Simone Mendez

Simone Mendez, a U.S. Air Force servicewoman from Illinois, became entangled in a controversial UFO-related incident during her posting at Nellis Air Force Base in the early 1980s. Prior to her military service, she experienced a personal UFO sighting and formed connections with members of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), maintaining these ties throughout her career. In October 1981, coworker 'Airman Green' shared a purported classified NORAD transmission alleging deep-space objects tracked entering Earth's atmosphere, heading to Moscow, and hovering there. Mendez kept a copy, sparking a chain of events including a visit from Green's ex-girlfriend claiming it was fake, leading Mendez to surrender it voluntarily. She endured intense interrogations by the FBI and Air Force OSI, apartment searches, confiscated correspondence, threats of imprisonment, revocation of her security clearance, and reassignment to laundry duties at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. OSI monitored her post-incident, including MUFON attendance. Cleared of espionage charges, her case exemplifies UFOs as potential counterintelligence tools in military contexts. No known publications or formal testimony beyond interviews.