"Paranormal Witness" The Abduction Recap PT. 2

“I was lying on the edge of the highway. I can see there was a light coming from above but before I could shift my gaze, the light went out. I could see the bottom of this craft and it shot straight up” (Travis).

Travis began to wonder where he was and began running. He could see the lights of the town in front of him and headed in that direction. Fueled by freedom, Travis mustered up as much strength as he could to go to the nearest phone booth and called his brother-in-law. During the phone call though he collapsed. His brother-in-law and brother Duane came to rescue him. Duane sat next to Travis in the back of the truck and Travis tried explaining what happened to him but he broke down.  Duane comforted him and said he didn’t need to talk and that the whole town was searching for him for days. Travis was bewildered at this. “What do you mean days?” he exclaimed.  Travis then felt his face and felt a beard grow, which confirmed he had been abducted for 5 days. “I was in a constant state of terror. The memories of what I went through, I couldn’t let it go…” Travis recalls. Shaken up by what happened to him physically and mentally, Travis was seen by a doctor in Phoenix to get him checked out. “His demeanor was compatible with going through some kind of traumatic experience,” Dr. Howard Kandell explained when treating Travis. He took many blood tests on him, including tests for drugs and alcohol. Dr Kandell detected a sign of injection on his arm.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Gillespie knew he had returned and called Duane. The sheriff insisted he needed to interview Travis and Gillespie made the trip to Phoenix himself, determined to get the answers. Travis was sitting on the couch when he arrived. “He looked like he was very tired, kind of a nervous tension,” Sheriff Gillespie recalls Gillespie asked him what happened. “I was in no condition to be interviewed about what had happened to me” Travis said. The news media caught onto Travis’ return. Duane took phone calls on his behalf and told the nosey people and reporters harassing them that he was in a hospital in Tuscon, AZ. Travis remembers fondly how his brother was his biggest supporter during that dark time in his life. “He was his strongest when I was at my weakest,” he said of his brother.  The media madness intensified as a reporter for the National Enquirer rang the doorbell and asked to interview Travis. In exchange for the story, they arranged a hotel.  “I had no concept of the ramifications of cooperating,” Travis remembers. “I was so traumatized that I was basically dealing with things inside of myself. I was at the mercy of some pretty powerful forces that had nothing to do with what I needed.” Reporters filled the room as Travis began recalling his memories of the abduction (in orange); 

“I didn’t remember anything at first. I was just overpowered by the pain. It was hot and humid. I could tell I was on a surface because of how close the ceiling and light above me were. I was struggling to breathe. There was a “curved thing” over my chest; I became aware of the sounds of movement and people bustling around. I thought I was seeing doctors, someone with a white surgical mask and cap. I recall getting out of the truck with the crew yelling at me and I figured I was hurt and the crew took me to the hospital. When my vision cleared, I flipped out. I struck out with my arm. The thing that was on my chest fell off. The fear gave me enough strength to be able to stand up. There was three of them: small, 4 feet or less, not human but intelligent and unemotional. They were coming around the table towards me. I bumped into the shelf, grabbed the biggest thing there and lashed out and yelled. The fear was over the top. The adrenaline was surging. They turned and went away. My immediate fear was they could come back. I looked to see if they were out there. They went to the right so I went to the left. As I moved down the passageway, it was curving so tightly that I couldn’t see behind me. It was a blind hysteria. I was out of control with fear and I was just thinking I gotta find a way out.I came to a door and saw a little empty room with a chair. I thought the creature would be sitting in it.When I got to the sight, I saw no one in the chair. I felt safe enough to move more into the room. I was thinking he can open the door and it would lead outside. No doorknob, no button but there was buttons on the chair. Thinking the buttons opened the door, I moved into the room and it darkened. I sat in the chair. I pushed the buttons and nothing happened. There was a lever there too. It made all the stars move together that I was seeing. I turned and saw a man standing in the doorway. I thought it was a human being. Air Force or NASA. There was something “odd” about the eyes. I was asking questions and he didn’t speak. I thought maybe it was the helmet he was wearing. I took him by the arm and I thought he was there to save me. I tried to talk to him but I gave up. I took him through some doors and stepped into a tiny space. A cool air came in this space. He wanted me to go down a ramp. I looked back and he saw that he was walking out of a craft. My eyes were adjusting to the brighter light. I didn’t know if it was a larger part of the craft or an airplane hangar. There were much more crafts in there, the disc shaped ones. I didn’t know where I was being taken. He took me through some more doors. These three people were standing there. There was something about their eyes that just seemed a little different. These were my rescuers, right? They were getting me to lie down on the table. I started to struggle. All three of them wrestled me down. I felt like I was fighting for my life. One of “them” had a plastic mask to put over my face. That was the last thing I remembered……

