DB Cooper

[BruceSmith 3]

I've just received an email from Billy Waugh confirming that the Ted Braden we've been looking into "fits to a T" the Ted Braden he knew in Vietnam.

Our Ted's profile that I shared with Billy:

1. Born in 1928
2. Joined Army in '44, lied about age.
3. Ace skydiver in '60s. Competitive skydiving for the Army in Germany in early '60s
4. Had a wife in Germany
5. Second marriage to P. in 1970s
6. Lived in Pittsburgh area in 70s
7. No known children
8. Long-Haul trucker
9. Reportedly left "Nam in late '60s to become a mercinary in the Congolese civil war. Money, $1,600/month- double his $800/m Army pay in Vietnam - was key motivator. Reportedly nabbed by CIA for "Nam disertion and returned to the States.
10. "disciplinary" kind of guy.
11. Reportedly abused his wife, P.
12. Reportedly had problems with alcohol
13. Died in 2007, last address was Stroudsburg, PA area.

Billy was appreciative to get this information, and said he would send on the news of Ted's passing to his ol' Army mates.

[377 22]

Quote

Quote

What is your new avatar Snow? A camera? Can't quite make it out.

377

yeah, a camera.
You said to put a camera at the meditation walk.
I wanted one that would be ready for anything.

Is that one of those Edgerton ones that take a zillion frames per second?

I'm getting pretty good on the C 123K flight sim. It is a pig, but with the extra power from those jets we can fly the mission, you know: "get 'er done."

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[377 22]

OMG, you know those aluminum helmets paranoids wear? They have been duped.

Read this careful study complete with quantitative spectral analysis.

http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/


Conclusion:

The helmets amplify frequency bands that coincide with those allocated to the US government between 1.2 Ghz and 1.4 Ghz. According to the FCC, These bands are supposedly reserved for ''radio location'' (ie, GPS), and other communications with satellites (see, for example, [3]). The 2.6 Ghz band coincides with mobile phone technology. Though not affiliated by government, these bands are at the hands of multinational corporations.
It requires no stretch of the imagination to conclude that the current helmet craze is likely to have been propagated by the Government, possibly with the involvement of the FCC. We hope this report will encourage the paranoid community to develop improved helmet designs to avoid falling prey to these shortcomings.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[Orange1 0]

Thanks Bruce. Billy had no more insights?

Snow, did we ever decide if the entry into WW2 made it likely the Ted Braden we thought would have been too old, was in fact the same guy?

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[snowmman 3]

Bruce reported "4. Had a wife in Germany "

Bruce: From Stars and Stripes in 1961, we knew Braden had a wife. We knew Braden went to competitions overseas.

Was he stationed overseas? (i provided his Co. C unit before)

If so, is that were the "Wife in Germany" came from?
Was she US citizen? Did she go with him for foreign station?

What happened when he went to Vietnam? What happened to her? Do you know her maiden name?

Where did you get the Germany info from?

(Just running off questions that pop into my head)

Good work Bruce. We're going to run you into the ground. Then bury you with plane tickets in your orifices.
Just because...it makes sense.

[snowmman 3]

Quote

Thanks Bruce. Billy had no more insights?

Snow, did we ever decide if the entry into WW2 made it likely the Ted Braden we thought would have been too old, was in fact the same guy?

I'm waiting on my Ramparts magazine. I should have told them to priority mail it. The mailing cost was just $3, so it must be thru the slower/cheaper book mailing.

Oh well. Eventually it will arrive.

I thought my extraction from Google books, of that article was good though, in the meantime.

How come no comments on the Low Pull stuff. Was everyone that jumped then competing to be "top dog" by playing with low pulls?? (kind of the equivalent to modern day swoop bravado stuff?)

[snowmman 3]

Quote

OMG, you know those aluminum helmets paranoids wear? They have been duped.

Read this careful study complete with quantitative spectral analysis.

http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/


Conclusion:

The helmets amplify frequency bands that coincide with those allocated to the US government between 1.2 Ghz and 1.4 Ghz. According to the FCC, These bands are supposedly reserved for ''radio location'' (ie, GPS), and other communications with satellites (see, for example, [3]). The 2.6 Ghz band coincides with mobile phone technology. Though not affiliated by government, these bands are at the hands of multinational corporations.
It requires no stretch of the imagination to conclude that the current helmet craze is likely to have been propagated by the Government, possibly with the involvement of the FCC. We hope this report will encourage the paranoid community to develop improved helmet designs to avoid falling prey to these shortcomings.

377

Wait a second...you're saying I don't have the right helmet?
I've been looking at the banner ads featured prominently here on the thread, and have not seen any appropriate helmets...

Does the dream team have access to helmets that we don't?
Is that why Tom figured it out?

