The Fort Benning Incident

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For those who believe in extraterrestrials, the military is commonly seen as the first line of defense.

For over a century, radio dramas, films, and literature have asked what would really happen if our military forces engaged an advanced interstellar species.

At least two men claim to not only know the answer but to have participated in just such a conflict, only to be abducted and their minds mysteriously wiped.

Their tales raise an important question: just what happened during the Fort Benning incident?

For decades, one of the most consistent patterns in global UFO sightings has been their proximity to military bases.

From radar operators to fighter pilots, some of the most credible encounters on record come not from civilians, but highly trained military personnel, whose stories are often backed up by radar data, sensor logs, and cockpit footage.

To many ufologists, this makes sense.

If alien life was attempting to evaluate our planet, having in-depth knowledge of our military capabilities would be essential, even if they had peaceful intentions.

This seems to explain events like the Tic-Tac encounter.

It occurred in 2004 when pilots from the USS Nimitz encountered a white oblong craft moving in such a way as to completely defy the known laws of of physics.

The interaction was not only captured on infrared cameras but also confirmed by naval radar.

In total more than a dozen people watched as the object accelerated, hovered and dropped altitude at speeds no known aircraft or pilots could survive.

In 2015, a similar encounter unfolded just off the east coast of the United States when pilots from the USS Roosevelt witnessed multiple fast-moving aerial objects which they managed to record on their infrared targeting systems.

Now known as the Go Fast or Gimbal videos, the pilots and radar crews were left speechless by the unnatural ways in which the objects moved.

Such encounters are often dismissed as glitches or malfunctions, but the first-hand witnesses are not so sure.

Whistleblowers claim that the United States government has an entire secret archive of such encounters that they have decided to keep secret from the public.

Around the world, the frequency of UFO sightings near military installations is difficult to deny.

From Rendlesham Forest in the UK to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, UFOs have repeatedly appeared near nuclear missile silos, flight training centres and air bases.

In some cases they have reportedly disabled weapon systems or triggered power failures, raising serious questions about the nature of the phenomenon and its apparent interest in mankind's most dangerous technology.

Which brings us to Fort Benning.

Nestled along the border of Georgia and Alabama, Fort Benning has stood as a backbone of the United States Army since its founding in 1918.

As home to elite divisions such as the Infantry School and the 75th Ranger Regiment, it remains a powerhouse of modern military training.

It is also home to over 120,000 active duty soldiers, civilians and families.

But for all its history, many argue that there is much more to Fort Benning and its surroundings than meets the eye.

This particular part of the American South has been home to some of the most well-documented UFO encounters in history.

Curiously, many of these happened after the fort's construction and tend to occur within a few hours drive of its perimeter.

Take the Valdosta, Georgia sightings, which lasted from 1949 to 1952.

During those years, numerous reports were filed about bright lights and reddish objects hovering over the town.

One year earlier, two pilots witnessed a bright object flying alongside them over Montgomery, Alabama, only to have the military later dismiss it as a meteorite.

These, along with dozens of other sightings, seem to suggest that UFOs, whatever they might be, have more than a passing interest in military bases and hardware.

If the stories of the Fort Benning incident are true, that interest came to a terrifying head on the 2nd of September 1977.

In the early 90s, a man named John Vasquez showed up at the International UFO Conference in Laughlin, Nevada.

and began talking to the attendees.

He wasn't a ufologist, but was instead hoping to get some insight into a problem he'd been dealing with.

Several of the people there decided to offer him their assistance, including author Graham Birdsall.

John was a veteran, having joined the National Guard in 1977 before deciding to transfer to the regular army.

He was assigned to Delta Company 1st Infantry at Fort Benning.

For decades, John had described his time in the military as quite mundane.

He spent some time in Germany in the late 1970s, but with the Vietnam War over, combat missions were few and far between.

But throughout the 80s, John claimed to suffer from horrible nightmares.

At times, he claimed they were so real that he had trouble believing they were dreams.

He recalled what he described as crazy faces and he and his fellow infantrymen standing in formation while simultaneously appearing to be asleep.

After several years of this, John finally consulted a psychiatrist who recommended regression therapy and hypnosis sessions.

What he remembered would prove to be far more fantastic than he could ever have imagined.

Sitting in a small room at the back of the International UFO conference, John Vasquez told complete strangers that he had been part of a mass abduction event involving around 1,300 US soldiers, all members of the 1st Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning in September of 1977.

Though most of the listeners were intrigued, only Graham Birdsell decided to pursue the matter further.

