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[@Area52Investigations] He Encountered Beings at the Nuclear Missile Facility - Mario Woods | ep. 94

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@Area52Investigations - "He Encountered Beings at the Nuclear Missile Facility - Mario Woods | ep. 94"

Link: https://youtu.be/ua4dNq1vK2A

Duration: 219 min

Transcript: Download plain text

Short Summary​

This episode features an interview with Mario Woods, a 70-year-old former USAF Security Police officer at Ellsworth Air Force Base, who describes a close encounter on November 5, 1977, at an ICBM missile site involving a massive sun-like sphere, humanoid beings, a telepathic "do not fear" message, and over five hours of missing time. The conversation details subsequent interrogations, a signed NDA, hypnotic regression sessions, 4+ hours of congressional testimony, and a December 2017 electrical anomaly at his Georgia home tied to Georgia Power records.

Key Quotes​

  1. "Don't worry, honey. They're not here to hurt you."
  2. "They were literally out of our atmosphere in a second if that."
  3. "I just knew something there was a correlation between nuclear rockets and and these visitors. I just knew there was there's a connection between them."
  4. "Like it looked like the sun. It looked like the surface of a close-up picture of the sun. like this stuff was like liquid and and fire and energy all together just mol like like like molten rock or something just moving around."
  5. "It hit me like a blanket and it uh it just co it just coated inside my nostrils and in my lungs in my throat. It just coats me like ammonia and sulfur. Just it just uh it takes your your complete attention for everything else."

Detailed Summary​

Episode Overview and Guest Identification​

This long-form interview features Chris in conversation with Mario Woods (also called "Senior Woods"), a 70-year-old former U.S. Air Force Security Police officer and missile launch officer. The conversation spans roughly 48 years of Woods's experience, covering a close encounter at an ICBM site, decades of debriefings and testimony, and a 2017 electrical anomaly at his home.

  • Woods was trained at Lackland AFB in Airbase Ground Defense and assigned to Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he worked 12-hour night shifts (6 PM to 6 AM) with partner Sergeant Michael "Psycho" Johnson.
  • He later served in security police/inspector roles at Los Alamos, Sandia, Oak Ridge Y12, K25, and Pantex facilities, likely overlapping with Bob Lazar at Los Alamos.
  • Ellsworth had roughly 800 security policemen, meaning about one in four people encountered on base were in that role.
  • Woods is color blind, was on a program regularly testing his mental faculties, and has been sober and clean for years following the encounter.

Setting: Ellsworth AFB and the November 5 Missile Site​

The November 5 Minuteman missile site lay approximately 8 miles north of Newell, South Dakota, with its launch control facility about 4.5 miles off Highway 79, behind the New Lake Reservoir Dam. Newell had a population of 230 at the time; temperatures were 9–13°F with ice on the ground.

  • Ellsworth oversaw 15 launch control facilities controlling 150 Minuteman missiles (10 per facility), with its missile field later decommissioned around 1991.
  • The shift consisted of two flights of 6 officers each (12 total), running security checks every 5 minutes during a "striking a site" operation.
  • USAF personnel around nuclear sites must qualify under the Personal Reliability Program (PRP), certifying mental stability for sensitive duties, with regular drug testing (swabs, blood, hair) and prohibitions on admitting depression or taking unprescribed medications.
  • Security personnel qualified with weapons twice a year, with shotguns preferred in laboratory areas over M16/M4/MP5 to avoid ricochets and noise.

The Initial Sighting: Sphere Over the Blast Door​

At approximately 12:05–12:15 AM on November 5, 1977, the alarm phone rang with "Sit 465, sit four, November 5," prompting Woods and Johnson to assemble weapons, code tables, and diddy bags and respond in a Ford F-150 marked USAF Security Police pickup. While driving, Woods observed a pulsating glow at the 4:00 position, becoming a 1:30 position before being lost in Newell.

  • After turning right onto Orman Road and making a dog-leg left, Woods saw a gargantuan spherical object the size of a "Super Walmart" hovering 10 feet above the ICBM blast door, with a surface resembling "a close-up of the sun" — liquid, fire, and energy with occasional spikes.
  • Pulling up at the cattle gate (60–80 ft from front gate), the atmosphere was evacuated from the vehicle; both occupants gasped for air, and Woods (200+ lbs) was lifted into the back of the cab.
  • Relief came after flashing his pre-Maglite aluminum flashlight 3–4 times; the preceding sequence took about 15 seconds and relief was immediate "as if somebody turned the faucet off."

Secondary Object, White Light, and the Humanoid Beings​

A black ball (initially estimated at 8 ft, later specified as 2.5–3 ft) with vent-like lines appeared, moving omnidirectionally like a basketball with nozzles shooting gas. The vehicle interior then filled with pure white light for about 45 seconds and a telepathic message was received.