[snowmman 3]

Quote

Is that one of those Edgerton ones that take a zillion frames per second?

:) I knew you worked on it.
I have some good pics (from the web) using it. Maybe will post tonite.

[snowmman 3]

Bruce said "Billy was appreciative to get this information, and said he would send on the news of Ted's passing to his ol' Army mates."

No matter the "desertion" issue....Braden did run some recon.

And I'm sure those guys feel that if you went out at least once, you deserved some respect.

I'm sure they would all share a little sadness at hearing about someone from back then, maybe passing on without some shared comraderie/support over the years, that could have been there for him.

[Orange1 0]

Snow, did you post this and i missed it...?
Mad Mike Hoare wrote books about the Congo.

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Kalamata-Mercenarys-Personal-Memoir/dp/1581606419/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

The Road to Kalamata is the real-life adventure story of the 4 Commando team of mercenary soldiers, as told by their leader, Col. Mike Hoare. ... The events recounted in this book occurred in the Congo during the Katanga campaign of 1961.

http://www.amazon.com/Congo-Mercenary-Mike-Hoare/dp/1581606397/ref=pd_sim_b_1

A book in which the author, Colonel Mike Hoare, tells of his part as a mercenary in the armed rebellion in the Congo in 1964. The book is intended as an accurate account of the military response to the rebellion.

http://www.amazon.com/Congo-Warriors-Mike-Hoare/dp/1581606478

Colonel Mike Hoare commanded a unit of mercenary soldiers during the armed uprising in the Congo in 1964 and 1965, which he described in detail in his previous book, Congo Mercenary. In this follow-up account of those war-torn days spent fighting the Simba rebels, Colonel Hoare focuses on the courage and ambitions, the lives and deaths of those men under his command. In an exclusive new foreword and epilogue for this Paladin reprint, which the author has described as his favorite of all the books he has written, Colonel Hoare provides an unparalleled understanding of mercenary action in Africa, the involvement of the CIA in such activities and new insight into the minds and hearts of mercenary soldiers. Congo Warriors is not to be missed by anyone interested in combat, mercenaries, warriors or Africa.

And also about the Seychelles. (you can read that to see if the girl you mentioned bears any similarity to orange1 )

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[snowmman 3]

I did briefly look over Hoare stuff...didn't read any in depth

Orange1 said "(you can read that to see if the girl you mentioned bears any similarity to orange1 )"

Nah, I don't need to read.

You know how in every action movie nowadays, like "The Matrix", there's always the woman who outsmarts the guy, kicks his ass, and then saves him once or twice.

That's the orange1 profile I'm going off of.

[Orange1 0]

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[Sluggo_Monster 0]

377 Said:

Quote

Is that one of those Edgerton ones that take a zillion frames per second?

I know someone who works for EG&G maybe he could score you a copy of the latest model/generation.

Web Page
Blog
NORJAK Forum

[377 22]

I recall someone getting busted for trying to export some of those high speed cams to an unfriendly country. I think they are useful in testing nuke triggers.

Snowmman Industries is exempt from all export regs, so no worries.

Doc Edgerton was a really good guy according to friends who worked with him. His milk drop photos are classics.

I do wonder how SF Nam vets view Braden. Did his desertion render him a permanent outcast?

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[snowmman 3]

I was wondering if Lew Sanborn knew Ted Braden.

good bio on Lew here
http://parachutehistory.com/men/sanbornl.html

he was discharged from military in 1952

But he was the first HALO instructor for the US Army in 1959.
If Ted was jumping in 1961, maybe they crossed paths?

Also maybe in the PCA?

Lew:
First HALO instructor for US Army Nov.-Dec. 1959
Parachutes Incorporated was founded by Lew Sanborn and Jacques Istel in 1957. They started teaching the Army's first official freefall course.

1959 - President and General Manager - Hemet Sport Parachuting Center, Inc CA

1961 - President, Orange Sport Parachuting Center, Orange, MA

Lew was also in Thailand in 1969, interestingly (that was after Ted's time.)

1969 - Transition training pilot, Royal Thai Air Police, Thailand. Heli-Porter.

Would Ted have been at the worlds in 1962, and run into Lew?
Or was US military not there??
Lew was
1962 - official freefall photographer for CBS at the Sixth World Sport Parachuting Championships, Orange, MA

Sanborn served on the PCA Board from 1958 to 1965.

picture of the 1965 board attached.
Raymond Starnes, Mark Baron, Edward Lowder, Lew Sanborn, Leon Potts, Dr. Ed Fitch

(edit) Who has the PCA records? I got a feeling Ted B. Braden might have had PCA membership (remember I posted some PCA cards, and when they transitioned to having height/weight/eyes etc in their database..I was wondering how the whole license stuff was processed.
377 commented at the time.

