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5 Unsolved Military Mysteries

Dark5
2.7M subscribers
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961K views 4 years ago
On July 10, 1958, First Lt. Paul Byron Whipkey, a proud and intelligent 26-year-old American company commander, mysteriously vanished from his post at Fort Ord, California. He told other officers that he would go out for a drink to the town of Monterey, but no one ever saw him again. The next day the Army declared him Absent Without Leave or AWOL. After a month, he was considered a deserter, which prompted both his family and the government to open up an investigation. Based on the FBI's gatherings, on July 10, hours after leaving the fort, Whipkey checked in at a motel 100 miles away in Mojave. A day later, he bought 14 gallons of gas and ventured into a desolated region of the Death Valley, where his 1956 Chevrolet was found with the keys still in the ignition. His dog tags, a suitcase, and cigarettes were also found in the car. Strangely enough, the Lt. did not smoke. Other than that, there was no trace of him. The investigation conclu …...more
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5 Unsolved Military Mysteries
18KLikes
961,294Views
2021Mar 18
On July 10, 1958, First Lt. Paul Byron Whipkey, a proud and intelligent 26-year-old American company commander, mysteriously vanished from his post at Fort Ord, California. He told other officers that he would go out for a drink to the town of Monterey, but no one ever saw him again. The next day the Army declared him Absent Without Leave or AWOL. After a month, he was considered a deserter, which prompted both his family and the government to open up an investigation. Based on the FBI's gatherings, on July 10, hours after leaving the fort, Whipkey checked in at a motel 100 miles away in Mojave. A day later, he bought 14 gallons of gas and ventured into a desolated region of the Death Valley, where his 1956 Chevrolet was found with the keys still in the ignition. His dog tags, a suitcase, and cigarettes were also found in the car. Strangely enough, the Lt. did not smoke. Other than that, there was no trace of him. The investigation concluded that Whipkey had suffered a mental breakdown and decided to wander in the desert, where he probably died from extreme heat. The Lt's brother, Carl Whipkey, dissatisfied with the Army's and FBI's story because of certain discrepancies, decided to investigate himself. Carl's suspicions began when he attempted to call his brother on July 12, two days after he went missing, and realized that the Army had already packed his belongings from the barracks to send them home. Another inconsistency that Carl discovered occurred days before his brother was declared a deserter. A rancher reported seeing a man dressed in military uniform driving a 1956 Chevrolet near the location where Lt. Paul's car was found. Strangely enough, when the Lt. left the fort on July 10, he did so in civilian clothing. Carl concluded that the Army or the CIA decided to get rid of his brother because he was a special agent. When Carl went over his brother's assignments and belongings, he discovered that Lt. Whipkey was part of Operation Plumbbob. Apparently, he flew several planes under nuclear weapon detonations, which considerably deteriorated his health for radiation exposure. Based on his commanding officer's testimony, Lt. Whipkey was approached on several occasions by the CIA, who attempted to recruit him for specific missions related to nuclear armament. Decades passed, and Carl managed to clean his brother's name in 1982 by forcing the Army to change his status to "Died in the line of duty" instead of deeming him a deserter. To this date, the mystery of Lt. Whipkey's disappearance has not been solved.

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Dark5

2.7M subscribers