  • The black ball came within 8 inches of the hood, traveled around the windshield and cab sides for 8–10 seconds, then vanished; a pungent ammonia-and-sulfur smell (compared to "shrimp in a cooler") coated nostrils, lungs, and throat.
  • The white light was so intense Woods could see dust particles and 1.5 feet down into the dashboard vents, with time perceived as slowing.
  • Woods heard "Do not fear" three times in English, described as radiating through every cell "like a father talking to a baby in a mother's womb."
  • Four beings stood ~20 feet away: three smaller ones in skin-tight jumpsuits with waistbands (one carrying a yellow-tipped stick) and one ~6 ft tall being with a long head who "looked through" Woods; after the third "Do not fear," Woods said "lights out" and lost consciousness.

Physical Descriptions of the Beings​

The smaller beings had a purplish skin tint appearing thin enough to see veins or color beneath. The tall being stood about 2 feet taller than the smaller ones.

  • The tall being was gray/silver with a much pointier chin, smaller almond-shaped eyes set higher and more rounded, and carried a lit octagon-shaped device on its chest (similar to a stop sign) and a wand whose tip glowed bright orange-yellow.
  • Under hypnosis, the beings' large dark "eyes" were revealed to be shields protecting huge medium-blue pupils.
  • Woods received a telepathic message — the only verbal memory from the encounter — and felt directed to look at one specific smaller being; the host notes the phrase "do not fear" resonates with virtually every close-contact experiencer and is claimed to appear 365 times in the Bible, said by angels and seraphim.

Missing Time and Discovery​

Woods awoke in total darkness in an unfamiliar location with his $20 military watch reading after 6:00 AM despite arriving between 12:30–1:00 AM — over 5 hours missing. The vehicle was on a narrow road with mud underfoot despite freezing temperatures.

  • A white wall rose at a 45-degree angle to about 50 feet nearby; Wing Security Control (Senior Emerald "Aaron" Woods) directed one-minute security checks to triangulate their position.
  • Sergeant Michael Johnson was frozen/glued to the blue plastic F-154 steering wheel with locked, rigid posture, wide eyes, and unresponsive — neither occupant had spoken during the encounter.
  • Sergeant Garza arrived at ~6:15 AM to escort them; it took two people to pry Johnson's hands off the steering wheel, nearly breaking a finger, as his fingers tried to keep gripping in severe muscle cramps.

Return to November Control and Initial Debriefing​

Upon arrival at the facility, personnel included Bill Hollowman, Master Sergeant Joel Gray, Tech Sergeant Robert Hawkins, two officers who had been underground, the facility manager, side cook, and a lieutenant. Michael Johnson was taken to the facility manager's bedroom to receive fluids, and the two airmen were separated.

  • Weapons were immediately confiscated from both airmen — normal procedure but previously never resulted in weapons being taken from them — and code tables had to be burned.
  • Woods had been awake since ~4:00 AM the prior day for his normal 3-day SATAP shift before the encounter.
  • Master Sergeant Gray led an interrogation that lasted approximately 2 to 2.5 hours in the day room, with on-duty personnel standing around the outer perimeter; during a restroom break, Woods experienced a super high-pitched whining, vision full of pea green color, and a sensation of leaving his body through his feet, drenching himself in ice cold underground South Dakota water to recover.

Colonel's Office and the Tall Civilian​

Master Sergeant Gray drove Woods approximately 55 minutes back to Ellsworth Air Force Base, pressing him for anything else he saw that he hadn't shared with the launch control facility personnel. Colonel Spreer's roughly 20–25 foot office contained five people: Colonel Spreer (deputy base commander), Master Sergeant Gray, a young OSI officer, and a tall, emaciated-looking civilian in his 50s or 60s wearing a light gray tweed suit and holding his hat under his arm.

  • Colonel Spreer repeatedly asked, "Is there anything you're not telling me?" and probed about the craft's size and what Woods smelled; the witness said "No, sir" each time, fearing for his career.
  • The debrief lasted about 2.5 hours, from approximately 10:00–10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
  • Other personnel present included Colonel Ralph Breaker (security police commander, who knew Woods personally) and Captain Jack Reed (OSI commander/officer in charge).
  • Richard Dodie, a young OSI officer early in his career (1977), later admitted he was present to study SAC communications activities; the host noted Dodie's history with misinformation.

Medical Examination and the NDA​

After the commander's office debrief, Woods was driven by staff car to the flight surgeon's office for examination, where an OSI agent noted burns above his eye and on his hand. The examiner collected skin samples using a blunt-end tweezer-like tool but no blood, urine, or hair samples were taken; Woods left with two band-aids and no medical records.

