Let The Conspiracy Theories Continue!
This week, US Air Force Reserve officials backtracked from their
earlier assertions there were no military aircraft in the vicinity
of Stephenville, TX on the night dozens of residents swear they saw
a UFO.
As it turns out, several jets were conducting training
operations nearby, reports The Dallas Morning News.
"In the interest of public awareness, Air Force Reserve Command
Public Affairs realized an error was made regarding the reported
training activity of military aircraft," said a terse statement
released Wednesday. "Ten F-16s from the 457th Fighter Squadron were
performing training operations from 6 to 8 pm, Tuesday January 8,
2008, in the Brownwood Military Operating Area (MOA), which
includes the airspace above Erath County."
As ANN reported, several
dozen people around the small north Texas town say they saw
something VERY unusual in the skies during that timeframe.
Witnesses described the UFO as being a mile long, a half-mile wide,
with several bright lights and eerily quiet.
That description doesn't match up with a Viper... and Air Force
officials remain at a loss to say what, exactly, those people saw.
Major Karl Lewis, spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint
Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, couldn't provide any
details.
"What we do down there falls under operational procedures that
cannot be released because of operations security for our mission,"
he said, adding the Air Force's official statement it had no
aircraft in the area was due to "an internal communications
error."
Meanwhile, many people remain convinced they saw something
out-of-this-world. Over 500 people attended a meeting last weekend,
hosted by the Mutual UFO Network. The group collected over 200
reports, according to the DMN... although not all of them were in
regards to the most recent sightings.
The group's Texas director, Ken Cherry, says the military's
backtracking on the jets adds to the credibility of some reports,
given by witnesses who said they saw military aircraft trailing the
unusual lights.
"We have witnesses who could clearly distinguish the difference
between an F-16 and some extraordinary craft performing in a manner
not typical of an aircraft," he said.
One of the first witnesses to come forward, Steve Allen, remains
convinced the Air Force owes him, and others, a better
explanation.
"A bunch of stuff is bubbling up," he said about Wednesday's
news. "They may have to tell us the truth."