Bentwaters and Woodbridge Incidents 1/2
James Easton
Welcome to the latest issue of the newsletter.
CONTENTS
1. The Bentwaters and Woodbridge Incidents.
This newsletter is concerned with only one topic - recent
developments in the RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge case.
O0O~O0O~O0O~O0O~O0O
The Bentwaters and Woodbridge Incidents.
The events which occurred just after Christmas 1980 at the
twin-base complex of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in
Suffolk, England, are one of the UK's most enduring mysteries.
The American bases located on British soil were an important
component of NATO's front-line defences.
At approximately 3 a.m. on the morning of 26 December, 1980, a
security patrol at the 'east gate' sentry point on RAF
Woodbridge, noticed unfamiliar lights in Rendlesham forest,
which adjoined the Woodbridge base.
The ensuing investigation by Staff-Sergeant (SSgt) Jim
Penniston, Airman 1st Class John Burroughs and Airman Ed
Cabansag, all with the 81st Security Police Squadron (SPS),
led to later publicised claims from Burroughs and Penniston
that they had encountered an unidentified object which
manoeuvred through the forest.
During the late evening and early hours of 27th/28th December,
further reports of 'strange lights' resulted in the Deputy
Base Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Halt, forming a
team to investigate.
Amongst those known to have accompanied Halt were Lieutenant
Bruce Englund, the Duty Flight Lieutenant, Sergeant Monroe
Nevilles from Disaster Preparedness Operations and Master-
Sergeant [MSgt] Bobby Ball, a shift commander from the 81st
SPS.
Also possibly in Halt's party were Major Malcolm Zickler,
Chief of Base Security and Captain Mike Verano, the Day Shift
Commander.
Sometime around 11.00 p.m., they entered Rendlesham forest and
examined the area where Penniston and Burroughs claimed to
have seen the 'strange lights'.
Halt's party took radiation readings from possible 'landing
marks' which had been identified after the first incident,
proceeded through the forest where they saw a 'strange
flashing red light' plus other perceived phenomena, and headed
due east through farmland.
At this point, the most momentous event of that night was
documented on the microcassette recorder which Halt had taken
with him. The recording was later made public and a transcript
reads:
HALT: 3:05. At about ten degrees, horizon, directly north,
we've got two strange objects, er, half moon shape, dancing
about, with colored lights on 'em. At, er, guess to be about
five to ten miles out, maybe less. The half moons have now
turned into full circles as though there was an eclipse or
something there for a minute or two.
HALT: 03:15. Now we've got an object about 10 degrees directly
south, 10 degrees off the horizon. And the ones to the north
are moving. One's moving away from us.
1ST VOICE: Moving out fast.
2ND VOICE: This one on the right's heading away, too.
HALT: They're both heading north. Hey, here he comes from the
south, he's coming toward us now.
HALT: Now we're observing what appears to be a beam coming
down to the ground.
SHOUT IN BACKGROUND: [Unclear - possibly 'colors!' or 'take
cover!']
HALT: This is unreal.
At 0400, Halt's last remarks were, "One object still hovering
over Woodbridge base at about five to ten degrees off the
horizon, still moving erratic and similar lights and beaming
down as earlier".
One possible explanation is that stars were being mistaken for
moving aerial objects. However, it seems clear from the actual
tape that the first and second 'voices' are different and
added to Halt's observations, means that if stars were being
inadvertently assumed to be rapidly moving, then three people
had an identical optical aberration at the same time.
There's also the acute point that one of the 'celestial'
objects was observed and documented at the time to have not
only accelerated from the south, it sent down a beam of light
close to Halt's group.
During 1998, Halt was interviewed by American journalist AJS
(Salley) Rayl and elaborated:
"We've crossed the farmer's field past his house and across
the road, stumbled through a small stream and went out into a
large ploughed field. Somebody noticed several objects in the
sky to the north - three objects clearly visible with
multiple-colored lights on them. The objects appeared
elliptical and then they turned full round, which I thought
was quite interesting. All three doing that. They were
stationary for awhile and then they started to move at high
speed in sharp angular patterns as though they were doing a
grid search. About that same time, somebody noticed the south,
a similar object, it was round - did not change shape - and at
one point it appeared to come toward us at a very high speed.
