Death Oct. 1, 1995 Apparent death by suicide after two homicides, all by gun. This tragic incident occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada. Career FBI agent nearing retirement; was a Navy Vietnam veteran medic. This uncle was not known well. Training for military in California 1964-1965 Boot Camp might have been March 10 to May 28, 1964, will check Certificates: 1964-May 22 San Diego Naval Training Center 1965-Oct 12 Camp Pendleton Navy Hospitalman Field Med. Ser. Tech. Mike had sent a Navy book home (front reads I’m at the US Naval Training Center, San Diego, California) to his mother which showed the military school with several photos. In it he had a note: “Dear Folks, I thought you might like to have a look at the place I’m at and some of the things I am doing. It is a lot worse than it looks in these pages, but they can’t let the outside “no” [sic] the full extent of things here. -- Mike” A photo of a uniformed man is in his mother’s materials on Mike. It indicates: “C.E. Elrod, GMC, Company 184, Company Commander, United States Naval Training Center, San Diego, California, Boot Camp, April 1964 (March 10th to May 28th) Age 34 Two early Certificates: Recruit Training Command, United States Naval Training Center, San Diego May 22, 1964 Non-Swim Petty Officer, Signing R H(?) Lockwood (Lookwood?) Commanding Officer, Recruit Training Command The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, United States Navy, Hospitalman, Field Medical Service Technicians, Field Medical Service School, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California, Enlistment Classification, HM-8404. Oct. 12, 1965. Harold G. Donovan (Donvay ?) Commander, MSC, USN UNCLE MIKE Mike was my uncle. He died October 1, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada where he had been living and working and was buried a couple of days later. His birthday was the next day, October 2. His parents (my grandparents) had mixed religious views. The grandmother was more moderate, the grandfather more fundamentalist. He had been in both the Navy and Marines. My mother has indicated that he started in the Navy then moved to the Marines to become a medic, but maybe it was the other way around. He had been a medic in Vietnam. The story is that he shot and killed his ex-wife Ann and her long-term boyfriend, then turned around and shot himself. I am looking into this issue in more depth after twenty years. I suspect some of my interest in police systems has a link to this. I have not personally seen evidence. For years, I took the story upon faith, although something always has nagged at the back of my mind that something else might have been going on. In early 2017, I started having psychic feelings that perhaps the man was shot either from the side or from behind, and that perhaps someone else killed the other two people involved. It is hard to stay clear on this because it is a family member. There is always the possibility of a bias entering in. If the story is as was presented to our family, I feel strongly there are no excuses for Mike’s behavior and that Ann nor her longterm live-in boyfriend deserved to be killed. I am sorry this terrible thing happened to all three of them; it was a tragedy on all accounts. I do wonder whether this issue has anything at all to do with the police and FBI related killings that have become prominent in later years. I have often wondered whether a zone of influence and invisible finger issue surrounds some or even many of these cases - like organized crime or intelligence agency psychic/psychotronic or other mind control hooks. In addition, I have wondered if it had anything to do with his old Vietnam connection, or to case(s) he was working at the time. I also have wondered if certain extended family were targeted. Also I have wondered about a possible build-up to 9/11 by getting rid of some of the better agents more likely to be loyal to the United States during a projected take-over. The other issue might be maybe someone at the FBI did not want to pay for Mike’s soon to be retirement. I think most of us could agree that Las Vegas would have been a rough area to work as an FBI agent with several likely mob connections coming in through the casinos there. My mother was the one who told me the bad news. I remember clearly where I was at the time and how I responded. I had a kind of jolt and cried out something like, “Oh, that is just terrible, oh my gosh!” Looking back, I feel there was some kind of psychic link there, like a subconscious connection going on below the surface of my daily awareness, because I did not see him often, and only for brief periods, and years would go by before seeing him again. All I can say is thee was some kind of unusual connection which has always left me kind of puzzled as to how to think about the whole thing. (Note February 12, 2017 I will say that today as I am adding this I do suspect he might have been shot. There are some other notes in the Notes section) As you read this, I want you to imagine you are hearing the sobs of Mike’s mother in the background. She loved him dearly and went into a deep sense of grief afterward. There had been many times while he was in Vietnam she had worried about his safety and seemed to have a psychic type of link to his experiences over there. Our family made comments about this almost psychic link at the time. My grandmother was quite sensitive. He had married someone else (Sue-see photos left and right) and had a strong relationship with that woman. I feel they really loved each other. (Note 4/22/2016: Little Church of the West is where they married - seems to be a self-described “iconic wedding chapel” in Las Vegas, Nevada). They were married several years before he died; they had a friendship as well as romantic relationship. My uncle was given a difficult time by his parents over the divorce and new woman because they were traditionalists who believed in lifelong marriage commitment. I think he and Sue might have had an affair at the FBI and then lived together for awhile before marrying. I feel there is more to the story than I was given. His ex-wife Ann (see photo below right) had