US airmen bought, distributed and used the hallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as part of a ring that operated undetected for months on a highly secure military base, according to air force records.

One airman said he felt paranoia, another marvelled at the vibrant colours and a third admitted: “I absolutely just loved altering my mind.”

“Although this sounds like something from a movie, it isn’t,” said Captain Charles Grimsley, the lead prosecutor of one of several courts martial.

A slip-up on social media by one airman enabled investigators to crack the drug ring at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming in March 2016.

Fourteen airmen were disciplined, of whom six were convicted in courts martial of LSD use or distribution or both.

Members of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron demonstrate their training for recapturing a Minuteman missile silo after being taken over by an intruder/attacker (Robert Burns/AP)
Members of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron demonstrate their training for recapturing a Minuteman missile silo after being taken over by an intruder/attacker (Robert Burns/AP)

None of the airmen was accused of using drugs on duty but it is another blow to the reputation of the US air force’s nuclear missile corps, which has struggled at times with misbehaviour, mismanagement and low morale.

Although seen by some as a backwater of the US military, the missile force has returned to the spotlight as President Donald Trump has called for strengthening US nuclear firepower and exchanged threats last year with North Korea.

The administration’s nuclear strategy calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending in coming decades.

The accused service members were from the 90th Missile Wing, which operates one-third of the 400 Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles that stand “on alert” 24/7 in underground silos scattered across the northern Great Plains.

The Associated Press obtained transcripts of seven courts martial proceedings and related documents through Freedom of Information Act requests over the past two years.

They provide vivid descriptions of LSD trips.

“I’m dying!” one airman is quoted as exclaiming, followed by “When is this going to end?” during a “bad trip” on LSD in February 2016 at a state park about 32 kilometres (20 miles) from FE Warren.

A portion of that episode was video-recorded by one member of the group; a transcript of the audio was included in court records.

“I felt paranoia, panic,” for hours after taking LSD, Airman 1st Class Tommy N Ashworth said under oath at his court martial.

He confessed to using LSD three times while off duty.

The first time, in the summer of 2015, shook him up.

“I didn’t know if I was going to die that night or not,” he said as a witness at another airman’s drug trial.

Others said they enjoyed the drug.

“Minutes felt like hours, colours seemed more vibrant and clear,” Airman Basic Kyle S Morrison testified.

“In general, I felt more alive.”

He became an informant for investigators and was sentenced to five months’ confinement, 15 days of hard labour and loss of 5,200 dollars in pay.

It is unclear how long before being on duty any of the airmen had taken LSD, which stands for lysergic acid diethylamide.

Although illegal in the US, it had been showing up so infrequently in drug tests across the military that in December 2006 the Pentagon eliminated LSD screening from standard drug-testing procedures.

By coincidence, the number two Pentagon official at the time, Robert Work, visited FE Warren one month before the drug investigation became public.

Work was there to assess progress in fixing problems in the missile force.

During 2013-14, the AP reported extensively on personnel, resource, training and leadership problems.

In an interview, Mr Work said he was not aware during his visit that anything was amiss at the base.

In response to AP inquiries, air force spokesman Lt Col Uriah L Orland said the drug activity took place during off-duty hours.

“There are multiple checks to ensure airmen who report for duty are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are able to execute the mission safely, securely and effectively,” he said.

Airman 1st Class Nickolos A Harris, said to be the leader of the drug ring, testified that he had no trouble getting LSD and other drugs from civilian sources.

He pleaded guilty to using and distributing LSD and using ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.

“I absolutely just loved altering my mind,” he told the judge, blaming his decisions to use drugs on his addictive personality.

Harris was sentenced to 12 months in jail and other penalties, but under a pre-trial agreement he avoided a punitive discharge.

He had set out several “rules” for LSD use at a gathering in late 2015 that was recorded on video.

Rule number one was: “No social media at all.”

He added: “No bad trips. Everybody’s happy right now. Let’s keep it that way.”

But social media proved the drug ring’s undoing.

In March 2016, one member posted a Snapchat video of himself smoking marijuana, setting air force investigators on their trail.

One of the accused, Airman 1st Class Devin R Hagarty, fled to Mexico.

“I started panicking,” he told a military judge after giving himself up and being charged with desertion.

He was sentenced to 13 months in a military jail.