Edward J. Ruppelt
| Edward J. Ruppelt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 17, 1923 Iowa, United States |
| Died | September 15, 1960 (aged 37) |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | World War II - mid-1950s |
| Rank |
 Captain
|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Five battle stars Two theater combat ribbons Three Air Medals Two Distinguished Flying Crosses |
| Other work | Research engineer for Northrop Aircraft Company |
Edward J. Ruppelt (July 17, 1923 – September 15, 1960) was a United States Air Force officer probably best known for his involvement in Project Blue Book, a formal governmental study of unidentified flying objects. He is generally credited with coining the term "unidentified flying object", to replace the terms "flying saucer" and "flying disk" - which had become widely known - because the military thought them to be "misleading when applied to objects of every conceivable shape and performance. For this reason the military prefers the more general, if less colorful, name: unidentified flying objects. UFO (pronounced Yoo-foe) for short."
Ruppelt was the director of Project Grudge from late 1951 until it became Project Blue Book in March 1952; he remained with Blue Book until late 1953. UFO researcher Jerome Clark writes, "Most observers of Blue Book agree that the Ruppelt years comprised the project's golden age, when investigations were most capably directed and conducted. Ruppelt himself was open-minded about UFOs, and his investigators were not known, as Grudge's were, for force-fitting explanations on cases."
Ruppelt was born and raised in Iowa. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and served with distinction as a decorated bombardier: he was awarded "five battle stars, two theater combat ribbons, three Air Medals, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses".
After the war, Ruppelt was released into the Army reserves. He attended Iowa State College where, in 1951, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Shortly after finishing his education, Ruppelt was called back to active military duties after the Korean War began.
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Wikipedia