  • Colonel Spreer directed Woods to write a full report; Woods spent about 1.5 hours producing a two-page, small-print carbon-copy report in three copies, including Michael Johnson's name; errors on the form had to be lined through and initialed.
  • Captain Jack Reed presented a non-disclosure form prohibiting Woods from discussing the incident with spouses, siblings, family, or anyone outside the room except personnel involved in the original November Control investigation.
  • Woods signed the NDA including name, rank, and social security number but received no copies of the report, NDA, or medical records.
  • A UCMJ Article 15 violation could result in 6-month rank suspension and fines of $600–$800 or more; Woods received 3 days off beyond the original 3-day period (roughly 6 days total).

Reassignment and Corroboration with Michael Johnson​

Woods was not returned to November Control but reassigned to Kilo Control, the alternate command post near the Wyoming border, paired with Mark Wade (same initials). Around 10:00 a.m. in the Kilo area, Woods observed two mutilated cattle at a corral under local law enforcement investigation, with missing skin and trimming around the mouth area — referencing Linda Moulton Howe's cattle mutilation research and the Robert Salis incident at Malmstrom in 1967.

  • Approximately 15–18 days after the incident, Michael Johnson came to Woods's Hannesway Apartments apartment in Rapid City to discuss what they saw; both independently drew the craft on yellow notepads and recalled the same features including bright lights.
  • Johnson confirmed hearing, seeing, and smelling the same things and "Do not fear. Do not fear," but did not see the beings because he never turned his head; Woods had to physically pull Johnson's hands off the steering wheel.
  • Johnson told Woods he remembered "your glove on a shiny floor"; when Woods later checked his duffel bag, the right-hand aviator glove was missing while the left was present, and the right glove was never recovered.

Search Efforts and Discovery of Vehicle​

Wing Security Control made the call to come look for Woods approximately 2:00 AM, shortly after the incident. Local law enforcement in Sturgis sent two deputies 30 miles north to Woods's location; a state trooper and two deputies in two separate cars searched for him, totaling approximately 11 people searching.

  • Woods's vehicle was found behind New Lake Reservoir Dam, so far off the road that radio-signal triangulation was required to locate it.
  • Woods only learned about these search efforts in 2021 during a Discovery Plus filming, when two men who had seen the story stopped to watch the film crew on Orman Road.
  • Newell's population today is 650, down from 2,030 at the time of the incident.

Hypnosis Sessions​

Woods was hypnotically regressed by Bob Upton and Yvonne (Ivonne) Smith on two separate occasions. The session with Upton lasted about 45 minutes, during which Woods reported being on his back near beings, unable to move or defend himself.

  • During hypnosis Woods experienced atrial fibrillation for the first time and saw that the beings' large dark "eyes" are actually shields protecting huge medium-blue pupils.
  • A session with Yvon Smith was conducted on a boat in Long Beach/Los Angeles on the night it snowed on the Hollywood sign, after filming Age of Disclosure, with John Blitch also present; audio was recorded but no video.
  • One hypnosis session took place at Woods's home while roofers were re-roofing after hurricane damage.

Congressional Testimony and Follow-up Interviews​

Woods testified for 4 hours and 19 minutes under oath in a congressional-type hearing, limiting his testimony to what he saw, smelled, and experienced in the physical conscious world — excluding dreams and hypnosis. A congressional interviewer told him Congress was not ready to talk about what he saw out the right side, dreams, or hypnosis.

  • After testimony, officials told him, "If we have questions, we'll call you."
  • Follow-up phone interviews reportedly lasted 1–2 hours with 2–3 people present, though witnesses were told there was only one interviewer.
  • Witnesses must pay their own travel and hotel expenses, costing roughly $3,000–$4,000.
  • An Arrow/AATIP-era interviewer spent 2.5 hours on the phone with Woods before telling him, "Just keep doing what you're doing. We'll let you know when we'd like to hear from you."
  • Woods cited Steve Aspen's book Out of Time as influential to his thinking about possible time displacement during the encounter; the host noted the host reference fatigue as an almost guaranteed trigger for out-of-body experiences.

Pythagorean Triangle Geometry and Date Significance​

When plotted on Google Earth, the points November 1 (November control), November 5 (the encounter site), and New Lake Reservoir Dam form a Pythagorean triangle spanning roughly 23.5 miles (7 and 12 miles to November 5, and 9.5 miles to the dam up Highway 79).

  • Woods believes the craft was first seen over New Lake Reservoir Dam and questions how it knew the launch control facility was monitored by that missile site, noting nine other sites were two to three times farther away.
  • November 5 is also the date Travis Walton was taken in 1975 and when Bob Lazar went to George Knapp in 1989.

