Lt. Colonel Jesse A. Marcel
U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and U.S. Air Force (USAF)

Background
Jesse Antoine Marcel was born May 27, 1907 to parents Theodule Marcel and Adelaide Bergeron Marcel in Homa, Louisiana.

Wartime History
During World War II, part of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Group (43rd BG) "Ken's Men" and by March 1944 was an intelligence officer and later became the head of intelligence. In early July 1945, Marcel returned to the United States to attend radar intelligence school at Langley Field in Virginia.

Postwar
During 1947 Marcel was the intelligence officer at Roswell Air Force Base and recovered pieces of an unidentified object in the desert.

On July 8, 1947 at Fort Worth Army Air Field Major General Roger M. Ramey held a press conference with Col. Thomas J. Dubose, his chief of staff and was photographed with wreckage recovered from Roswell, New Mexico that was claimed to be a 'flying disk' and said it was a wind forecasting device in what would become the "Roswell Incident". Major Marcel was photographed holding the wreckage.

On became part of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). In December 1948 promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel. During 1960 he left the military.

Memorials
Marcel died in 1986. He is buried at Matherne Cemetery in Houma, Louisiana.

Relatives
Viaud Abrams Marcel (wife passed away 2000)
Jesse Antoine Marcel Jr. (son passed away 2013)

References
FindAGrave - LTC Jesse Antoine Marcel Sr. (photo, grave photos, obituary)
Ken's Men Against The Empire The Illustrated History of the 43rd Bombardment Group During World War II Volume II: October 1943 to 1945 B-24 Era (2019) pages 99 (group photo), 310 (group photo), 312 (returns to USA for radar intelligence school), 452 (index Marcel)

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