After interviewing John at length, picking through fragmented memories and therapy notes, he was able to construct the following account.

At around 7.30pm on the 2nd of September 1977, the new recruits of the 1st Battalion were called to an evening parade.

There were four companies in all, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, a total of about 1300 men standing in rows in a field.

As a member of Delta Company, John Vasquez was standing near the back of the formation.

It was supposed to be a welcoming ceremony where the captain would deliver an address outlining the coming weeks of infantry training.

As they waited, a soldier near John pointed to something in the sky.

That's when he and several of the men in the vicinity looked up to see a faint light moving along the starfield.

One of the nearby soldiers quickly dismissed it as a satellite, but John swore he saw the light stop, reverse, and then continue on its way.

Deciding that his eyes were playing tricks on him, John turned his attention back to the proceedings.

Then, just as the captain made his way up onto the podium, Vasquez heard an intense rushing noise like wind funnelled through a concrete pipe.

Instinctively he turned to see what might be causing it and was met again with the sight of a bright light, this time in the nearby woodland.

It was similar to a single headlight on a truck, and at first, he thought it must have been someone driving through the trees towards them.

As he watched, he could see it was moving towards the assembly, but by the time it reached the tree line, it seemed to illuminate everything in near daylight.

Suddenly, chaos unfolded.

Some of the soldiers began running from the formation.

Others froze entirely, heads bowed as if in a trance.

When Vasquez leaned forward to examine the man in front of him, he was shocked to see that he was fast asleep, despite still standing upright.

Then, just as abruptly, Vasquez blacked out.

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When he regained consciousness, he was still in the field, only he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Turning his upper body, he saw hundreds of soldiers fleeing.

Some running into the trees and others diving beneath raised buildings.

A few remained standing, transfixed, or lying flat on the ground, unmoving.

That's when one of John's fellow soldiers, Alan, ran up and grabbed him by the arm.

As the other man pulled him from his position, he found himself suddenly able to move again.

Amidst the ensuing chaos, the two recruits could see the captain frozen behind the podium, utterly still, like hundreds of other soldiers.

Meanwhile, the light was still glowing intensely behind them.

Those who had turned to look at the light were not asleep, but instead, just standing there, with their eyes bulging, jaws unnaturally slack.

With no other option, the two men ran, dodging their stunned comrades before seeking cover under one of the cross base buildings.

There they found several other men hiding.

and they frantically argued over what might be happening.

It was at this point that one of the company's sergeants emerged from one of the buildings, seemingly unaffected by the paralyzing effects.

Incensed, the officer began screaming at the recruits, trying to instill order.

As he did, John and his friends watched a small orb descend from one of the buildings, striking the man unconscious.

For several minutes, the men watched from the crawl space as soldiers shouted, stumbled and collided with one another.

Then, the light returned, this time growing brighter and larger until the entire fort seemed to be bathed in white.

That's when Vasquez heard the voice.

It was metallic and foreign.

More importantly, he wasn't hearing it with his ears, but with his mind.

It's okay.

Don't be afraid.

Come out.

Despite his terror, John emerged from the crawl space, stepping into the open.

The light was everywhere now, and he could just barely make out shadowy figures scurrying around in the glow.

That's when something struck him, first on the shoulder, then on the back, and the world went dark again.

The next thing John Vasquez knew, he was being lifted upwards.

His entire body was tingling and he was afraid, but the voice ordered him to keep his eyes shut.

He complied.

The next time it spoke, it was clearly female, and it was asking him if he remembered.

The question was met with visions.

John lay out on a slab next to rows of other men, all of whom were unconscious or paralyzed.

From this point on, John's memory consists almost entirely of vague images recovered from hypnosis.

For as long as he was in the public eye, he maintained that he had no real recollection of the entire month of September 1977.

Still, the memories he does have are quite compelling.

He describes seeing two beings standing several tables over performing some sort of examination, a second voice in his head telling him to go to sleep.

Then John started to dream.

First he saw an image of Earth being destroyed, then of a pasty white human face melting as if it was made of liquid mercury.

Moments later, Vasquez awoke back in formation, surrounded by all 1300 of his comrades.

But he could see that things weren't as they should be.

For starters, he was standing next to completely different soldiers.

and some of the men around him were swaying as if dizzy or ill.

A few vomited.

Confused, the captain who had planned to deliver his speech simply dismissed the men.

Back in his barracks, John got ready to turn in for the night.

As he undressed, he noticed his shirt was half unbuttoned, his trousers were undone, and his boots were laced incorrectly.

