One
airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors.
A third admitted, “I absolutely just loved altering my mind.”
Meet
service members entrusted with guarding nuclear missiles that are
among the most powerful in America’s arsenal. Air Force records
obtained by The Associated Press show they bought, distributed and
used the hallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as
part of a ring that operated undetected for months on a highly secure
military base in Wyoming. After investigators closed in, one airman
deserted to Mexico.
“Although
this sounds like something from a movie, it isn’t,” said
Capt. Charles Grimsley, the lead prosecutor of one of several courts
martial.
A slipup
on social media by one airman enabled investigators to crack the drug
ring at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in March 2016, details of which
are reported here for the first time. Fourteen airmen were
disciplined. Six of them were convicted in courts martial of LSD use
or distribution or both.
None of
the airmen was accused of using drugs on duty. Yet it’s another
blow to the reputation of the Air Force’s nuclear missile corps,
which is capable of unleashing hell in the form of Minuteman 3
intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. The corps has
struggled at times with misbehavior, mismanagement and low morale.
Full
report:
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