good qualities (loving, devoted, honest, religiously sincere) but could be loud, whining, nagging and rude, as I witnessed and experienced some of this at its most negative personally. If caught in an unguarded moment, her behavior might provoke someone’s ire, especially if it had been tolerated with a growing sense of frustration and irritation for many years. People who knew her said nice things about her at the funeral. She was a math teacher and very Catholic. It is possible after years of her aggressive banter and with worries over money and his economic future, one day Mike lost patience and exploded. Apparently she had called when he had been drinking - (note 4/22/2016: he probably had had several drinks at home, but I don’t think he was an alcoholic, I suspect this was more of an after-work habit) - he took his gun and went over to her home, something perhaps was said and he started shooting. Apparently Ann and Mike had an argument over money before he lost his cool and began shooting.They likely were fighting over money. Sounds like he went over there feeling provoked, maybe she was getting on him about something over the phone. Maybe he woke up and realized what he had done and then shot himself. A recently discovered couple of letters in one mailing from Sue and Mike to his mother sent together shortly before his death shows he was going to retire at the end of the year and that he had been feeling more stress than in all of his years in the FBI. Also apparently in addition to stress he referred to it as burnout in yet an earlier letter. He indicated the government was thought to be phasing out his retirement the following year so he needed to retire at the end of the current year. How accurate this is I cannot say. It seems he was in a situation in his life with concerns about the future with an unexpected push about money. Sue indicated in a letter they had just completed their first two raids together, so this does indicate they were in the same department. I do remember something perhaps being said to the effect, as repeated from a family member, perhaps overheard in conversation about how he felt that aging and office politics was making him nervous. Keeping up a high level of physical activity as an aging FBI agent with younger people vying for your position could be increasingly difficult. Something about office politics at the FBI might have been making him more on edge than normal. His name is on one of the bricks as having been in the Navy at the Vietnam Memorial Park on Butler in Farmington, New Mexico. I have often gone there and looked at it and around the little park. I kept having a nagging feeling about the Marines, like something was up psychically around that. So when I heard he had been in the Marines, my ears picked up. In fact, I had been wondering about it. Whether or not the story is true about how he died along with the other two people, I remember that his father was hard on him and my intuition tells me this is significant in his life. My grandmother told some stories about heavy discipline tactics, and I feel beatings were involved. I think Mike might have gotten it harder than my father did because Mike was spunky and possibly more rebellious or apt to take risks. I also have read some letters that my grandfather wrote my father when he was a young man courting my mother, and the letters were harsh, very critical and shaming. It’s that old school male thing which is so destructive. Excessive manhood stuff. It truly scars males. Mike probably had latent tendencies to lash out because of heavy handedness in his upbringing from the father, era and region of the country he was raised in (Texas, Oklahoma, northwestern New Mexico - Farmington). Vietnam contributed, as did years of being exposed to violence in the FBI. If the story of his suicide after killing two others is true, the things that could have contributed to it can be guessed at. Worries over retirement, money, office politics, recent raids demanding more physical output and energy than normal, and perhaps tensions in working with a wife during first-time raids together all contributed. Tensions with the daughter who was being rebellious at the time. Worries over paying for college for the kids with job uncertainty or retirement certainty hanging in the air. Long-term ex-wife issues in same city. Everything probably piled up and then add some beers and a certain triggering mechanism boom. He shoots somebody. This all called for self-monitoring training and time out. Here in February 2017, however, I am leaning toward a re-investigation into the case and am afraid evidence might be removed if we make waves about trying to did into it as a cold case. If any of us decide to re-investigate, keep an eye on where the evidence is and be exacting and sensitive about that issue. update 11/26/2015 (Note added 02/12/2017: once again, reading over this letter, I have to ask if this is a canned letter for any Marine returned home or if the writer was being specific about Mike. The hi-lites and bolded text are for emphasis and were added today in going over the letter. There seems to be a kind of dark humor over what rehabilitation actually means. This strikes me as signs of issues in the military and perhaps in this particular writer. It seems possible something was up the sleeve and maybe this is an issue that should be addressed. In other words, perhaps Mike was getting “it” not only from enemy forces but also the United States military. The tongue-in cheek references likely are a way of saluting the relieving return of a well-liked soldier, a kind of wistful teasing, but I would look into this more deeply. Everytime I read it I recognize certain cultural aspects of the Vietnam era, but also sense something else might have been going on that was not being discussed to family members in the letter. I find the forgotten date on the letter odd and too bad; I wish there was a date.) He was granted a certificate of Hospitalism for Field Medical Service Technicians in the United States Navy on October 12, 1965. He went to the US Naval Training Center in San Diego, California and received his non-swim petty officer