Regular readers of The Courant will know that each month I give readers an update on UFO reports in Alabama from the previous month, courtesy of the Mutual UFO Network. I’ve been writing these updates for several years, but for the second time this year, an entire month has passed without any UFO reports in the entire state. A search for UFO reports in Alabama between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31 on MUFON’s Web site, www.mufon.com, resulted in no reports from within our state during that time.
While the month of October was quiet across Alabama when it comes to UFO news, this past week was remarkable for one unusual of UFO-related anniversary. Tuesday of last week, Nov. 5, was the 38th anniversary of the famous “Travis Walton Incident.” That incident occurred in November 1975 near Turkey Springs, Arizona.
Walton, who is now 59 years old and occasionally appears on TV, was a 22-year-old logger when he was supposedly abducted by a glowing disc-shaped object while working as a member of a logging crew in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on Nov. 5, 1975. Five of Walton’s co-workers supposedly witnessed Walton’s body rising up in an intense beam of light. A huge police search was launched for Walton, but no trace of him was found despite the use of helicopters, jeeps and officers on horseback. Walton eventually reappeared after five days.
This case was especially interesting because four of Walton’s co-workers passed polygraph exams shortly after the incident. The examiner, who worked for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, asked if the men had harmed Walton, if they knew who harmed him, if they knew where his body was buried and if they were telling the truth about seeing a UFO. They all denied harming Walton, of knowing where he was buried and they insisted that they’d seen a UFO. All four passed the lie-detector test. (For some reason, the fifth co-worker didn’t complete his polygraph exam, which rendered the test invalid.)
All of this may sound very familiar to those of you who saw the 1993 movie, “Fire in the Sky.” Directed by Robert Lieberman, the movie was based on Walton’s experience and starred D.B. Sweeney in the role of Walton. Others in the movie included Robert Patrick and James Garner.
A couple of books have also been written about the “Travis Walton Incident.” In 1978, Walton published a book called “The Walton Experience.” Also in 1978, author Billy Barry published a book about the same incident called “The Ultimate Encounter: The True Story of a UFO Kidnapping.”
Before closing out this week, I just want to put it out there again that I would be very interested to hear from any readers of The Courant who have witnessed a UFO in Conecuh County. I think a lot of other people would be interested in hearing your story too, and I’m willing to accept your report anonymously. You can contact me by e-mail at courantsports@earthlink.net or by phone at 578-1492.
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