Robert Friend

Robert Jones Friend (February 29, 1920 – June 21, 2019) was an American military officer, pilot, and Tuskegee Airman who flew 142 combat missions in World War II with the 332nd Fighter Group in Africa and Europe. A 28-year career Air Force veteran, he served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, graduating from the Air Force Institute of Technology. From 1958 to 1963, he directed Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force's classified UFO investigation started in 1952 and ended in 1969, leaving 701 cases unexplained. Friend believed in extraterrestrial life possibilities and shared views on potential alien visits in interviews. Categorized as a ufologist, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.