Several witnesses who were actually at Bentwaters failed to see these 'beams'.
As previously mentioned, I participated in a documentary with the following splendid fellow.
This was the instigation of same.
From my archives, raw, can't reformat the damn thing and possibly never published before...
You must, as always, make your own judgement!
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Subject: Rendlesham Forest Indident
Date: 05 April 2001 17:00
Dear Mr. Easton:
I'm a retired USAF SMSgt. Last night I had some time on my hands, and was
surfing the net looking for Web sites on airbases that I had served on
during my USAF career. One of those bases was RAF Bentwaters. I was amazed
to find a couple of Web sites describing a UFO incident at Bentwaters during
my tour. Shocked actually, when you consider what I know about these
so-called incidents! One of the web sites had an article by you.
I was a Security Policeman at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge from mid 1978 to mid
1981. I arrived at Bentwaters as a SSgt, and departed as a TSgt. I was a
law enforcement specialist. While there I worked as a patrolman, desk
sergeant, assistant flight chief, flight chief, training NCO, and QA
evaluator.
During the time that of incident I will recount occured, 1st Lt. Bruce
Englund was my Flight Commander. He figures into one of the accounts you
investigated. I also remember a Lt Col who was a bit of a cop buff, and
used to ride along with the law enforcement patrols on a regular basis. As
I remember he was either the Vice Wing Commander, or worked for the Wing
Commander. He must be the Lt Col Halt mentioned.
I can provide copies of my APR's (Airman's Performance Reports) if asked, to
validate the dates and positions in which I served at RAF Bentwaters.
Bentwaters was not a large base. An incident such as described in some of
the Web sites I found could not have occurred with out the knowledge of a
majority of the base population. It certainly could not have happened with
out my knowledge. I was cop on the base at the time! Even if I were not
directly involved, I would have known that 'something' happened!
My wife is also a retired SMSgt, and she also remembers no such incident at
RAF Bentwaters.
That does not mean that there were no UFO incidents at RAF Bentwaters.
There were two that I was personally involved in.
Both incidents occurred on the back gate of Woodbridge. This gate was open
during the day, and for brief periods during the night for shift change.
Woodbridge was mostly housing, and we would open the gate during shift
change so folks could come and go between home and job during shift change.
The gate sits out at the end of the runway at Woodbridge. It is isolated,
dark, surrounded by woods, and a little lonely.
One night the guard on the gate saw something in the air off the end of the
runway. I don't remember the guard's name. He was young, new at the time,
and as I remember he can be best described as skinny, goofy, and more than a
little bit gullible.
I was the Law Enforcement patrol on Woodbridge, and was sent out to check
into what he saw. What I saw was a bright object floating on the horizon
off the end of the Woodbridge runway. As best as I can remember that would
be to the Southeast. The object appeared to be flashing red-green-white.
The object just seemed to float there.
At first I thought it was an aircraft on final approach, as it was in the
direction that landing aircraft would come from. We called into the desk
and had them check with base operations. Base operations told us that there
were no aircraft on final, and no aircraft on radar. We continued to puzzle
over it until a pilot driving through the gate stopped and told us that what
we were looking at was the planet Mars.
The pilot was an amateur astronomer. At the time we were amused and a
little embarrassed. I have also dabbled in amateur astronomy in the last
few years, and am absolutely positive that what I saw that night was Mars.
The flashing we saw was caused by atmospheric interference between us and
what we were looking at. This is same effect that causes stars to appear to
twinkle. As for the colors, there's a reason they call Mars the red planet.
On many a clear night I have seem the same twinkling red object, both with
the naked eye and my Meade ETX telescope.
So much for the first incident.
Cops have a tendency towards practical jokes. Practical jokes are a
tradition in the Security Police that at times approaches the status of high
art.
I few nights after the 'Mars Incident' I pulled a rather good one on the
same gate guard. It was during an exercise, so I was not alone, as was
normal for the Woodbridge Law Enforcement patrol. As I remember there were
three of us.
Like I said, the back gate at Woodbridge is out all by itself at the end of
the runway. Just before you got to the gate there were a couple of
revetments surrounded by high dirt berms. These berms would hide anything
in them from the gate guard's view.
It was dark, and a little foggy. I shut off my headlights and drove my
patrol car into one of those revetments. We stuck several military issue
flashlights out of the windows, pointing upwards. We simply pointed the
flashlights upwards and rolled up the windows to hold them in position.
These military flashlights come with several different color lenses in a
screw on compartment on the end of the light. These lenses come in red,
amber, blue, green and a white opaque color. Most of us carried spare
flashlights with us, so we could stick several flashlights out the windows
with different colored lenses.
Leaving my headlights off I turned on the overheads lights, which on
American cop cars are red and blue. We then proceeded to drive the car in
slow circles while making weird noises over the PA system. Remember, there
was a light fog, which was the key to the joke's success, as each light
appeared in the fog as a moving beam of light.
The kid on the gate freaked. The response to his call for help was quite
gratifying. Since I was the patrolman on Woodbridge at the time, I was
detailed to respond to the gate guard's call. We just shut off the lights,
and waited a little while to make the kid think we were coming from the main
part of Woodbridge before rolling up to the gate to see what was wrong.
This was one of the more successful and hysterical practical jokes I
participated in during my eleven years as a cop. One thing; I frankly don't
remember if we ever told the guy what really happened.
I had no idea this little prank had blown up to this magnitude, and it is
logical to assume that this joke was the seed that started the whole thing.
This happened more than 20 years a go, and the more I think of it the more
details I remember. For one thing, the original 'incident' might have gone
one for a couple of days. In other words, the mysterious flashing light
might have been visible for a couple of days before it was identified as
Mars.
For another, I although I remember pulling the stunt, it was one of my
better ones, so it sticks in my memory, I don't remember exactly how much
trouble my UFO actually caused. In those days the USAF had two different
AFSC's (Air Force Specialty Codes) in the Security Police, Law Enforcement
(812X0) and Security (811X0). The Law Enforcement and Security functions
were in the same squadron, but operated pretty much independently. Law
Enforcement had an LE Desk on one part of the base, while Security had two
CSC's (Central Security Control), one on Bentwaters, and one on Woodbridge.
Law Enforcement and Security used separate radio frequencies, although all
our radios had the ability to switch between all LE and Security radios. It
is entirely possible that Security sent an SRT (Security Response Team) out
to check on my UFO.
Of the three names mentioned, Burroughs, Cabansag and Penniston, only
Cabansag is remotely familiar to me. This would be understandable if they
were security troops, as I was not familiar with many of the lower ranking
security folks, and I'm terrible with names anyway. The fact that one of
these guys was armed with an M-16 is further indication that he was
security, as Law Enforcement was armed only with .38 caliber revolvers.
One thing is certain. I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters at the time, and in
a position to know any and all weird incidents that may have occurred.
The only UFO incidents that occurred during my tour were ones I participated
in. The only alien that landed was Mrs. Conde's little boy Kevin.
This is the truth, the details are the best I can remember after more than
20 years, and I'll take a polygraph on that.
Kevin Conde
SMSgt, USAF (Ret)
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