WASHINGTON : One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at thevibrant colours. A third admitted, “I absolutely just loved altering mymind.”
Meet service members entrusted with guarding nuclear missiles that areamong the most powerful in America’s arsenal. Air Force records obtained byThe Associated Press show they bought, distributed and used thehallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as part of a ringthat operated undetected for months on a highly secure military base inWyoming. 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 thedrug ring at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in March 2016, details of which arereported here for the first time. Fourteen airmen were disciplined. Six ofthem were convicted in courts martial of LSD use or distribution or both.