Inside his trousers, he found a strange glue-like paste.

He wasn't feeling well, and it seemed that none of his comrades were either.

After dressing for bed, he sat on his bunk, staring blankly at the wall.

Some of the other soldiers in his barracks were doing the same.

In the corner, he saw a small group of men comparing their watches.

One pointed out that his said 7.40pm, whilst another's read 3.30am.

Absentmindedly, Vasquez checked his own watch to find that it showed the time as 4.45am.

Still, nobody was in any mental state to argue about the discrepancy or their lapsing memories.

They were all exhausted and sore.

Eventually, they fell asleep.

A few weeks later, John entered the Army hospital, claiming he'd been having severe muscle spasms.

He was treated with physical therapy and not long after, he was transferred to Germany.

The bizarre incident involving his abduction completely disappeared from his mind for more than a decade until he started having the inexplicable dreams.

After consulting with his hypnotist, John began submitting Freedom of Information requests for army records regarding Fort Benning.

In the years since, he claims to have found multiple reports of soldiers falling ill around the time of the event, with documents labelling the sickness as stemming from a measles outbreak.

One such report was even published in the local newspaper.

However, he could find no army records to corroborate them.

It's a fantastic story, and many sceptics are quick to dismiss it as such.

But in 2011, something happened that changed John Vasquez's life forever.

Another soldier came forward to claim that he was not only there that night, but that he'd actually been part of a firefight against the invading extraterrestrials.

In 1977, Command Sergeant Major James Norton was an infantry leader at Fort Benning, and he was in the field on the night of September the 2nd.

Though he has no memory of Vasquez, their experiences almost perfectly mirror each other.

He too began suffering from bad dreams and missing memories in the mid to late 80s.

He also visited a hypnotherapist to help him uncover the root of his amnesia.

What he remembered was remarkably similar, but also different.

In Norton's telling, he and a division of troops were on the firing range engaging in training, putting on a show for the Secretary of Defence who had been visiting Fort Benning for the week.

As they were firing, some of the soldiers began noticing strange lights moving around in the sky.

When Norton looked up, he saw what he later described as three orbs flying high over the base.

Suddenly, one of the troops spotted something downrange.

Norton turned to see three more orbs, this time flying much lower.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Norton watched in shock as the three glowing lights buzzed the firing range at high speed, sending soldiers running for cover.

Whether their original intention had been hostile or not, It became clear that they considered the armed soldiers to be a threat.

In response, they began shooting beams and orbs of light at the men on the firing range, who quickly returned fire.

Across the field, Norton saw at least one of the base's helicopters explode into flames, whilst nearby troops collapsed with burns and other wounds.

Tasked with defending the Secretary of Defence, Norton drew his own weapon and began returning fire.

all whilst ushering the senior leadership back towards the building.

As he did so, he saw several rocket-propelled grenades launch into the sky.

One of them struck an orb, sending it crashing to the ground in the yard.

That's when he was struck by one of the beams.

He claimed he experienced immense pain as the glowing weapon bored through his uniform, torching his skin.

Then,

nothing.

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When he finally came to again, the battle was over.

The recruits and lower-ranking soldiers had largely been dismissed, and unidentified military personnel were swarming the yard, attempting to clean up any evidence of the encounter.

Like John Vasquez, Norton's memory of what happened at this point becomes much more vague, with most of it being recalled via hypnosis.

He remembers seeing at least two down UFOs which he described as oblong and white in colour.

He also stated that there were two unmarked aircraft at nearby Lawson Airfield and that most of the remnants of the craft were being loaded inside.

The next thing he remembers is that he was very sick for at least two days.

Norton says that aside from the burns themselves, he had a pervasive high temperature, necessitating that he be dunked in ice water several times a day.

Norton's contribution to the Fort Benning case is particularly interesting for three reasons.

First, he was a much higher ranking officer when the events he and Vasquez describe took place.

Second, he was still active in the Army Reserves when he first shared his story, meaning that he effectively put his long career at risk to come forward and share his account.

But the third and most compelling reason is that this wasn't the last time he interacted with a UFO.

In his radio interview, he talks about a fire that broke out off base in 1986.

Upon arriving, he and several crews of firefighters witnessed an oblong pill-shaped craft being dug out of the ground.

For his part, Norton says he simply wants the truth to be known.

He claims he is a patriot and if there is a threat out there, the public should be made aware of it.

He also says he's received a number of threatening phone calls over the years, which he believes are coming from government agents seeking to silence him.

Whatever the case, the Fort Benning incident is not a fixture in modern UFO law.

