunshine, Amy called Fort Lewis College again.

“Doctor Westman? This is Amy Mella again. Yes, sir. That will be fine. Will do. See you shortly.”

“He’s back from lunch and done teaching classes for the day and told us to come over to his office at the college.”

After walking back to where their rental car was parked, they drove up to the small mesa where the college campus overlooked Durango. They found a visitor parking and Amy asked some students for directions to the anthropology department. A short walk through campus brought them to Ben Westman’s office. The door was open and a man in a checkered flannel shirt stood up from the desk and waved them in.

“Hello, welcome to Durango,” he said as he reached out to shake hands.

“Hello Doctor Westman. I’m Amy Mella. This is Mike Green and Jennifer Thorsen.”

“Have a seat folks. First off, call me Ben. So, I understand you’re part of one Tom O’Brien’s research groups and he wants you to talk with me, eh?”

Westman got up from the desk and closed the office door.

“I’ve kept in touch will Tom over the years. We were in Vietnam together. Back in the sixties and seventies I was working in Army intelligence. Retired as a major in seventy-eight. Went back to school and got my Ph.D. in anthropology and I’ve been teaching here for over ten years.”

“O’Brien called and told me you three were coming up to get some intel from me. Sounds like an interesting little research group you’re part of. ‘Joint Reconnaissance Study Group’ is it? Well, I think I can shed some light on some of your inquiries and help out your group.”

Mike and Jennifer had taken out small notebooks and pens.

Westman lowered his voice just the slightest bit.

“You folks are getting to the heart of quite a few important issues. Things I’ve studied for government projects like yours, and things I’ve researched myself. From talking with Tom, it sounds like your group is on the right track. I’ve seen your mission statement and O’Brien’s told me about some of your latest work.”

“I think I can speak with some expertise on the human and social aspects, some of the geography and geology, and even some of the metaphysical stuff. Do you want to ask me questions? Or I could just tell you some of the things I think are important and you can follow-up if you want?”

Amy, Mike, and Jennifer looked at each other and shrugged.

“Go ahead, Ben,” Amy said.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at them for a moment.

“Enjoying Durango? It’s a great area up here. Well, I think I should tell you folks about where I’m coming from in terms of your research. You know, I have seen your mission statement. O’Brien sent it to me. I’ve worked on similar projects where we’ve looked into a lot of the stuff your group is now assigned to. I was thinking it might be helpful if I just give you a brief overview of what I know. What do you think?”

“Just go slow enough for us to take notes,” Mike said as he pulled out his small note pad and pen.

“Sounds good to me,” Jennifer agreed.

“Maybe we can just follow-up with questions here and there,” Amy added.

Westman nodded.

“Sure, ask away. Well, okay then. As I understand it, your group has some basic areas to look into such as social and human issues, the possible Earth changes scenarios, and the unusual or metaphysical arena. I’ll try to go down the list of your group’s areas of research.”

HUMANITY AND EARTH

“On the human part of it, from an anthropologist’s point of view, the human species is obviously still evolving. Hopefully into something worthwhile. Our societies have a lot of rough edges. There is still a lot of suffering all around the globe. Too much of it. We’ve got a ways to go.”

“So-called ‘Earth changes’ theories might be somewhat legitimate. This planet is also still evolving. There’s ongoing geological activity. There are some volcanoes around the world that could pop. The recent movement of the Pacific Plate, though devastating to some specific areas, is only a relatively small part of the Earth’s crustal area. Any number of seismic or volcanic events could occur.”

“Things like this would affect the human population in the line of fire. And yes, some places currently above sea level could be underwater. Temporarily from a tsunami, or somewhat permanently from rising water.”

“Now, how this all fits into the metaphysical realm, that’s interesting all right. You know, when I was a young man, I wasn’t very religious, very spiritual. Through what I learned in the Army, and from life, I’ve changed my ways over the years. If you believe in Heaven and angels, really believe, well, I guess that would qualify as some other dimension in the physics sense of it. I don’t doubt that some of those near-death experiences are people scratching the surface of the Heavenly dimension.”

“As far as UFOs, crop circles and the like, well, something sure seems to be going on. Never saw one. I honestly don’t know much about it officially. Never worked on anything that weird. But I’ve done a little reading on it. Pretty strange stuff.”

“The Army did do some work with ESP. Remote viewing, telekinesis, things like that. This is part of the evolution of humans I was talking about. We’ll develop greater intelligence of various kinds, if given time.”

“The DNA deep-memory theories have been around since the sixties. There were psychological researchers claiming to have accessed actual memories of ancestors. Legitimate, hallucination, or wishful thinking? Who knows? It makes sense that many different kinds of information could be encoded on the DNA helix, including memories of important or peak events, or knowledge needed for survival.”