It was some time before he saw any of the crew members. They met up at Mike’s house.

“He was different…He didn’t act like Travis” – Steve

“He looked shook up.” – Ken

“He had a good amount of fear in his eyes…” –John

“I believed it because I saw the first part” – Steve

Once Travis told him of what happened, the crew believed he was sincere. 

The witnesses

“They were dealing with the same things I was…ridicule, suspicion. People were desperate to explain this away any way they could,” Travis recalled. His test results turned out to be normal and no signs of drugs or alcohol were traced in his body. The Sheriff thought the crew hit him on the head and Travis suffered possible hallucinations from the blow. As far as the Sheriff goes, he truly felt the department was a victim of fraud and the crew made up a whole story to fool him to cover up a crime. But what about the crew and the future? “We basically went our separate ways,” Travis said. “I took off and went off for awhile. I left the area and for years, I never talked about it.” John remembers the incident as “he most horrifying experience of my life.” Steve’s mother and brothers didn’t believe him do he left Arizona and didn’t come back. Ken showed symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and had trouble sleeping at night and looking out the window.  Meanwhile, Mike, who drove the truck, suffered years of extreme guilt for driving away from the scene the night it happened. 

In 1993, Cy asked Travis for another test. Travis was telling the truth and passed the test. 

That same year, Cy retested Allen, whose the only one whose results were inconclusive. He passed the test.

Sheriff Gillespie to this day swears it’s all a hoax and he awaits the day he waits for the real story. 

““I wish I had never gotten out of that truck. People don’t want to believe it, that’s their problem so I’m left at that,” Travis concludes. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Jane’s Notes: Dang, I have to say, I was pretty impressed by this episode! I was dreading watching it but it was really good in my opinion, and this is from someone whose VERY uncomfortable with the idea of UFO’s and aliens. I think it’s because I watched too many hyped-up Hollywood alien movies that over-exaggerate things. I do personally believe there are other intelligent life forms out there in the universe. I just don’t think it’s the big, bad ugly little green guys that Hollywood portrays. I’d like to think that aliens don’t necessarily want to harm us but rather, learn more about us…just as there are people that are studying about them. I also pictured aliens to look semi-human like us. 

I admit, my first reaction when I heard about Travis and his injection was heroin. But then I thought since heroin is a “downer” drug, another suggestion in my brain was meth, since it’s a drug that’s also injected. Since Travis worked strenuous, long hours, it would seem ideal for an individual to take meth to stay alert and awake. But the more Travis told his story, the more sincere I felt he was and some of the times, he had a look in his eyes that would send me chills. I think the reason I feel they are sincere is 1. Cy, who was very skeptical of the test even admitted that the men were telling the truth. And 2. I am all too familiar with the doubts people throw at you when you explain to them the supernatural; in my case though, it was encounters from ghosts/entities that I experienced. My experiences weigh on my mind and changed the way I feel about certain things and aspects of life. I have been ridiculed many, many times and laughed at and it does hurt a little. But I know what I experienced and like Travis said, if people don’t want to believe, that’s their issue.