It stopped overhead and sent down a small pencil-like beam,
sort of like a laser beam. It was an interesting beam in that
it stayed - it was the same size all the way down the beam. It
illuminated the ground about ten feet from us and we just
stood there in awe wondering whether it was a signal, a
warning, or what it was. We really didn't know."
"It clicked off as though someone threw a switch, and the
object receded, back up into the sky".
"Then it moved back toward Bentwaters and continued to send
down beams of light, at one point near the weapons storage
facility. We knew that, because we could hear the chatter on
the radio".
An incredible tale and somewhat disconcerting as the weapons
storage facility has long been rumoured to have housed nuclear
weapons.
The apparent intrusion was never solved by Halt and at a
subsequent staff meeting of the Third Air Force, he was
informed that as the incidents occurred on British soil, it
was a matter for the Ministry of Defence.
In 1993, American researcher Robert Todd, obtained a copy of
Halt's memo to the MoD, under the US Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA).
The Ministry have clarified in writing to myself and others
that they did investigate the affair and found nothing which
was 'of defence significance'. One reason cited is that
considerable time had elapsed between the incidents and
receiving Halt's brief memo.
There seems to be no evidence that Halt's memo resulted in a
thorough enquiry by the Ministry and Halt has expressed his
bewilderment that he didn't even receive an acknowledgement
from them.
Although some witnesses to both night's events have come
forward with their accounts since 1980, missing from the
contemporary evidence was a testimony from anyone who was on
duty in the weapons storage area (WSA) that night.
Until now.
Recently, I was contacted by a member of the 81st SPS who had
come across some lengthy articles I had written in 1998,
following extensive research into the case.
From the information given, there seems no doubt that the
events he relates took place on the same date as Lt. Col.
(subsequently Colonel) Halt recorded his own experiences on
tape.
The witness is Randy D. Smith, an Honor Graduate from Air
Training Command.
A Security Specialist, Randy's Certificate of Appointment
confirms he was assigned to RAF Bentwaters with the
noncommissioned rank of Sergeant on 1 September, 1980.
Noting that any comments of my own, or clarifications, are
contained in square brackets, this is Sergeant Randy Smith's
story of what happened one night in late December, 1980:
"I was either a SrA.[Senior Airman] or Sgt. at the time. It
was Christmas time 1980. 'D' flight had been working the 3-
11pm shift, while 'C' flight had been working the 11pm-7am
shift.
It was a quiet, clear night. I believe I was working 'Whiskey
5' which was the alarm response team in the weapons storage
area on Bentwaters. I am unsure of my partner that night. I
had free range of one half of the WSA and I was driving a
pickup truck. Clarence George was my area supervisor. Rick
Bobo was the SPCDS [Small Permanent Communications Display
Segment -a 'computerized alarm system'] tower operator in the
WSA.
The next thing I recall, not long after the shift began,
perhaps midnight or so, I heard Bob Ball come over the radio
and request that the aircraft control tower give him
permission to cross the active runway, it saves 15 minutes
driving time, as opposed to driving the perimeter road. At
that point I knew SOMETHING was happening because no-one ever
crossed the active runway unless there was an extreme
emergency. Bob, perhaps logically accompanied by Lt. Bruce
Englund, crossed the runway on Bentwaters, they picked up Lt.
Col. Halt and some equipment and returned by the same route. I
would say that between 30 minutes to an hour had passed since
Bob made his first request to cross. They then proceeded to
recross the runway, and went out the back gate headed toward
RAF Woodbridge. After that, the radio was quiet for a long
time.
It was a very quiet night, no planes, no helicopters flying.
Clarence George came by to talk to me and he said that
everyone in the WSA was in the SPCDS tower watching 'lights'
and did I want to come check it out? So I did. Clarence
thought they were all crazy. It's a small tower and people
were jammed in there body to body, overloading the tower I'm
sure. More people than I've ever seen in the tower at one
time".
Randy's reported observation from the security tower was of
what appeared to be a silent, triangular-shaped craft,
hovering near the twin base complex.
It's an assertion which might be startling on its own.