What truly happened on the night of the 2nd of September 1977?

Was it a moment of contact with something not of this world, a calculated execution of a clandestine military experiment, or something else entirely?

If the recovered memories belonging to James Norton and Jim Vasquez are correct, the United States military not only made contact with, but also engaged extraterrestrial weaponry.

Whether the orbs were vessels or the the beings themselves, they were able to move at high speeds whilst controlling both space and time, as evidenced by the frozen soldiers and the incorrect watches.

Moreover, at least 1,000 men were abducted during this encounter, which seemed to have negative impacts on their health.

Last but not least, The United States likely recovered alien technology after the battle and has been engaging in a campaign of misinformation and intimidation intimidation against the soldiers who participated in the event.

Believers are quick to point out that John Vasquez's account is rich in detail, including descriptions of intense light phenomena, memory loss, physical displacement and non-human entities.

He reports direct mental communication, strange visions and an apparent medical examination conducted by unknown beings.

These features align closely with what many abductees have described in other high-profile UFO cases.

For skeptics, the problem is that they align too well.

They claim that John is either confused, mentally ill or seeking attention.

Independent researchers, including a US congressman from San Diego, who have attempted to verify his claims, have found that whilst he did indeed serve in the military, there are no records of a John Vasquez ever serving at Fort Benning.

As far as September of 1977, some claim to have found reports of a mysterious measles outbreak amongst the troops, but there are no army records to corroborate this.

Yet John not only claims he was there, but that he has collected substantial documents proving it.

In 1997, he received a document confirming that a US Air Force and Joint Attack Weapons System test had indeed been conducted at the base in question.

If true, such an attack could have included guided air-to-ground munitions.

However, shortly after, a joint staff panel stated that the information was false and that there had been no such test, before calmly asking for the previous document to be returned.

James Norton by all accounts exists and served as a Command Sergeant Major from 1973 until 1996.

Unfortunately, there have been no known Freedom of Information requests regarding his service history and he has largely gone dark as a source.

A Jim Norton matching this description has a Facebook page but there is no mention of aliens or similar phenomena.

More importantly that James Norton was born in New Jersey.

which does not explain why he had a thick southern accent in his interviews.

Could someone have been impersonating him?

Could the entire thing have been a prank, or perhaps the soldier was using an alias after all?

Again, a battle with aliens at a major US military base would represent the single most important event in scientific history, but the physical evidence is frustratingly elusive.

Aside from Vasquez's documentation, no other official records exist, at least not publicly.

Is this due to a government cover-up or might there be another, more earthly explanation?

Those who believe that John Vasquez experienced something on the night of September the 2nd claim that he could have been suffering from the measles, just as the articles he discovered suggested.

One of the first symptoms of a measles infection is a high fever.

sometimes up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Some people, when suffering from fevers of this magnitude will suffer hallucinations.

These frequently include seeing people, shapes and colours that aren't there and can be coupled with auditory and even tactile hallucinations.

John clearly remembers feeling ill and even going to the hospital after the event.

Could it be that he really did have the measles and his memories are of the fever dreams he suffered during the sickness?

Others point to military experimentation and memory suppression.

They cite MKUltra, a top-secret CIA program that dies random people, including military members, with powerful drugs as evidence that the US government has long used its own soldiers for research.

A large-scale LSD trip would go a long way towards explaining many of the things John Vasquez remembers, including people lying on the ground, frozen in place, or reacting in horror to their surroundings.

If there were mind control experiments at work, it's possible that the troops who participated were also drugged to forget.

This might explain why Norton and Vasquez seemed to have a mental block around the entire month of September 1977.

For now, the Fort Benning incident remains a mystery.

Believers see it as hard evidence of alien contact.

Others suspect it was a cold, calculated human experiment on unsuspecting troops.

Still others say that the entire incident was concocted by John Vasquez in a bid for attention and that another man later claimed to be involved to get some time on the radio.

What we're left with is a question no one wants to answer.

If it was fabricated Why does it feel like someone doesn't want us to know about it at all?

The events of Fort Benning in 1977 represent one of the most baffling and controversial alleged UFO encounters in modern history.

At the heart of it lies John Vasquez, who claims he has been fighting with the Army for years regarding records of his service there.

Is John lying or is he the victim of a machine intent on hiding the truth in some vague interest of protecting the public?

The Fort Benning incident remains one of the most intriguing events in UFO culture.

Whether it marks the site of a failed military trial or the echo of something not of this earth, the silence that surrounds it may be the most telling clue of all.