Our guest for the 2 hours was Jim Eckles, retired White Sands Missile Range public information officer. He put 27 years of stories and events in his book Pocketful Of Rockets: History And Stories Behind White Sands. It is an informative and entertaining look at the history of White Sands Missile Range. Not only does the author delve into V-2 rockets, missiles gone astray into Mexico, and the introduction of African oryx, but he also tells how the Apache fought buffalo soldiers there in 1880, how Sheriff Pat Garrett investigated the Albert Fountain murder and how ranchers lived on the parched lands raising both cattle and goats. The history of the first atomic bomb test at Trinity Site is covered in detail as well the various searches for the fabulous and mythical Victorio Peak treasure of gold bars. Eckles even provides the military history behind programs responsible for the Roswell UFO phenomenon.
Hour One
Hour Two