DOE Badges, Livermore Flights and Nellis Range

From: campbell@ufomind.com (Glenn Campbell, Las Vegas)
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 11:20:35 -0800
Subject: DOE Badges, Livermore Flights and Nellis Range

From: [Withheld by request]
Subject: may be of interest to you and your readers
To: campbell@ufomind.com (Glenn Campbell Las Vegas)
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 11:30:29 -0500 (EST)

> If the place works like the Nevada Test Site, then I assume that
> upon leaving the plane, the guard has to physically touch your badge
> before you can get off. Touching the badge is a convention that forces
> the guard to look at the badge every time and not just wave through
> familiar looking faces.

Glenn,

I've had some interesting experiences over the years that may be of
peripheral interest to your group.

"Badge touching" is a DOE convention.  I used to work at LLNL (19XX-XX)
and they did it there.  Incidentally we also wore a dosimeter that measures
exposure to radioactivity.  Every six months you'd turn it in and get
back a print-out showing your exposure (as far as I know it always says
zero, so maybe we've got another conspiracy :-).  You are initially given
a red badge (indicating you hadn't been cleared yet).  Once your clearance
comes through (mine took 15 months!) you get a green badge.  They really
enforced the requirement to always wear your badge while on lab.  You were
NEVER supposed to wear it off lab.  If you did and another lab employee
saw you, they'd point it out.  I've since worked for the Air Force and JPL
and haven't seen nearly the vigilance.

While I was there, there was a daily flight from the Livermore Airport
to the Nevada Test Site in the morning and back in the afternoon.  My
work was not in the test business, so I never flew out there.  I used to fly
out of Livermore as a private pilot however, but I just can't recall their
call sign.  It may very well have been Janet...  Can't recall the make of
the aircraft either, but it was a twin turbo prop with about 20 seats.

In 19XX my career took a completely different direction.....  I joined
the Air Force to become a pilot.  After I completed pilot training I
flew F-15s, and yes I've even flown in the Nellis Ranges.  The Nellis
ranges are Mecca for Air Force fighter pilots.  I've flown right over
Rachel too.  We call it "the farms" because from the air the primary
distinguishing feature of the area is the circular irrigation fields
to the southwest of town.  They're the only green for probably a hundred
miles in any direction.

I don't know anything about Area-51, but I can say that you don't fly
anywhere on the Nellis Ranges without specific authorization and there's
lots of places I haven't been.

I've never seen a UFO while flying (I did see something strange on top of
a mountain once while hiking though).  I've asked lots of my pilot buds
if they've ever seen one.  Nobody I've spoken to has.