Mel Riley was a U.S. Army staff sergeant and one of the original six remote viewers in the [[STARGATE PROJECT]]. He was recruited into the program, then codenamed [[STARGATE PROJECT|Gondola Wish]], in 1977 by [[Frederick Atwater|Skip Atwater]] and [[Murray Watt|Scotty Watt]].[^1] Riley was five feet eight, slim and fit, with wavy blond hair and an Irish, vaguely leprechaunish face. He had tattoos of an eagle, a rabbit, and a large winged dragon across his chest. His eyes were often described as wide and intense, as if he were staring inward. He was a morning person, enjoying the quiet calm of the predawn hours.[^1] He grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, and had a shy, solitary streak, with a special love for the outdoors. As a teenager, he camped in the snow, hunted deer, and canoed. He also had a "mild spaciness, a proneness to the zone." One summer day in preadolescence, in an empty field where he often found Native American artifacts, he experienced a vivid vision of an Indian village, complete with tepees, dogs, and people, with one tall Indian appearing to wave at him. This experience, among others, hinted at his latent psychic abilities.[^1] He was drafted into the Army on July 7, 1969, and was trained as a photo-interpreter.[^1] At boot camp in Kentucky, Riley was recruited into Army intelligence and trained as a photo-interpreter at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was then sent to Germany, serving with the 7405th Operations Squadron at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Wiesbaden. His unit conducted covert reconnaissance missions through East Germany, using disguised planes equipped with special cameras and electronic-intercept gear. Riley served as an aerial observer, guiding intelligence equipment, and as a photo analyst. He gained a reputation for his "sixth sense," accurately identifying hidden details in reconnaissance images, such as a new Soviet artillery piece concealed under a canvas canopy, which was later confirmed by satellite photographs. He earned several medals for his work.[^1] In 1976, Riley was posted to Fort Meade, Maryland, assigned to the Operations Security Group (Opsec). His unit's task was to spy on U.S. military facilities to identify and correct security vulnerabilities. He analyzed photographic intelligence from satellites, aircraft, and close-range cameras. He learned about the Army's interest in psychic phenomena from a friend in the [[Systems Exploitation Detachment]] (SED) and was eager to get involved, especially after hearing about the possibility of the U.S. employing its own psychic spies.[^1] As a remote viewer, Riley was known for his artistic skill in rendering his psychic impressions. He participated in many of the early, successful remote viewing sessions. In late summer 1979, he remote-viewed a new Chinese nuclear device at Lop Nor, describing an "hourglass on its side" shape, which was later confirmed to be a critical design element. He also contributed to the tracking of a Soviet T-72 tank purchased by the U.S., accurately perceiving its movement on a rail car and later on a ship. One of his most notable successes was in an opsec tasking where he remote-viewed a "strange batlike flying-wing shape" with a "bulbous cockpit" and fiber-optic control mechanisms, which was later identified as the then-secret B-2 Stealth bomber. He was also known for his ability to enter a deep, trancelike state during remote viewing sessions.[^1] During the Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981), Riley and other remote viewers were tasked hundreds of times to provide information on the hostages. Despite the gratification of contributing to a key intelligence effort, Riley found the relentless and monotonous taskings led to mental burnout, as remote viewers needed variety to maintain clarity. He experienced aftereffects of remote viewing, describing them as similar to a "natural high" or the adrenaline rush after a parachute jump, with heightened sensory perception. However, he also noted that intense, daily remote viewing could lead to mental fatigue, emotional fragility, and a "vacant stare."[^1] Riley, along with [[Joe McMoneagle]] and [[Ken Bell]], became one of the three full-time remote viewers when the unit was officially designated the Special Action Branch and the program was codenamed [[STARGATE PROJECT|Grill Flame]]. He left the unit in 1981 for a posting in Germany, with the understanding that he could return to the program in the future, as the unit was on "relatively firm ground" with an increasing budget and new recruits.[^1] --- [^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.