Randy, however, states there were three of them.
"I asked what everyone was looking at and they pointed out 3
objects that appeared like stars to the naked eye. Binoculars
were being passed around and when I had my turn I saw VERY
CLEAR images of 3 triangular shaped craft that were hovering a
few miles away and above treetop level".
"They were triangular in shape, larger than a fighter jet, but
smaller than a C5. Definitely triangular with lights that were
arranged around the bottom that were perhaps different colors
but unable to distinguish at that distance. I only stayed in
the tower for an hour or so and heard one of the guys with a
turn on the binoculars say, 'Wow, it just took off'. Two of
the craft left at a high rate of speed. The one remaining
craft was still in position when I left the tower".
"Regarding sound-very quiet, no motor sounds whatsoever".
"I also remember hearing the radio traffic regarding the
light-alls [these were gas powered, portable lights which it's
known were being used that night and proved problematic] and
not working, replacing them, they didn't work, then much
later, they all worked fine".
"The following night, I went on duty. At guardmount, Bob Ball
was very serious, he's almost never serious, a very jovial
person. He said, 'I saw something last night, but I'm not at
liberty to discuss it'. And that was the 'end'. I later heard
that the morning we got off our first midnight shift, an A-10
was scrambled and sent to Ramstein, Germany, by Lt. Col.
Halt".
As for the 'beams of light' which Halt claims were being
reported on radio as coming down near the WSA, Randy has no
knowledge of this.
Randy, in fact, can't recall much of what happened afterwards:
"I remember leaving the tower and then I can remember as I was
riding my bicycle home I was thinking that I must have turned
in my weapon because I don't have it with me".
He couldn't think of any significant occurrences in-between.
Except for one thing..
Randy believes that at some point he was, "on top of the
structure near the bunker where you'd go if you were under
attack".
Why he may have thought the WSA was under attack, is something
that poses an enigma and one which Randy would like to
resolve.
In the past it's been claimed that RAF Bentwaters held a
'tactical nuclear weapons' stockpile, a fact not acknowledged
by the respective US and UK governments.
Some 20 years later, there's no obvious reason why that should
remain a vital secret and as one former serviceman was on
record as alleging that Bentwaters held the largest 'NATO
nuclear weapons dump', I asked if this entire issue might now
be clarified.
Randy's wife, Kathy, provided considerable assistance in
obtaining answers to what at times seemed an unreasonable
amount of questions. Fortunately, she fully appreciated it was
necessary to understand the context of this new evidence and
her patience, diligence and knowledge of the issues were
invaluable.
Kathy responded:
"Yes, of course there were small, 'hot', tactical nuclear
weapons at Bentwaters, as used on an F-16, not large as used
on B-52's and B-1's. However, Bentwaters probably had the
least weapons, not the 'largest NATO dump' by any means. The
WSA is the highest security area on the base. In a 'hot'
nuclear area, you employ the two man concept throughout the
entire area, no single person ever allowed around nukes".
"The bunkers would look like small hills. They were covered
with dirt and had grass growing on them sloped front to back.
There were about 10 bunkers total, the two large on the ends
and 8 all within the long middle section. All of these
contained 'hot' nuclear weapons. This was Rand's posted
position that night".
"Use of deadly force was authorized".
"The bunkers on each end were defensive fighting positions.
That was where Randy believes (98% positive) he was when
Tsgt.[Technical-Sergeant] Clarence George, the area
supervisor, approached him and asked if he wanted to go up in
the tower. That was where you would take position if you were
ever under attack, not where you'd ever be under normal
conditions".
"The bunker is the weapon storage facility itself, where the
nukes are stored. It has thick steel, double doors, 2 high
security padlocks, and the Munitions Maintenance Squadron were
the ONLY people authorized to enter these structures. Up on
top, the SP's [Security Police] had a defensive fighting
position - 2 short steel walls, with sandbags in between the
walls. The only time anyone ever went up there was during an
exercise to prepare for an attack. In case of an actual
attack, you would follow the procedures practiced during the
exercise. It was training or it was real, no gray areas.
He knows they weren't training that night.
He has tried to recall why he was there that night but simply
can't".
