| While
some witnesses of the event have appeared on various
radio and tv shows to give their first hand accounts
of what they experienced in 1965, the majority of
those with whom I have spoken with, request to remain
out of the public eye for various reasons. Many of
the witnesses were children or teenagers at the time
of the occurrence, and later went on in life to become
professional individuals such as teachers, engineers,
and police officers. Unfortunately, many Kecksburg
witnesses have passed away, including some key witnesses
during 2006.
What
I found so fascinating over the years was how the
details of the case began to piece together. So many
of those involved didn't know each other at that time,
and most still don't even today. Many of these witnesses
were able to verify certain details and experiences
from that time, which they couldn't have known if
they weren't at the scene. What the object was that
fell that day in 1965 still remains a mystery. Whatever
the object was, before it fell from the sky, it was
observed by many witnesses moving relatively slow,
and described by some, as moving along at about the
speed of a small aircraft on approach to an airport.
The
object changed direction along it's flight path, and
made what appeared to be a slow descent as it fell
into the woods and impacted. We now know that after
the object fell that afternoon around 4:47 P.M., a
number of individuals independently headed for the
woods to look for whatever had fallen, and came across
the strange device. Later a search team of volunteer
firemen also located the impact site. That was before
the military arrived on the scene, and cordoned off
the area. According to various accounts, during the
evening armed military personnel prevented civilians
from getting near the downed object.
Several
witnesses who were independently interviewed, described
observing down in the wooded ravine, a large metallic
acorn shaped object, with odd hieroglyphic symbols
on the back end or raised ring section of the device.
The entire object appeared to be one solid piece of
metal, comprised of an off gold color. The device
appeared seamless, and without rivets.
As
news of the incident was spread that evening by the
area radio and tv news outlets, hundreds of curiosity
seekers found their way into the Kecksburg area. Also
among the crowds were state police, Mount Pleasant
Township auxiliary police, volunteer fire fighters,
newspaper, radio, and tv news reporters and crews,
many of whom also verified the military presence.
It was about 1 A.M. on December 10th, when witnesses
watched a military flat bed tractor trailer truck
carry a tarpaulin covered acorn shaped object away
from the area at a high rate of speed.
In
the summer of 1990, I was approached by a man with
impeccable credentials, who told me that he was a
member of an Air Force security team, that guarded
the object from Pennsylvania, when it arrived at Lockbourne
Air Force base near Columbus, Ohio. The object arrived
at the base during the early morning hours of December
10th, and was only there for a short stay over before
continuing on to Wright-Patterson Air Force base.
Where the object is located at today is unknown.
The
day after the incident, the official explanation from
the government was that nothing had fallen into the
Kecksburg woods, that witnesses had only observed
a bright meteor. That sure doesn't explain the broken
and knocked over trees seen at the impact site by
independent witnesses after the object had fallen.
Young John Hays, who lived near the crash site, and
who had watched a lot of military activity around
his home on Thursday evening, knew those woods very
well. John and his siblings played in those woods
daily. He had been in that section of the woods earlier
that same day and all was normal. When he went into
the woods on Friday, and saw the fresh tree damage,
he was convinced that something had struck the trees
as it was descending.
My
search to find answers to the Kecksburg mystery continues
today. I maintain an open mind as to the origin of
the object. There have been a number of individuals
who have contacted me over the years all who claim
that they have information or knowledge as to the
origin of the object which fell near Kecksburg. Among
the many explanations that have been provided were
a projectile fired from a giant gun, a missile, a
meteorite, a Soviet ICBM, satellite,or Venus space
probe, and an extra-terrestrial spacecraft. No definitive
evidence has been brought forth to verify any of these
possibilities.
In
recent years, additional new information continues
to surface. Even today, while some people are more
willing to discuss their involvement with the Kecksburg
incident, there are many others who remain reluctant
to talk about their involvement with the 1965 case.
One aspect of the case which now appears verifiable,
concerns information that there continued to be some
military and government activity in the woods around
the impact site on Friday, December 10th, the day
after the object fell, and was apparently recovered.
Both
newspaper accounts, and numerous witnesses which I
have interviewed, confirm this activity. John Hays
recalls a man in the woods the day after the incident.
John and his brother went into the woods to investigate,
and ran into the stranger who was carrying some type
of instrument. The man told the boys that they should
get out of the woods since there was the possibility
of radiation. Men in white moon suits, were seen at
the site on Thursday evening and on Friday.
The
December 10, 1965, edition of the Pittsburgh Press,
carried a story about the incident and it was stated,
"Meanwhile, scientists, and Army and Air Force
officials resumed a search today for a smoldering
object reported to have fallen in a wooded area-Kecksburg
in Westmoreland County." The closest local newspaper
to Kecksburg which also carried a story, was the Mount
Pleasant Journal. The December 17, 1965, edition of
the Mount Pleasant Journal carried a story with the
following headline, "Many Questions Still Unanswered,"
"Mystery Surrounds Area's Fallen Object."
In the story referring to Friday's activities it was
stated, "At dawn, searchers resumed their work.
By Friday evening, the area had been thoroughly scoured
by police, military authorities, scientists with geiger
counters, and other volunteers." So if nothing
had fallen into the woods on Thursday, as the Friday
morning news had reported, and witnesses had only
seen a bright meteor in the sky that night, why would
the military still be searching the wooded area? Were
these teams looking for other residue left behind
around the impact area?
Another
detail of the case which is now confirmed, is that
there were two military flat bed tractor trailer trucks
around the Kecksburg site that Thursday evening. The
first flat bed vehicle left earlier that evening carrying
a tarp covered horizontal load of material. What was
being hauled away on that military vehicle is not
known. At about 1 A.M. , the other tractor trailer
truck with the covered acorn shaped object, departed
from the Kecksburg area at a high rate of speed traveling
down Kecksburg Hill, and traveling past the Pepsi
plant on it's way to Ohio.
Now
41 years after the incident, the local community appears
to be very supportive of their local UFO mystery,
and many want to know what the object was that fell
there in 1965. Today when traveling through Kecksburg,
you will find a new permanent monument of the Kecksburg
UFO mockup displayed behind the Kecksburg Volunteer
Fire Department. The newly refurbished model was originally
created in 1990 for the Unsolved Mysteries TV show,
when they filmed their season premiere on the Kecksburg
UFO case. The Kecksburg V.F.D. UFO & Festival
Committee is still working on developing the Kecksburg
UFO monument, and more work will be completed in 2007.
The new UFO monument which is illuminated at night,
continues to draw much attention.
According
to Leslie Kean, (CFi) Coalition of Freedom of Information,
Director of Investigations, the lawsuit which she
filed on December 9, 2003, seeking disclosure of NASA
records on the Kecksburg, PA UFO incident is still
pending. The CFi is currently still waiting for the
judge to rule on the NASA lawsuit.
If
you have any information on the Kecksburg incident,
I would appreciate hearing from you. For additional
information on the Kecksburg UFO incident, please
visit my web site at: www.stangordon.com and the CFi
web site at: www.freedomofinfo.org.
Stan
Gordon |