I spent some time researching online and came across some pretty neat sites about this topic. There is Travis Walton’s official site, which is pretty basic and to the point and can be found here. They also include a page dedicated to the rest of the crew. Travis himself (just from what I can judge by the way he speaks and writes) seems to be a pretty straight-forward man. There’s also a site I looked up called UFO Evidence which provides “scientific study of the UFO phenomenon and the search for Extraterrestrial Life” (taken from the site which can be found here). It is a thorough, very detailed site that’s perfect for someone like me who doesn’t have a whole lot of knowledge on this subject. The writers have also published various documents on the Travis Walton case. Click the following links to read the following; 

• The Travis Walton Abduction Case 
• The Travis Walton Abduction Case II 
• Cy Gilson Polygraph Test of Travis Walton 
• UFO Casebook: Travis Walton Abduction 

Of course, Hollywood had to grab a bite of the action and make a movie out of it, which is called “Fire From The Sky” and was released in 1993.   

  

While I still will hide under a table  with the dog if I ever see a UFO, I can respect those that are legitimately sincere in their interest, study and research about it. What do you guys think of all this? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 Picture Credit: Syfy, Zap2It, Travis Walton Site

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"Paranormal Witness" The Abduction Recap PT. 1

The story of an alleged alien abduction is told by the people who were involved. 

“Before you judge this, take a look at the facts. The facts speak for themselves”

Travis Walton was a young, single 22-year-old rebel living out of Snowflake, Arizona. He was a fearless man that spent his time bullriding, boxing, and riding his bike. He was also a working man and was part of a group of men that were dubbed “The Loggers” and would do lumberjack work in the rural areas of the town. The Loggers crew was led by Mike Rogers and his team consisted of Travis, John, Kenny, Steve, Dwayne and Allen. They were assigned to work through the woods of the Sitgraves National Forest and they all worked long, strenuous hours from dawn until dusk. Most of the guys got along well with each other but Allen and Travis weren’t too fond of each other. Allen would cut down the trees and they would land next to Travis…but Travis gave him a look that would let him know to watch it. Other than that, the crew worked hard together.   

Another day at work

It was a normal workday on November 5, 1975 when the sun set. Mike was packing up all the gear and the boys, tired and weary, climbed in the truck to head home. During the drive, the boys were joking around and talking about girls and partying when they see a glowing light in the distance within the trees. They assumed it was a bright moon but they noticed the moon was already risen above the forest.  “It’s not fitting…it doesn’t look quite right,” Travis recalls. The men drove over to where the light was and Travis got out of the truck to run towards the glow. The men were shocked at what they saw; 

“It was a clearly defined metallic object hovering less than 100 ft. away!” (Travis)

“It was a light I’ve never seen before and haven’t seen since….” (Mike)

“It had panels that were lighted. It was beautiful…” (Ken)

“It was pretty beautiful, like a brand new corvette! Terrifying but beautiful!”  (John)

Flashing lights....

All the sudden, a piercing, bright blue light shot out and “zapped” Travis in the chest, causing him to fly back and hit the ground. The guys screamed, terrified that their friend died before their own eyes. The guys, fearing their own lives, left the location and drove down the rural road, panicked and arguing over what they saw and what to do next. The guys stopped the truck, trying to recollect what just had happened and debating whether or not to go back to the spot where Travis was to collect his body. They decided to go back to the spot where the UFO and Travis were and to their shock, Travis’ body was missing. Guilt and shame set in and the guys broke down as they realized that they left Travis’ dead body behind and now he was gone. Now they had to debate whether or not to call law enforcement to report their friend is missing. But how would they explain to the police what they saw? Would the police even believe them? They took the chance and contacted the Sheriff’s department. 

