Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. David Schindele said Grusch “has knowledge of the U.S. having in in its possession a dozen or more craft from the heavens, which are not man made, and that some of the pilots have been recovered.”

On June 5, Grusch, a former intelligence officer, came forward with allegations the U.S. federal government has a highly secretive UFO (or UAP) retrieval program and possesses up to 12 non-human spacecraft and bodies of some pilots.

UFO stands for unidentified flying objects and UAP stands for unidentified aerial phenomena.

“It is because of my long research into the ‘UFO question,’ after experiencing an unworldly incident at Minot AFB in September 1966, that I now congratulate Grusch for having the courage to come out with this very important news. Because of his past history and vast experience in the intelligence field, Grusch has proven himself as a highly intelligent, capable, competent, knowledgeable, and trusted individual,” Schindele said.

Eloise Ogden/MDN The front page of The Minot Daily News on Dec. 6, 1966, carried a story about unidentified flying objects seen in the local area.

Although Schindele said he has a certain bias regarding such an exceptional announcement, he said, “I know that Grusch has revealed something that could or should have great historical impact to all of humankind, from now and into the future.”

Schindele, who was stationed at Minot Air Force Base from July 1965 to May 1968, was involved in a UFO incident occurring in September 1966.

During that incident, Air Force members from the Minot base experienced an incident in the Minot missile field in which a flying object took “off alert” all 10 of the nuclear-tipped missiles, causing them to be unlaunchable. About a dozen military members topside at the missile launch control facility observed the mysterious flying object with bright flashing lights hovering near the perimeter fence on that September night.

Schindele, a Minuteman ICBM launch control officer and deputy missile combat crew commander, was at a launch control center near Mohall, where the incident occurred.

Air Force officials instructed the military members at the launch control facility and those who knew about the incident, never to speak about it and as far as they should be concerned, it never happened.

The Minot Daily News carried the front-page headline, “Minot Launch Control Center ‘Saucer’ Cited As One Indication Of Outer Space Visitors,” for a story published on Dec. 6, 1966, about UFOs seen in the local area.

Schindele, of Mukilteo, Washington, wrote a book, “It Never Happened, Volume I,” on his research and documentation about the Minot incident and others. The book, a six-and-a-half year project, was published several years ago.

In October 2021, Schindele was among military veterans involved in UFO incidents who spoke at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

About a month ago, Schindele was one of former military members interviewed by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) established by the Department of Defense last year to investigate the UFO situation. AARO is to come to a resolution on the matter.

He said the “oral history reviews” were conducted with former military who have had sightings, incidents and encounters impacting national security. “Sad to say, however, I have now determined that AARO is part of the cover-up and cannot be trusted,” Schindele said.

“Yes, the truth is and has been out there, but the government (the Defense Department, Air Force and CIA) has covered up truth of the flying objects for many decades. And there are still elements deep in those agencies that will desperately fight to hold their secret. To them, there are very good reasons for doing so, primarily for their own protection,” Schindele said.

“It is my hope that David Grusch will become a national hero in his release of a ‘monumental secret,’ which is something the American people should have known about long ago. Grusch has demonstrated tremendous courage that few people would dare exhibit and with no benefit to himself,” Schindele said.

“As for me, I have no trouble in relating to him and I have no trouble imagining the thoughts he must have about the position he has put himself into. However, he has a huge number of people backing him, including former military, but also many others in government and the private sector who know the truth. Those who have previously been involved in protecting and supporting the secret, but who are now having second thoughts, should consider that it is now their time to step forward also. All should gather around to help join and support David Grusch.

“Most importantly, Congress must now step up the pressure to get to the bottom of it all, since the American people deserve to know the truth on such an important matter, which has impacted national security for decades. There can be no doubt that this can be a historical moment for all humankind,” Schindele said.