designation (apprentice) May 22 1964. LETTER ABOUT MIKE’S RETURN FROM VIETNAM Unknown Date for Letter from Headquarters, US Marine Corps From: Commanding Officer, 1st Tank Battalion, FMF; FPO, San Francisco, 96602 To: [Mike’s parents] underlined space with their names filled in Ref: (a) BUPERS INST. 4323.7B Encl: (1( Rehabilitation Guidelnes for Dependents) 1. “[Mike - this was an underlined space with his named filled in, having just completed a tedious and exhausting tour in the Republic of South Vietnam is being permitted to return to the Continental Limits of the United States for Rehabilitation. Bear in mind that this Marine has been subjected to severe physiological and psychological torment. You should consider it your solem[n-sice] duty to assist to the full extent in his rehabilitation to society. Aside from the most obvious necessity of bestowing affection in abundant quantities there are certain other measures that can be taken by you to facilitate his readjustment and prevent a relapse of Asistic [sic] Fanaticus [sp?}. 2. To assist you in your efforts, enclosure (1) is forwarded, Diligent application of the basic precepts should allow rapid adjustment of your Marine to a civilized environment. (Signed )T.J. Dawson, LtCol [sic] US Marine Corps, Commanding (Enclosure 1 - p. 1) Rehabilitation Guidelines For Marine Dependents (Attached to the above letter) 1. All personnel rotated to CONUS can be expected to exhibit the following abnormal behavior. a. Contempt for civilized dress. and a desire to walk about semi-nude or nude. b. Thousand yard stare in a sixteen foot room. c. Referring to an air mattress as a “RUBBER LADY.” d. Insistence upon construction of a machine gun emplacement and defensive positions throughout the front yard. e. Continual attempts to recruit the young men in the area into organized atheletic [sic] events; foxhole digging, revetment construction, electrical and generator overhaul, night defensive alerts, procurement of lumber from local stockpiles, establishment of perimeter guard positions, practice ordinance loading on the family car, plotting positions of unauthorized strangers in the neighborhood and constant maintenance of an up to date Order of Battle f. He will at all times attempt to walk about fully armed and chastize [sic[ others to do the same. 2. While making arrangements for his joyous welcome back into respectable society you should make allowances for the crude environment in which he has existed for the past thirteen months. In a word he will be somewhat asiatic and suffering from stages of Viet-Congitis and too much “KOOL AID.” 3. His personal mannerisms will have changed considerably. He will prefer to squat on the ground rather than sit in a chair, pad about in a pair of tire thongs (known as to him his J. C. STROLLER’S) and towel, shyly offer to sell cigerettes [sic] to the postman and peck at his food suspiciously as if someone we re trying to poisen [sic] him. Don’t be surprised when he tries to buy everything at less then [sic] half the price and accuses the grocer of being a thief. He will refuse to enter an establishmement [sic] that dosen’t [sic] have steel mesh screens over all doors and windows. Due to the water conditions he will consume large quantities of VO, SCOTCH, DRAMBUI, WINE, RUM AND BEER AND other local native brews. Don’t be surprised when he gives all drinks served the acid test and strains them for broken glass. 4. For the first month (Untill [sic] he becomes adjusted to his new environment) be especially watchful when he is in the company of a women, particularly young and beautiful ones. The few american women he has seen since arriving overseas have either been too too young, too old or too ugly, therefore his first reaction upon meeting an attractive “ROUND EYE” will be to stare. Wives are advised to take immediate advantage of this momentary shock and remove the young ladies from his presence. 5. The below sights should be avoided since they will produce advanced stages of shock and fright: Women Go-going, television, and “ROUND EYED WOMEN”. After a relatively short period of this his profanity will decrease enough to permit him to associate with animal groups and soon he will be speaking enough english to be around humans again. He will complain of sleeping in a room, the quietness of the night and refuse to to to bed without a mosquito net. 6. Some suggested Dos and Don’ts a. Don’t under any circumstances suggest anything about going to the beach or for a overnight camping trip. b. Don’t serve canned foods, recombined milk, instant coffee, spam or other dehydrated foods. [Mike actually liked pork n beans and would only eat that or certain foods] c. Make no flattering remarks about the exostic East, avoid montioningsic] the BENEFITS of overseas duty, i.e., lavish beaches, outdoor living, exotic women, and seasonal WEATHER (typhoons, MONSOONS, SAND storms, etc). Under no circumstances mention Phu Bai, Danang, Chu-Lai, Quang Ngai, or Cam Ranh Bay. d. Do give him an abundance of love. e. Do go to bed early and wake up late. f. Do tell all friends, relatives and neighbors to stay away for at least two weeks. This is a dangerous period and he will want to be with you to adjust gradually to his new status in life. 7. Bear in mind...that beneath his tanned and rugged exterior there beats a heart of gold. Treasure this, for its the only thing of real value he has. Tream him with kindness, love and an occassional [- sic] quart of fresh whole milk. Following these suggestions you should be able to rehabilitate the hollow shell of a man you once knew. 8. Send no more letters to HEADQUARTERS, 1st Tank Battalion, FMF, FPO, San Francisco, 96602, for he will be leaving the tropics and heading for the land of the PX and his loved ones. 9. Do filll the ice box with beer, pretzels, fresh ham and swiss cheese. STAND-BY FOR A RAM “THE KID IS COMING HOME........” (end Enclosure 1, p. w) Updates: 2022/07/20 PAGE STARTED-UncleMike moved from River Gold dot net. unclemike_notes_personalinfo_thegoldenrivernet_updates_02/11-12/2017; updated 01/31/2017; 04/22/2016; 06/07/2016, 11/26/2015 See Time Out in Human Issues - Helping Humans section.