I pointed out that if his supervisor had found Randy in a
defensive position, rather than inviting him to watch some
'strange lights', wouldn't he first have enquired why Randy
thought the WSA was under attack?
Kathy replied:
"Regarding the inability to recall what happened after Randy
left the tower, and the less than 100% assuredness of being on
the bunker when Tsgt. George invited him to the tower. What if
he isn't sure because it was after he left the tower that he
took that position up on the bunker? Maybe at that point the
area supervisor would have joined him at that location. He
would be the one to be in charge of what actions to take if
the WSA was penetrated".
This was precisely the scenario I had wondered about. If Halt
is correct and those 'beams of light' described on tape were
being directed near the WSA, then it's evident from the timing
documented in Halt's recording and Randy's statement, that
this occurred after Randy had left the observation tower.
Questioned about the exact timings, although realising it was
so long ago, Kathy provided more details:
"He believes he heard the radio traffic re Ball crossing
active, 'around' midnight, could have been as early as 11:30.
He would have begun hearing about the light-alls having
problems around 1:00am. He would have gone up in the tower
between 1:50-2:00am. Stayed until 3:00-3:30, and doesn't
recall anything else, until riding bike home".
We know from Halt's crucial documentation that the most
puzzling 'aerial phenomena' occurred between 0300 and 0330. If
Randy and his colleagues were conceivably observing the same
objects and aware of their evidently sudden, rapid departure,
then during this time - 0300 to 0330 - Randy would have to be
in the tower.
It looks like he possibly was and may have left directly after
that 'excitement' had passed.
Whilst it's impossible to be certain about this, the timings
are at least coincidentally close, perhaps surprisingly so if
there's no relationship.
Assuming Randy's claims are accurate and two of the 'objects'
being observed from the tower departed rapidly or were no
longer visible, then as noted, we have people in the security
tower who are experiencing similar misperceptions at around
the same as Halt's group, who were some two miles away.
It's something which might be further clarified if we had
accounts from the dozen or so others who were in the tower.
Asked for any additional information in this respect, Kathy
cited:
"The tower operator was Sgt. Rick Bobo.
Others that could possibly have been there were: Mike Dahl,
Dan Grogul, Jim Gouge, Jim O'Farrell, Mike Christian, Mike
Smith.
The 15 men with clearance to be in the tower would be a
vehicle searcher from the entry control point, the shift
supervisor, tower operator, 8 in the alert fire team facility,
and two 2-man patrols. The entry controller and the alarm
monitor were the only 2 people in the area that could not
leave their posts, as far as he knows, bringing the total to
17 people within the WSA".
An explanation of what exactly took place within the WSA that
night might lie with these colleagues, most, if not all, of
whom have presumably long since returned to the US.
Could the observations reported by Randy simply have been
misidentified stars, perhaps distorted by the optically
imperfect glass windows of the observation tower, the use of
binoculars and further compounded by mist, haze, fog, ice
particles, etc.
The answer must be affirmative, there are many examples of
stars being misidentified as 'strange objects'.
Where this case notably differs is that Halt's tape recording
provides corroborative evidence that there was at around the
same time a documented observation of 'star-like' objects
which exhibited characteristics that can't easily, if at all,
be equated with stars.
Furthermore, a nearby resident, Gerry Harris, has testified
that earlier on the same night, he observed 'abnormal lights'
moving over the base complex:
"I stood watching them and they were going up and moving about
this way and that way and they were going up, they were coming
down and I watched them for, three quarters of an hour and,
all of a sudden, they disappeared.
But just before they went, before they disappeared, there was
a lot of activity on the base, I could hear vehicles running
about, I could see the flashing lights of vehicles moving
about and I could hear people shouting, it was quiet and the
wind must have been in this direction. I could hear their
voices and then they were calling to each other and then I
could hear the roaring of their vehicles, which at that time
of night was unusual".
It's against this overall background that Randy's account
needs to be placed in perspective.
Any conclusion about what may, or may not, have occurred
during these incidents is hampered by the absence of
testimonies from so many who participated.
Added to all who are identified above, are those that took
part in the first night's incident, when Burroughs, Cabansag
and Penniston pursued the source of 'peculiar lights' through
Rendlesham forest.
