#1 Most Credible UFO Sighting
26-28 December 1980, Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, UK
The Rendlesham Forest UFO sighting(s) occurred over a three night period the last week of December 1980 outside Bentwaters Air Base in the UK. The objects were seen each night by multiple USAF personnel, many of them security police officers, with the best known/documented being the sighting of 27 Dec. This event was witnessed by a number of personnel, including the deputy base commander, Lt. Col. Charles Halt. Using a portable tape recorder, Halt recorded his observations real time during the sighting. He later submitted an official report of the sighting to the UK Ministry of Defence. (See attachments for details.)
As with most UFO cases, a number of possible explanations have been offered over the years including revolving lights from a nearby lighthouse, meteors, and various hoax theories. While all these purposed explanations might offer at least a possible explanation for aspects of the sightings/reports, none appear to answer the total series of events that went on over those three nights. As to what was actually seen, investigators and researchers have opined, among other explanations, alien spacecraft, a time machine from our own future, travel by inter-dimensional beings, and classified military projects. The official positions of the US and UK governments are the objects/lights remain unknown.
The Rendlesham Incident has taken something of a beating over the past several years due to the apparent disingenuous efforts of a couple of the men who claimed to have taken part in the sightings. One of them waited a number of years to go public with a claim of having received a "binary coded" message when he touched one of the objects. This claim has been received with great scepticism. Another of the more visable/vocal experiencers turned out to have been a fraud, forcing a veteran UFO author/investigator to disavow the book he wrote with this individual. There is also a degree of ill will among some of the experiencers toward one another that comes out during interviews, conferences, and book/articles.
It's hard to believe this incident occurred over 35 years ago. Still, in my mind the Rendlesham incident continues to be the most credible of all modern UFO cases. Multiple sightings by a number of believable witnesses, including a senior USAF officer who officially documented the encounter, and no efforts by the US or UK government to discount the sightings. In all likelihood, there were nuclear weapons on the base, a known interest area for UFOs. It is also noteworthy Lt. Col. Halt was promoted to full Colonel, in spite of his part in the Rendlesham Incident. For years the conventional wisdom was the reporting of a UFO by a military officer was a career killer.
It would be be a great thing for ufology if all those who were involved would get together to work out their issues. They are not getting any younger, hopefully they can come together and put together a complete picture of what happened.
26-28 December 1980, Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, UK
The Rendlesham Forest UFO sighting(s) occurred over a three night period the last week of December 1980 outside Bentwaters Air Base in the UK. The objects were seen each night by multiple USAF personnel, many of them security police officers, with the best known/documented being the sighting of 27 Dec. This event was witnessed by a number of personnel, including the deputy base commander, Lt. Col. Charles Halt. Using a portable tape recorder, Halt recorded his observations real time during the sighting. He later submitted an official report of the sighting to the UK Ministry of Defence. (See attachments for details.)
As with most UFO cases, a number of possible explanations have been offered over the years including revolving lights from a nearby lighthouse, meteors, and various hoax theories. While all these purposed explanations might offer at least a possible explanation for aspects of the sightings/reports, none appear to answer the total series of events that went on over those three nights. As to what was actually seen, investigators and researchers have opined, among other explanations, alien spacecraft, a time machine from our own future, travel by inter-dimensional beings, and classified military projects. The official positions of the US and UK governments are the objects/lights remain unknown.
The Rendlesham Incident has taken something of a beating over the past several years due to the apparent disingenuous efforts of a couple of the men who claimed to have taken part in the sightings. One of them waited a number of years to go public with a claim of having received a "binary coded" message when he touched one of the objects. This claim has been received with great scepticism. Another of the more visable/vocal experiencers turned out to have been a fraud, forcing a veteran UFO author/investigator to disavow the book he wrote with this individual. There is also a degree of ill will among some of the experiencers toward one another that comes out during interviews, conferences, and book/articles.
It's hard to believe this incident occurred over 35 years ago. Still, in my mind the Rendlesham incident continues to be the most credible of all modern UFO cases. Multiple sightings by a number of believable witnesses, including a senior USAF officer who officially documented the encounter, and no efforts by the US or UK government to discount the sightings. In all likelihood, there were nuclear weapons on the base, a known interest area for UFOs. It is also noteworthy Lt. Col. Halt was promoted to full Colonel, in spite of his part in the Rendlesham Incident. For years the conventional wisdom was the reporting of a UFO by a military officer was a career killer.
It would be be a great thing for ufology if all those who were involved would get together to work out their issues. They are not getting any younger, hopefully they can come together and put together a complete picture of what happened.
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