Born in 1913, in Parish, Louisiana. Apparently joined the United States Air Force in 1951. Captain Ruppelt left active duty in August, 1953, and Project Blue Book was turned over to an enlisted man, and that man was Airman First Class Max Futch. He was essentially the "gopher", low-rank on the crew, though a smart fellow. He stayed in a year or so post-Ruppelt's retirement, then went to Law school and then spent the rest of his life in native Louisiana, becoming involved in real estate. By December of 1953 an order called JANAP-146 was issued, which made the reporting of unidentified flying objects by military personnel a national security issue, with possible prosecution for its violation. The Air Force was publicly debunking UFOs, while privately drawing a veil of secrecy around their investigations. (Fran Ridge) [Photos credits: Mike Swords, Barry Greenwood] Second photo was taken at the 1988 MUFON Conference.