Mark Richards and Jo Ann Richards (Earth Defense Headquarters) hold the keys to resolving issues that have been raised concerning his story — whether he is a space captain or an example of stolen valor.

Credibility needs some evidence to establish, and once lost it can be hard to regain. Jo Ann has argued that the material they present is no more outlandish than other statements about aliens or the Secret Space Program:

What makes our information more unbelievable than others with their abduction and/or MILAB experiences, or the ones who have hybrid children, or those with UFO sightings?

That may be. The examples are endless.  A “researcher” who spoke at a UFO conference was given a lifetime achievement award soon after she introduced a group of alien-human hybrids to the audience. Others have claimed that their parents are aliens and that they have inside knowledge. One now says she is a messenger of higher beings. By this standard, Jo Ann may be right.

The question, however, is not whether the story is as unbelievable as others.  

Richards has presented specific claims of holding advanced degrees and being a naval captain. These are factual questions that begin and end with the standards of evidence — at least some evidence must be presented. Unless Mark’s claims have some basis to substantiate them, there is no reason to believe any other part of the puzzle.

The First Key – Academic Proof

In 2019, Jo Ann wrote

Mark has just sent to me additional proof as well – prison documents that verify his high school graduation and five college degrees. I will post these documents soon on my blogsite. I should also soon have their verification of his military career. 

The initial key is to release this information so that it can be reviewed.

We have found (and posted) confirmation of Mark’s high school graduation, his enrollment in the College of Marin, and graduation as a history major from Dominican College. But four other post-graduate degrees that cannot be found? If these were the claimed degrees they are not persuasive.  If there are others it should be clarified. Stolen intellect is as important as valor.

Academic history is not subject to the kind of secrecy that Mark claims for his military documents. There are no prohibitions against releasing one’s own academic records. Jo Ann Richards should fulfill her promise.

The Second Key – Military Proof

The second key to credibility is to provide Mark’s military records. Jo Ann has wondered why others have not been able find Mark’s military history when she and the prison have documented it.  We have have tried, along with others.  If they are readily available it should be no problem to release that documentation.  Somehow, there is always a reason not to do it,

 

I do have copies of some of Mark’s military orders and assignments proving his involvement in top-secret operations.  – Jo Ann Richards, Midlife Magic 

 

The secrecy with Mark’s records stand in contrast to his father. This site obtained public records concerning Major Ellis Richards and have posted Ellis’s documented records. We obtained the reports relating to his serious air crash – which we even gave to Jo Ann and Mark upon their request. Although we disagree about many things that have been said about Ellis that have no evidence to support them, there is no doubt that he was a major in the Air Force and we respect his actual service.

 

 

The one document that has been provided about Mark does not establish credibility. It is a citation that purports to give a 15-year old Mark a medal for valor in Naval combat service in Vietnam. There are a number of problems with it, including Mark being underage when he supposedly was in combat and that Mark claimed he was in the army. The name is also in a different sized font and typeface.  (See Space Captain, Footnote Two.)

The National Archives has not been able to find the same kind of records pertaining to Mark that were given in regards to Ellis. Jo Ann has suggested that the problem may be because Mark is still on active duty, yet military personnel records for those on active duty do not show this. (Department of Defense Manpower Data Center.)

 

Mark, Kerry Cassidy, and others consistently encourage people to do their own research.  How can that be done if supporting information is withheld? 

 

Jo Ann has maintained that she cannot legally release personnel records pertaining to Mark, but there are no privacy or policy considerations that prevent it. If he was an army lieutenant who fought in Vietnam and transferred to the navy there should be ample public records that can be released. There is certainly nothing to prevent Mark from releasing his own records.

Mark and Jo Ann Richards Face a Choice

Endless excuses are not an answer.

Jo Ann has stated that all records are classified, but establishing that Mark flew helicopters in a war is clearly different than being part of a secret space program. Since similar portions of Ellis’s record — who is said to have engaged in deeply classified missions and headed earth security — can be documented, then nothing limits Mark from providing any records that exist.

Jo Ann has also pointed to Kevin Moore’s planned documentary as another reason why records cannot be released. This site is not affiliated with Moore. If a documentary is produced, we have always maintained that it will have to be judged on its own merits and that personal controversies are irrelevant. Any future documentary does not provide a reason to ignore the issues that were raised about Marks military and academic claims long before Moore planned his videos. If anything it should make it important that Mark establish his credentials to ward off allegations before a documentary is released.  There is no reason to sandbag.

The “Captain Mark Richards” title is central to Mark’s identity. It may be his ultimate answer to the Pendragon murder — everything that went wrong in Pendragon is recast as a Captain. It is important to his interviews with Kerry Cassidy as well as his standing in prison. Indeed, Mark could not disavow stolen valor without risking consequences in prison.

Mark’s claims to be a whistleblower blower cannot be separated from the Captain title.  Kerry and others have emphasized his military bearing or trusted his version of the Pendragon murders in part because he presents himself as an honorable captain.

This site has maintained that Mark’s claims are not true, not simply because the story defies many assumptions or discusses Raptors and aliens, but because the claim are contrary to Mark’s known history.  Mark cannot simply ask that we ignore the documented record without establishing otherwise. False academic degrees and stolen valor must be resolved if there is more to the story.  

In 2019, I stated in comments on another blog

Jo Ann and I live within a few miles of each other. If she invites me over to look at the evidence and Mark’s claims are shown to be true, I will retract what I have written on my web site , tell Kevin that he should abandon his film, and support Mark’s bid for clemency.

Joann replied that the time was not right. The offer still holds.  Jo Ann has since moved but that should not be a factor to review documents. Mark Richards holds the answer to his own credibility.^[1] We have a great deal of personal sympathy for both Mark and Jo Ann.  We do not believe in life without possibility of parole. Jo Ann appears to be sincere.  Neither sympathy or sincerity establishes credibility. 

 

Revised 6-19-2020