The announcement did little to satisfy residents of Texas dairy country who swear that what they saw in the sky Jan. 8 was no airplane. Some said it even bolstered their claims, because several people reported seeing at least two fighter jets chasing an object. (Getty Images/AP Photo)
Military Reverses Itself, Says F-16s Were in Texas Area Where Residents Reported Seeing UFO
By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas – Fighter jets were training nearby the night dozens of Stephenville-area residents reported seeing a UFO this month, Air Force Reserve officials said Wednesday, backtracking on earlier statements.
The announcement did little to satisfy residents of Texas dairy country who swear that what they saw in the sky Jan. 8 was no airplane. Some said it even bolstered their claims, because several people reported seeing at least two fighter jets chasing an object.
“This supports our story that there was UFO activity in that area,” said Kenneth Cherry, the Texas director of the Mutual UFO Network, which took more than 50 reports from locals at a meeting last weekend. “I find it curious that it took them two weeks to ‘fess up. I think they’re feeling the heat from the publicity.”
Officials at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth initially said none of their planes had been in the area, but on Wednesday they said 10 F-16s were there that day. The officials said they were mistaken and wanted to set the record straight “in the interest of public awareness.”
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the base, declined to comment on the nature of the military training or say whether it took place on other days.
Lewis had said earlier this month that residents might have seen an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes and reflections from the setting sun. On Wednesday, he said he should not have speculated about the reported sightings.
From well-respected business owners to a county constable, several dozen people say they saw a flying object that was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said its lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane.
“I guarantee that what we saw was not a civilian aircraft,” Steve Allen, a pilot and freight company owner, said Wednesday.
The planes’ training area in the Brownwood Military Operating Area includes Stephenville’s Erath County, but Allen said it does not include the airspace where he saw the object. Also, Jan. 8 was not the only day sightings were reported.
5 responses so far ↓
Rich Hill // January 25, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Why are we assuming they were being chased and not escorted? How many UFO’s were seen that resembled the Stealth fighter before it went public in Iraq 1990? Why are the majority of encounters around military bases (US West and Brussles, Belgium)?
wil // January 25, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I thought initial reports said no jets in area?
*gets his pie pan on string at end of long stick out to play with in front of unsuspecting windows*
dobropet // January 25, 2008 at 8:52 pm
There were no jets in the area. Have already questioned several people in the area, as I have some family in said vicinity. Of course military bases are those high sightings area, why would they tout simple non-defensive structures? Testing the integrity and response of these bases is probably the alterior motive, how else would you plan to take over an instillation if you knew nothing of their capabilities? Interesting, isn’t it? Testing the atmosphere for aggressive reactions, a noble cause to verify what actions need to be taken in the event of a take-over. Seriously, numerous people witnessed these things, discounting them as mistaken indentity does not account for the reports.
pjwalker911 // January 26, 2008 at 1:30 am
Rich you’re asking the right questions. At least on this issue. But we aren’t necessarily talking about conventional aircraft here. A pilot and a sheriff both claim the things were glowing orange (like plasma) and doing fantastic maneuvers at several thousand miles and hour. There are more than one level of black projects underway at any given time and that goes for clearances too. The commander of an air base is not necessarily cleared on these projects for example. The military elite know to let people speculate and allow disinfo to fill the air just to keep everybody confused about what is really going on. One segment of the population takes up the ET theory while others accept the mundane explanation. Neither of which are true with regard to the deeper black projects that go deeper than mere stealth technology which is just for public consumption.
fredtowne // February 3, 2008 at 9:25 am
Stealth technology is old news. Most people don’t realize how old technology is by the time it goes public. I had a friend that served in WWII on a submarine and he said they had internet and fax machines during the war. In the early 1990’s while I was serving in an infantry unit in the army, we started using the “SINGAR” radios, which jump multiple frequencies per second, making interception of messages almost impossible. The strange thing was that the patent date and classification on those radios (probably totally out of date now) was like 1972. The technology that is in use today in some of the “black programs” almost certainly exceeds our imaginations and would probably scare the heck out of all of us. After reading some very outlandish claims and stories by people claiming to be in such programs and the wierd ways in which they all died, I’m inclined to think we are messing with alot of technology that could kill us all. Just an idea of how bad it is… read “Demon in the Freezer” which is non-fiction and only talks about the microbes we have in this world, not to mention anti matter, other deminsional possibilities. These “black programs” are black, evil, unchecked, unlimited in capabilities and funds, and will most likely be the death of us all.