“As far as ancient times here in North America, who the early people were and where they came from, there are some new and interesting discoveries about that. Think about the generations who lived in North America for centuries upon centuries before being ‘discovered’ by the Europeans in modern times. Some very unique cultures developed. Some very interesting knowledge about certain things. Interesting old legends, too.”

Westman leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on an open desk drawer. He took a sip from a mug of coffee on his desk.

“I guess it’s just a step-by-step process to learn about and understand these things. The continual expansion of knowledge.”

They knew Westman was busy, and didn't want to take any more of his time ... for now anyway.

“Maybe we better get on that safehouse search, Ben,” Amy proposed. “Mike, Jennifer, what do you think?”

Both nodded their agreement.

“Let me give you a phone number and address of a property and real estate group I know of,” Westman offered and pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Their office is right in town by the train station. I’ll give them a call and tell them to take care of you.”

Amy also gave him the phone number and room number at the inn where they were staying.

“Well, maybe you three want to regroup and get in touch with those real estate folks. Since tomorrow’s Saturday, you might be able to make some progress this afternoon. Maybe they can get you started with some property locations and addresses. You’ve got the whole weekend to look around.”

They decided to follow his advice, said their good-byes and thanks, and headed out to the college parking lot. It was a bright, beautiful day and the sun was warming things up. The sky was a deep, dark blue. Jennifer drove as they followed a street that took them down the hill into Durango below.

SAFEHOUSE RECON

They parked in town and walked around until they found a restaurant. In a small booth, they were trying to put the pieces together. The developments they were dealing with now and many of the original JRSG missions were starting to make more sense, in a somewhat terrifying way.

Over coffee and another bite to eat, they made their plans to contact the real estate office Westman had referred them to.

After finishing lunch and paying the check, they walked back out into the beautiful day on Durango’s Main Avenue. As it turned out, the real estate office was just down the block and across the street from the restaurant.

It was in one of the older buildings from the eighteen hundreds. They walked up a narrow stairwell to the second story offices and a receptionist steered them to a nearby office where a man sitting at a desk waved them in.

“Hi folks. I’m Gary Billings,” he said as they shook hands. “Have a seat.”

“So, Ben Westman says you’re looking to lease a property outside of town somewhere. I know of several that might be what you’re looking for. A couple are on more than ten acres. Real nice homes among the pines. A few are horse properties. Some of the owners really want to sell, not lease, but the right lease deal might be something they’d consider.”

Billings gave them some property information sheets with photos and specifics on several homes scattered around the outskirts of the Durango area on nice pieces of land. He gave them an idea about where they were, and how far of a drive each was from town and main roads.

They told him they were looking at the properties for their boss back in San Diego, which was true.

Billings proposed that they review the dozen or so property information sheets he’d given them and send them to their boss if they wanted. When they narrowed down the field a bit, he could then drive them out to the properties and show them around.

“Durango’s a great place. I’ve been here nearly twenty years. Got out of the big city rat race. It’s God’s country up here. Your boss is smart to be looking at this area. You folks just give me a call anytime.”

They shook hands and thanked him, and Billings gave them each a business card. Once outside on the sidewalk, they decided to take a drive outside of town.

They headed north up Main Avenue through town. As they continued on past the outskirts of town, a narrow, green, and beautiful valley spread out on both sides of the road.

The Animas River paralleled the road and the Durango to Silverton train track, more or less. But the river knew no straight lines and meandered in gentle curves through the green pastures where horses grazed.

Rugged mountains covered with pine forests surrounded both sides of the valley. Snow could be seen on the high peaks. Bears, elk, and a diverse population of wildlife roamed these mountains. Living wild and free, surviving, mating, raising their young, and dying.

They spotted the train filled with people making its way back down the mountains toward town from Silverton.

Along both sides of the road were nice homes and small ranches, many of which had been built recently. Not exactly a building boom in Durango, but steady growth. People discovering the beauty and small town atmosphere.

Durango residents were sometimes refugees from the big cities and from some of the jet set-saturated Colorado ski towns where the rich and famous played.

The road climbed steadily higher into the mountains. It was beautiful country. Maybe God’s country at that, like Billings had said.

Open source intel on special topics available now

By Steve Hammons

In recent days there has been much speculation about the possible release of information by controversial organizations about unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

At the same time, it is worth noting that a robust amount of open source intelligence (OSINT) on this topic is already available online, in books and via other communications platforms. It is true that some information is unreliable. However, there are also websites and other sources that appear to be highly reliable and credible.

Two such online sites that seem worth exploring are AfterDisclosure.com and MajesticDocuments.com. There are also many other websites and resources that are equally valuable and interesting.

For anyone interested in the subjects of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation as well as research and speculation about other leading-edge scientific inquiries, the OSINT currently available appears very adequate to provide a fairly solid understanding of the situation at hand.