December 17, 2017 Electrical Incident​

On December 17, 2017, at 4:11 a.m., low voltage alarms went off throughout Woods's home on the microwave, stove, refrigerator, AC units, washer, and dryer; Woods woke up standing at the foot of his bed staring at the north wall. He observed a hole in the wall with sparks on the end resembling a "portal" (compared to the Marvel/Thanos movie portal scene).

  • His son burst through the door and the lights dropped to a dim, flickering state with one leg of power lost.
  • Around 4:40–4:48 a.m., a Georgia Power crew was already in his yard without being called, locating a break in the line about 40 feet into his property between pine trees (roughly 150 feet from the road).
  • The Georgia Power supervisor said Woods's house "lit up our board downtown like the 4th of July this morning at 4:11 a.m." and installed a jumper transformer on the back deck; Georgia Power confirmed Woods's home was the only one affected.
  • Damage included his computer, doorbell system, and one of two microwave ovens; a neighbor's teenager asked about "Hollywood search lights" seen in Woods's backyard at 4:00 a.m., though Woods notes he only has six standard 150-watt spotlights.
  • Woods's wife slept through the entire incident unaware, and he called researcher Robert Hastings right away after learning the details.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Spielberg​

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in December 1977, roughly a month after Woods's November 5 sighting, and he saw it in a Rapid City theater on Main Street. During the scene where Roy Neary's mailbox shakes and a light comes down on him, Woods walked out to the curb and told his wife the movie was "telling my life story."

  • Woods thoroughly believes Steven Spielberg has some type of inside information about the phenomenon and plans to see the upcoming film Disclosure Day.

Government Contact and Accountability​

Woods was interviewed by the FBI for about 7–8 hours on the phone a few months before the episode; the FBI also interviewed his sister in Florida about a Port Arthur, Texas sighting they experienced as kids, and she has since seen two Tic Tacs near Dade City, Florida.

  • He called Rep. Tim Burchett's office (Woods lives in Harriman, Burchett in Maryville) regarding Y-12 and "NK25," identifying himself as a former Y-12 worker; he called twice and never heard back.
  • Woods calls for accountability from the CIA, NSA, and FBI, arguing some part of the system is "acting out of bad faith" by ignoring testimony; he contrasts a U.S. president's four-year (plus possible four-year reelection) term with senators who "stay in there for a lifetime."
  • The host believes disclosure will come as a grassroots movement from "the little guy."

Daily Aftereffects and Other Phenomena​

Reflective light is a daily trigger for Woods — at a restaurant the day before the interview, a polished chrome jug's reflection forced him to get up and turn it, and he now tapes over lights in his bedroom to sleep.

  • He described a piece of high-dollar scanning equipment at his oral surgeon's office that would not play back a scan of his mouth, lights flickering in his office three seconds before the host called despite a beautiful day, and an azalea bush that shook violently with no wind in front of his son about eight months prior.
  • Woods offered to help other silent military witnesses via mwoods175@gmail.com, promising confidentiality, and advised witnesses not to take it out on family and to be open with their wives.

The episode covered several tangentially related cases and theories alongside Woods's account. Investigator Jeffrey Drummond theorizes that all three pyramids functioned to create lightning, generating storms and energy that kept the Sahara green, with piping found at the site.

  • UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre received a personal King's Chamber tour in Egypt with armed guards and reported his body vibrating "like a tuning fork" from a man humming in the corner.
  • The 1961 Queen Elementary incident involved three craft appearing above church steeples, witnessed by hundreds, but the event was quickly hushed up with homes, cameras, and cell phones searched.
  • Two theories offered for mass-sighting silence: either the beings/technology cause forgetting within a bubble, or a psychological factor is triggered when witnesses face something utterly foreign.
  • James Fox's Phoenix Lights story: women having tea silently watched a massive craft fly overhead and resumed drinking tea the moment it passed.

Faith, Beliefs, and Final Reflections​

Woods says he believes in God, Jesus, and the Bible, and thinks biblical descriptions are very close to these beings; he believes humans are made of star material God put together and rejects that the beings are demons, though he acknowledges evil forces exist.

  • The experience is consuming and never goes away, with daily triggers such as sights or smells bringing back memories; he believes the craft have been here a long time and do not come to harm humanity.
  • He believes if humanity obtained even 10% of the technology he witnessed, it could eliminate pollution of skies, grounds, and waters and reduce violence.
  • He believes Egypt was a Class One civilization prior to a calamity roughly 12,500 years ago, and plans to travel there, hosted by a person named Amar whose family is originally from Egypt and who reportedly skydived over the pyramids.
  • Despite everything, Woods said he would re-enlist in the military today "in a heartbeat."