At Lt. Col Halt's request, Burroughs, Cabansag and Penniston,
plus the Flight Chief, Master-Sergeant J. D. Chandler and the
Shift Commander, Fred A. Buran [rank unknown], provided
written statements of their involvement in this first
incident.
I obtained copies of these witness affidavits last year and
they served as proof that Burroughs, Cabansag and Penniston
pursued a light through the forest and farm terrain for some
two miles, before realising it was the beacon from nearby
Orfordness lighthouse. This had never previously been
disclosed and confirmed the lighthouse was a factor.
The deceptive lighthouse beacon had been suggested as the
explanation for all that transpired, however, from a
painstaking analysis of the evidence, that seems impossible.
Two of the unidentified lights first observed from 'east gate'
were consistently mentioned in this early documentation as
'red and blue', for example, Burroughs described:
"On the night of 25-26 Dec at around 0300 while on patrol down
at east gate myself and my partner saw lights coming from the
woods due east of the gate. The lights were red and blue the
red one above the blue one and they were flashing on and off".
It's the source of these 'red and blue lights', seen from the
east gate and then reportedly moving through the forest, which
has never been determined.
From the complete accounts, it seems evident that the 'beacon'
light later seen in the forest and which turned out to be from
Orfordness was a completely separate occurrence, for example,
Burroughs later attested:
"We climbed over the fence and started heading towards the red
and blue lights and they just disappeared. Once we reached the
farmer's house we could see a beacon going around so we went
towards it. We followed it for about 2 miles before we could
see it was coming from a lighthouse2.
Penniston indeed made the distinction, Chandler confirming:
"Each time Penniston gave me the indication that he was about
to reach the area where the lights were, he would give an
extended estimated location. He eventually arrived at a
'beacon light', however, he stated that this was not the light
or lights he had originally observed".
Buran verified:
"SSgt Penniston reported getting near the 'object' and then
all of a sudden said they had gone past it and were looking at
a marker beacon that was in the same general direction as the
other lights. I asked him, through SSgt Coffey, if he could
have been mistaken, to which SSgt Penniston replied that had I
seen the other lights I would know the difference. SSgt
Penniston seemed agitated at this point".
Staff-sergeant Coffey is another who might help our
understanding of this episode.
In Penniston's written testimony to Halt, he makes the
following claim:
"After receiving permission from CSC, we proceeded off base
past east gate, down an old logging road. Left vehicle
proceeded on foot. Burroughs and I were approximately 15-20
meters apart and proceeding on a true east direction from the
logging road. The area in front of us was lighting up a 30
meter area. When we got within a 50 meter distance. The object
was producing red and blue light. The blue light was steady
and projecting under the object. It was lighting up the area
directly under extending a meter or two out.
At this point of positive identification I relayed to CSC,
SSgt Coffey. Positive sighting of object...colour of lights
and that it was definitely mechanical in nature".
An anomaly is that Penniston then immediately added, "This is
the closest point that I was near the object at any point",
which differs markedly from his subsequent public claims to
have examined a triangular-shaped object at close range for
some 10-20 minutes and even touched 'strange symbols' on its
surface.
All of the statements gathered by Lt. Col. Halt seem to
support Penniston's original contention that the source of the
lights was in fact never located.
In later years Burroughs also acknowledged, "I never saw
anything metallic or anything hard".
The articles I published in 1998 specifically highlighted the
clear discrepancies between what was documented at the time
and the more elaborate tales later told. As it was hoped this
might lead to the anomalies being addressed and perhaps even
rationalised, some other aspects were left aside.
Consequently, a fact which is publicly divulged here for the
first time is that in their respective statements, Chandler
and Buran do confirm that Penniston radioed he had seen an
actual object, nor merely illusive lights.
Chandler wrote: "On one occasion, Penniston relayed that he
was close enough to the object to determine that it was
definitely a mechanical object", with Buran agreeing, "at one
point SSgt Penniston stated that it was a definite metallic
object".
Was it, or wasn't it and if so , what was it.
A key testimony is Ed Cabansag's and he has never spoken about
the events. I'm not aware that he has ever been located and
asked.
Continued...