Marlin Gillespie, who was the Sheriff at the time, was called out to the scene and asked the guys what had happened.  While Sheriff Gillespie did take note that they did look fearful, he suspect that as the guys talked about the UFO and Travis, that they were just partiers that were loaded on drugs and alcohol. Sheriff Gillespie relayed this information to Ken Coplan, the assistant Sheriff. Both thought that the UFO story was used as a cover-up of a crime that was committed. The next day, the deputies conducted a search party to search for a body or injured individual in the area. About 60 men were called upon the search.

Upon the search, Mike noticed that the volunteer members had Geiger machines with them to test for radiation. The guys asked the volunteers to run the machine over them and they came out clean. Then they remembered they were in fresh, changed clothes. They then checked the hard hats. The needle on the machine spiked drastically and the volunteers left. The guys asked the cops who the volunteers were and even the cops had no idea.  

Search Party

On Friday November 7^th the second day of the search, the Sheriff’s department had a helicopter that circled wide area. The sheriff also searched abandoned warehouses and cabins. The Deputy Sheriff took the case seriously but the Assistant Sheriff didn’t take it seriously. He kept antagonizing the guys to tell him the truth. He talked about the repercussions about what would happen if the body wasn’t found. The next day , the news had spread worldwide and the department was getting blown up with phone calls and messages about the case. Most of the calls were in regards to the rumors of a UFO.

On Sunday, it was the 4^th day of the search and there was still no trace of Travis. That’s when the guys started getting accused from murder. Meanwhile, Deputy Gillespie approached the guys and asked them if they wanted to take a lie detective test. On Monday, as the men were going to the department, the media had a field day with news reports and photographers hovering the suspect men and asked them about the UFO and of a possible murder. Cy Gilson was going to conduct the tests:  Cy at the time was a top rated polygraph examiner in the state of Arizona. Cy gave them a brief idea of what they were going to do and how he was going to conduct the questions. The guys realized then that they were being questioned about murder and not a UFO. They all felt that the guys were going to get set up but they still agreed to take the test. Sheriff Gillespie was confident that the test results would solve the mystery that day. Steve was the first one to be tested. Cy figured since he was the youngest, he would be more willing to confess. Steve was nervous to the point where he felt his nerves would flunk him. Cy explained his tests had 92-97% accuracy and he would not tell the guys the results of the test. All the men were tested. But in an interesting turn, when Allen was tested, he wasn’t cooperative. He was moving his arms so the needles would deflect and because of that, no determination could be made with him. The testing took all day and into the evening. Cy looked over his results and wanted to view the results with another examiner. 

Truth or lies?

When the guys were waiting for the results, Cy walked passed them and they demanded the results. Cy said he would not disclose the results. This did not please the men and as they kept on demanding and pressuring Cy to give them the results, Cy caved in and told them “as far as I can see, y’all are telling the truth”. Cy went home but he was stunned. “I don’t think it’s even possible for 5 of those individuals to ask the same questions and beat me at my game,” Cy explained. Cy relayed this information to Sheriff Gillespie, who was stunned when he asked about the UFO and realized the men had passed. But there still was no sign of Travis. 

Meanwhile, five hours later; Travis’s brother-in-law receives a phone call from Travis……

(to be continued...)

Jane's Notes: This episode is actually an hour and a half long, hence why I decided to divide up into two parts. I'll post the second part either tonight or tomorrow morning. I will say this...first of all, I was DREADING this recap because while ghosts and spectres don't scare me, my skin crawls at the sight of aliens and UFO's. I HATE anything having to do with aliens, UFO's, abductions, etc. I know, it's wierd, right? You'd think I'd be all over this and would be the first to step in a UFO but NO. There are just some things that make me go; 

But all in all, I braved through the episode and it wasn't too bad actually. I actually am looking forward to seeing what happens next (I didn't watch it all through, God bless DVR). I'm also more curious as to who the "mystery volunteers" were. I'll definitely do some more digging on this so stay tuned for the next recap!

Picture Credit: Syfy

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