Of course, there are still many unknowns and much information is kept secure, probably for a number of reasons. Some of the rationale for information restriction and operational security (OPSEC) may not seem reasonable to many people, yet other reasons could be quite valid and understandable.

EDGE-SCIENCE RESEARCH

Many researchers and interested people are very curious about reports of various kinds of unconventional and anomalous phenomena that include UFOs.

Additional interesting topics are theories of multiple dimensions (including theories of an afterlife), beings and creatures that may move in and out of these hidden dimensions (including angels) and the related subject of near-death experiences (NDEs).

Synchronicity (odd coincidences that may have meaning) and the related concept of non-locality (things being connected in ways independent of time and space) are also fascinating to many people.

Likewise, extrasensory perception (ESP) and anomalous cognition of various kinds are subjects of interest not only for average people, but also for defense and intelligence activities, as reflected in the research and operations of U.S. Project STAR GATE.

A subsequent concept called “transcendent warfare” seems to demonstrate the useful nature of unconventional programs like Project STAR GATE.

Although these and other edge-science subjects often overlap, the many reliable communications platforms providing valid information on such topics sometimes specialize in one or two elements.

It is interesting to note that some research into these areas is being conducted at major universities by respected investigators. They are using sound scientific methods to explore, measure and try to understand these unusual phenomena.

As noted, the OSINT available on these kinds of subjects can be found in excellent non-fiction books and articles, credible websites and even some TV programs. Some works of fiction such as novels and movies also can provide valuable insight and quite a bit of truth.

SEAMLESS TIPPING POINT

On the subject of UFOs, it has long been rumored that information has been gradually and steadily emerging for several decades now. One view is that there has been a planned process of acclimation to prepare people for some of these more surprising developments.

If that is true, it is probably wise because some unconventional phenomena could be quite disorienting, disconcerting or even dangerous. There certainly are indications that these are factors to take seriously.

Many people hope for a silver bullet of UFO disclosure to reach a tipping point of greater public knowledge about such situations. However, it may also be true that the acclimation process will result in a seamless trajectory of steadily greater understanding.

Whether new information is released in some kind of controversial public way or not, there undoubtedly will continue to be increased awareness about many of these interesting and forward-leaning areas of research, including UFOs.

In that sense, the debate about the official information restrictions versus openness and transparency in government may not be as important as it appears, at least in relation to some situations.

The more significant issue may be the maturity and responsibility we demonstrate in handling the truth about subjects that could be very challenging to adjust to.

From Sedona to Heaven: What is the dimension we call ‘Heaven?’

By Steve Hammons

As scientific theories, popular discussion and significant indications about the possibility of other dimensions in our universe become more accepted, many people point out that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) could be several different kinds of phenomena possibly related to multiple dimensions.

As we know, many UFO sightings involve stars, weather phenomena, conventional aircraft and probably advanced human military aircraft-spacecraft.

However, some of these flying objects may very well be extraterrestrial spacecraft, some type of vehicles or other anomalous phenomena. When certain objects like this are repeatedly tracked on radar and observed by very reliable witnesses (sometimes multiple witnesses), it seems reasonable to accept this possibility.

In a “multiverse” that we might be living in, there are many possibilities to wonder about. Could some UFOs come from other natural dimensions? Such other dimensions could be hidden from us through elements of physics and Nature that we do not fully understand.

Because of the probability that some kind of intelligent other beings are involved, we could also wonder if they are friendly and good, hostile and evil or something altogether different that would be challenging for us to understand.

And, could some of the beings not be biological, and some of the flying objects not solid, but be some sort of energy or quantum form?

GUARDIAN ANGELS

Credible studies on the “near-death experience (NDE)” from a number of researchers have resulted in strong indications that there may be an afterlife or some other dimension that humans have often referenced in spiritual traditions.

Seemingly related to the NDE phenomena, in 2008 the Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion made public the results of a survey that many people found surprising. More than half of people polled believed they had been helped by a guardian angel during their lives.

Interestingly, one in five of the people who responded identified themselves as not being religious.

The survey of 1,700 people also asked questions about various religious topics. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed agreed with the following statement: "I was protected from harm by a guardian angel."

Agreement with the statement was consistent across educational levels, geographic region and religious denominations, according to Christopher Bader, director of the Baylor poll.

Bader said in a TIME magazine article, "If you ask whether people believe in guardian angels, a lot of people will say, 'sure.' But this is different. It's experiential. It means that lots of Americans are having these lived supernatural experiences."

He added that the amount of people saying they believed they were protected by an angel was "the big shocker."

