What Really Happened ?
Like many age-old questions: Is there life after death, how were the pyramids built, where does the universe end, and what’s really in a Chicken McNugget? These are conundrums that philosophers and great minds of science have wrestled with for ions. In such, it’s not likely I’ll answer the Roswell question in my self-imposed 1000 word limit blog entry.
First off, I believe the earth is round. I don’t believe in ghosts or Santa Clause. I do believe our government will lie to us for our “own good”. Having said that, I want to believe there are higher life forms out there but I’ve never seen convincing evidence to the contrary. It may be presumptuous of me to assume earthlings are the end all be all, but that’s where I’m at…..today.
The Mother Ship – International UFO Museum and Research Center
Like millions of others, I begin the quest for the answer to the Roswell incident at the International UFO Museum. The museum averages 150,000 visitors per year and over 2 million people since its inception in 1991. Looking at the visitor board, it’s plain that inquisitive minds from far and wide are also seeking answers. Staff members remove these pins the last day of every month, so this represents about 3 weeks of visitors.
The museum is an open warehouse with panels around the walls. The displays form around the outer walls in a manner to follow a sequence of events. Beginning in 1947 when a sheep rancher finds scorched earth and a debris field in his pasture and ending with the Chinese invasion of cheap trinkets in the gift shop.
What happens in between is a barrage of newspaper reprints, declassified documents, telegrams and dozens of personal accounts of army personnel, relatives and people that can actually find Roswell on a map. The onslaught of you “need to believe” facts is like drinking water from a fire hose. I can hardly keep all the stories straight. My attention diverts to nearby flashy animatronics and several movie props housed in the museum. They are as much fascinating as amusing. I can just imagine these in a B rate space movies.
As the self-guided tour progresses around the room, I find I’m usually behind a crowd waiting to read what’s displayed on the wall. If I follow in a linear fashion, as designed, this would not be a problem. However, I bounce around focusing on articles and artifacts that I find interesting. Many of the framed artifacts are aged reprints of various media and I find them tough to read. The replay of a radio broadcast at the time, however, is captivating.
Roswell – The Abbreviated Story
Mack Brazel, the rancher, finds scorched earth and a debris field about 300 ft wide and 3/4 mile long in his field in Corona. He has a neighbors son working with him. They gather a couple of boxes of unknown material and take to the Sheriff in Roswell. All testify it was lightweight and indestructible.
The Sheriff calls an Army Intelligence officer at the Roswell airfield. Mack and 2 Army Intelligent officers return to the field. Meanwhile, the funeral home director receives a call from the Air Force inquiring to the number of child-sized coffins he has. The caller also inquires on how to preserve bodies exposed to elements.
As word quickly spread, Army intelligence decides to issue you a press statement informing the public of a saucer crash and recovery. The thinking that people wouldn’t go to the site if they’re told it’s already gone.
The debris gathered was seen and touched by several people as it was transported to Fort Worth then Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Many involved recall some strange hieroglyphic type writing on an I-Beam.
Alien bodies are seen by the funeral director, PX nurse and the pilot that flew them to Wright Patterson. Their testimony of the bodies is consistent: Small head, large eyes, small mouth, 4 fingers, long arms and no ear lobes.
Mysteriously the debris disappears and the original Intelligence officer was asked to pose with pieces of a weather balloon. The military reissues a press release stating it isn’t a flying saucer that crashed but is a weather balloon.
The military holds Mack, the rancher, for several days presumably for “re-education”. He remains silent on the encounter for the remainder of his life except for one cryptic remark. “They weren’t green”.
70 years later, relatives and those remotely involved retell the story and pass on 2nd and 3rd hand accounts of the events.
The Government considers the case closed and maintains it is a weather balloon that crashed.
Little Green Men
UFO and aliens are serious business in Roswell. The annual UFO festival draws 100,000 visitors in one weekend, doubles the town’s
population. Little green statues and alien representations are pitching everything from sushi to burritos to appliances and tattoos. Downtown Roswell, the touristy area, is only a few blocks long. There are several space-themed novelty shops, coffee shops, cafes, donut shop, and gallery. Quite a few shop spaces are empty with “coming soon” signs in the window so maybe more fun is on the way. Otherwise, it would take less than a day to cover most of Roswell.
If you are a believer or a conspiracy theorist you’ll find plenty of red meat to support your case. If you are a denier or agnostic there is still plenty of interesting things to see. Not unlike a trip to Disney, Roswell is a non-pretentious place to relax and let your imagination run wild.
So what happened in Roswell? After much research and deliberation, I can unequivocally say, something happened in Roswell on July 3rd, 1947. However, I think I shall tackle some of life’s other pressing questions.
“Yes, I’d like to order the 6 piece chicken McNuggets.”
When not on the road, he helps others fulfill their yearning to travel as a Membership Specialist for Thousand Trails.
