Veteran of the Week - Michael Ward

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- This week’s Veteran is Michael Ward. He retired as a Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force, having served from 1971-1991. Michael had an important job working with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or nuclear ICBMs. He was in communications with the missiles after they were fired off. Thankfully, Ward only communicated with the ICBMs in training, or we wouldn’t be here, so his service was vital in deterring other nuclear powers from starting another world war. Michael also worked with digital data, or the forerunner of today’s Internet, as well radio frequencies in communicating with the missiles. Ward was stationed in Montana, which is very cold during the Winter, and although he grew up in upper Michigan, he happily calls Texas home today since he retired. One of Ward’s biggest concerns when stationed in Montana was in spring, when the snows began to melt, and many a time he had to deal with the sump pumps beginning to break down. “And you don’t want a wet missile,” he said. He charged airmen under his command to shovel snow off the missile sites. One time, Ward was going to a launch control site India-One at Whiteman Air Force base, when his group encountered a UFO at 3am in the morning. It was a triangular pyramid shaped craft, and one guy Michael was riding with had a cow, because it was heading straight for them. When they drove away, it turned bottom side up and disappeared. When they got to the LC site, there were over 20 guys at the base who saw the same thing. Of course, the Air Force was hush-hush in reference to the event, but some guys took pictures, and it has been referenced in some programs he has watched. There are numerous reports of UFOs being attracted to missile bases in those days, because tremendous amounts of energy were required to run the place, and Michael just happened to see one. Sadly, Michael reported that the movie ”War Games,” was just a Hollywood invention. Congratulations Michael on being MCNs ‘Veteran of the Week’.