We are excited to announce the relaunch of the Military Response to Jonestown, which is officially now a project of the Alternative Considerations site. The new website is managed by Aliah Mohmand, a researcher for this site, and Shannon Howard, creator of the Transmissions from Jonestown podcast and director of the November 18 Project.
The Military Response to Jonestown website was initially launched in 2019 by Dr. Preston Jones, a professor of history at John Brown University and the creator of the War and Life oral history project, together with Kim Johnson, an instructional designer. It featured video interviews with military and government personnel who participated in the humanitarian mission in Guyana, along with a selection of personal statements and other primary source documents.
The need for such a site was evident long before its first iteration. Rebecca Moore and Fielding McGehee, the co-directors of the Jonestown Institute, had noted the lack of detailed information on the United States Armed Forces’ (USAF) involvement in the repatriation of the deceased from Guyana. Much of this awareness came in the form of inquiries from individuals who participated in the mission, asking for greater recognition of, and resources on, the USAF’s involvement.
Even while recognizing that need, however, this Jonestown website was unable to accommodate it. There are tens of thousands of primary source documents, articles, transcripts, and writings by former Peoples Temple members relating to the Temple, and the presentation of those materials remained (as it does today) this site’s core function.
The separate Military Response to Jonestown website, then, has a similar function, to honor the men and women who responded to the tragedy; to provide in-depth factual information and resources on the USAF’s involvement in the largest intentional loss of American lives prior to 9/11; and to facilitate greater accessibility of primary source materials on Jonestown and Peoples Temple.
The new website mirrors nearly all of the features from the old website, including sections for interviews, primary source document collections, media coverage, photograph collections, and research. It also features unique documents, personal statements, and other resources not available elsewhere.
The greatest change to the website is the addition of transcripts and contextual notes for all interviews. Additionally, while the website’s primary focus is on the USAF’s involvement in the Jonestown aftermath, we are particularly focused on the perspectives of other involved parties, such as the Guyanese Defense Force and other U.S. government agencies.
Besides the upcoming addition of new primary source documents, we plan on creating comprehensive timelines to contextualize the military’s response to the events of November 18, 1978. In just the past three months, we have interviewed a number of military personnel whose perspectives have yet to be heard. These interviews, among others, will be transcribed and added to the website soon.
Please keep in mind that the website is in its beta stage, so certain pages and features of the website may be nonfunctional. We are currently working to improve mobile accessibility for visitors. As of November 2025, the website is best accessed on a computer browser.
In the meantime, we welcome all feedback, comments, and questions from visitors. We may be reached at militaryresponsetojonestown@gmail.com.
(Aliah Mohmand is a student with an interest in Peoples Temple. Her research has resulted in multiple projects regarding the aftermath of the Jonestown tragedy. Aliah attends Kalamazoo College, pursuing studies in History and Finance. Her full collection of articles for this site may be found here. She may be reached at aliahmohmand@gmail.com.
(Shannon Howard is a researcher, audio documentarian and collector of oral histories. Her long format documentary podcast Transmissions from Jonestown. Her collection of articles for the jonestown report may be found here. She may be reached at radiojonestown@gmail.com.)