The same TIME article also quoted Randall Balmer, chairman of the religion department at Barnard College in New York. Balmer stated that the Baylor survey reflects that "Americans live in an enchanted world" and that "There is much broader uncharted range of religious experience among the populace than we expect."

In another response to the study, an ABC News article quoted Rodney Stark, a professor of social sciences and co-director for studies of religion at Baylor. Stark said, "While I knew there were a lot of people who had such [beliefs in angels], I wasn't prepared for the frequency of it."

FROM SEDONA TO HEAVEN

In my novel Mission Into Light, I explore the ideas of NDEs, another dimension and encounters with beings who reside there.

The incident involves the main character, Mike Green. On an operation in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain national wilderness area north of Sedona, Arizona, with the San Diego-based 10-person U.S. Joint Reconnaissance Study Group, Mike is shot by a sniper or snipers hidden on high ground and is hit in the leg. Another bullet grazes his skull.

He instantly loses consciousness, falls to the ground and starts loosing significant amounts of blood. Other team members immediately start first-aid for Mike and another wounded teammate.

Meanwhile, he has a near-death experience:

Slowly, Mike's awareness returns. He is disoriented. He looks below and sees his own body, unconscious and bleeding profusely from the leg and head. Another member of the group is bloody from his shoulder down to his hand, the arm of his shirt soaked with blood.

He sees his friends pinned-down by two snipers below him. Below him? Where is he? Had he somehow gotten to a high point along the cliffs?

Mike sees his Uncle Jack directly below him, firing bursts from his automatic weapon and pulling more ammo clips from his pockets.

Near Jack lies Mike’s own body. Jack picks up Mike's body, throws him over his shoulders and tries to make his way down a hill, which Mike watches from above.

Slowly, the green forest below him fades from Mike’s view. Darkness comes over him.

Then, a point of light becomes visible on the horizon. He is being drawn toward the point of light, first slowly, then more quickly, as if he were shooting river rapids in a canoe. The point of light draws closer and Mike finds himself in a tunnel of beautiful golden light.

He seems to slow down now, like the inevitable calm water at the end of a river’s rapids. Mike drifts slowly through the tunnel and the golden light becomes brighter. Other colors seemed to sparkle through the golden light like hundreds of tiny rainbows.

Ahead, he can see figures that seemed to be people. As he flows closer to them he can make out four beings. They seem to be waiting for him as he comes closer and closer.

Then, he finds himself surrounded by the four figures. He knows them. They are his four grandparents and they embrace him. They passed on many years ago, though were a big part of his life when he was a kid. The five seem to float in the light. His grandparents communicate with him in unison.

They tell him, "Yes, Mike, this is the land of the Great Spirit. It is the beautiful place that many religions and philosophies have always taught."

"There is constant rejoicing and peace in this land. But we feel sadness at the hardships faced by our people in your world. And we feel a longing to help the people there."

"There are groups of beings who want to bring the two worlds together, to make Heaven and Earth one place. There are efforts underway to accomplish that very mission."

"That work is proceeding. One day soon, that miracle will come to pass, and there will be a great celebration, a great happiness among all the people."

"You, Mike, must return to the other world, and tell your family and friends about what you have seen."

"We have one more thing to show you, something you have a need to know."

Then, they help Mike take a fantastic journey into deep memories in his DNA, or maybe it is time travel into the ancient past of the Cherokee people in their Smokey Mountain homeland, or maybe both simultaneously. He learns some amazing things.

He learns about connections between UFOs, extraterrestrials and Native Americans in the era before Europeans entered into the ancient Cherokee homeland in the Smokey Mountain region. He also learns about pending unconventional developments.

After this experience concludes, he finds himself with his grandparents again.

"Mike, you must now return to the other world. You still have many more seasons before you join us here in the Spirit land."

They embrace him again, with happiness. Slowly, the golden light begins to fade and Mike is moving back through the tunnel of light. He sees his grandparents waving good-bye to him until they fade from his sight.

The light grows dimmer and dimmer until it is only a point on a distant horizon. And then, darkness.

Mike's next sensation is the sound of other people talking. He opens his eyes and sees a hospital room in Sedona, his friends gathered around his hospital bed.

He tries to tell about his experience.

"I was floating above the fight at the canyon, watching you scrambling for safety. I saw my own bloody body being carried by Uncle Jack down the rocky path away from the snipers."

"A tunnel of golden light led to the land of Spirit ... It wasn't a dream."

"I was in the golden light, and saw my grandparents."

The others listen carefully as Mike tries to recall details of his journey and his meeting with his grandparents.

After he finishes his story, Mike looks closely into the faces of the friends around his bed. Some of their eyes are wider than usual. Some are expressionless, though a smile can be seen in their eyes.

The group's commanding officer, combat veteran Air Force Colonel Tom O'Brien, standing near the door, gives Mike a knowing wink.