[377 22]

Quote

You know how in every action movie nowadays, like "The Matrix", there's always the woman who outsmarts the guy, kicks his ass, and then saves him once or twice.

and then there is this kind:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247221,00.html

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[377 22]

Quote

I was wondering if Lew Sanborn knew Ted Braden.

Lew is still around as far as I know. I saw him at many WFFCs. He is a legend in skydiving and holds license D1.

Might be a good guy for Bruce to contact. He is in great shape and is still jumping I think. He looks really busted up (huge scars), from a civilian plane crash.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[snowmman 3]

Quote

Quote

You know how in every action movie nowadays, like "The Matrix", there's always the woman who outsmarts the guy, kicks his ass, and then saves him once or twice.

and then there is this kind:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247221,00.html

377

remember i "guessed" the first name of Orange1's rigger, when she just provided an initial.
Lucky guess by me, I guess.

I'm telling you, 3 reserves!

[377 22]

Quote

Reportedly left "Nam in late '60s to become a mercinary in the Congolese civil war. Money, $1,600/month- double his $800/m Army pay in Vietnam - was key motivator.

Must be more to his desertion than an extra $800 a month. $800 as a free man vs $1600 as a hunted dishonored fugitive deserter... that doesn't make sense.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[377 22]

remember i "guessed" the first name of Orange1's rigger, when she just provided an initial.
Lucky guess by me, I guess.

I'm telling you, 3 reserves!
***

Might be easier just to buy a "protection" contract from Snowmman Industries.

I subscibe to a bunch of commercial fishing and maritime trade rags. One just published an article on piloting freighters in the Columbia River. I'll see if I can scan it and post a link. Nothing about snagging parachutes though.

Still planning an interview with the RVN paratrooper, trying to coordinate schedules etc.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[snowmman 3]

Quote

Quote

Reportedly left "Nam in late '60s to become a mercinary in the Congolese civil war. Money, $1,600/month- double his $800/m Army pay in Vietnam - was key motivator.

Must be more to his desertion than an extra $800 a month. $800 as a free man vs $1600 as a hunted dishonored fugitive deserter... that doesn't make sense.

377

remember he was a peer of Duncan.
I'm wondering if he decided it was just a f*ed situation, and not worth getting killed over.
Maybe he just didn't get along with the organizational issues?
I bet it was hard for an older guy to deal with...younger guys might have went with the flow more, because they didn't know better, yet?

think of Ckret's frustrated middle manager profile. Guy whose superiors wouldn't listen to his point of view on how things should be done?

(edit) 377 said 'Might be easier just to buy a "protection" contract from Snowmman Industries.'

Brilliant! I'm going to talk to Quade to see I can run some banner ads on DZ.com. Ka-ching!

[377 22]

Quote

think of Ckret's frustrated middle manager profile. Guy whose superiors wouldn't listen to his point of view on how things should be done?

OMG, could it be???

Snow showing some compassion for Ckret????

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[snowmman 3]

Quote

Quote

think of Ckret's frustrated middle manager profile. Guy whose superiors wouldn't listen to his point of view on how things should be done?

OMG, could it be???

Snow showing some compassion for Ckret????

377

whoops. sorry about that guys. I thought we had all the employees firewalled so no posts got thru without going thru the review bot, but Stanley down in cubicle 312 had run his own wire going outside.

Problem fixed. Stanley just got a package he couldn't refuse. Won't happen again.

[skyjack71 0]

Quote

JHC, you dug up a dead dog?? I am amazed, but OK.

But come on Jo- if you guys really thought there was something there that would conclusively link Duane to Cooper, you would have got rubber gloves, pegged your noses, and found it. Your story doesn't add up to me.

You weren't there - NO ONE wanted to go there - the smell was horrible. They reburied him - we couldn't get the ground back over him fast enough. I had to go throw up.

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[Orange1 0]

Quote

Quote

JHC, you dug up a dead dog?? I am amazed, but OK.

But come on Jo- if you guys really thought there was something there that would conclusively link Duane to Cooper, you would have got rubber gloves, pegged your noses, and found it. Your story doesn't add up to me.

You weren't there - NO ONE wanted to go there - the smell was horrible. They reburied him - we couldn't get the ground back over him fast enough. I had to go throw up.

So the smell was horrible. This is a search that has taken over your life for, what, 11 years? If I was in your position, even puking my guts out, if i thought "IT" was there I would have retrieved it. Or paid someone prepared to do so. I can only assume that you didn't really believe "IT" is actually there. I cannot believe that you would honestly let wading through something, no matter how disgusting, for a short bit be enough to stand between you and peace.

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.