He touched the craft, observed odd hieroglyphs on it's exterior, and made detailed notes regarding his experience. The craft eventually began moving, rose to tree top level, and sped off in what Penniston describes as "the blink of an eye". Penniston notes that there was no air displacement nor sound when the object left the area at bullet-like speed. At the time Penniston held a top secret military clearance and was stationed at a US Air Force base in the United Kingdom. Along with his own military credentials there are compelling reasons to believe his story, even for the most hardened skeptics.
In 1980, over a three day period, the twin bases of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in the United Kingdom seemed to be virtually invaded by various unknown, flying craft. At the time the events took place the Bentwaters facility was being used by the U.S. Air Force as an American military base. Unknown to the almost everyone, and in violation of various treaties between the U.S. and other countries, the base was stockpiled with nuclear armaments. Bizarre objects, traveling at extraordinary speeds and maneuvering in ways that defy conventional physics were observed over the base from December 26th through December 28th of 1980. Many of the witnesses (as many as sixty) felt as though the objects were looking for something, or, performing grid searches of the base as they shot laser-like beams of light to the ground. Further, and of particular concern for base personnel, was the fact that they appeared to be particularly interested in the weapons storage area.
The events culminated when Lt. Base Commander Charles Halt led a large contingent of staff into the forest, on December 28th, to investigate strange lights. Halt, and others, observed objects moving at thousands of miles per hour, stopping and starting on a dime, and splitting into multiple objects before their eyes. One of the objects stopped suddenly above Halt and some others, as they stood in a field, and fired what appeared to be a laser beam at their feet.
Colonel Charles Halt (left) and James Penniston (right) revisit Bentwaters RAF
Trace evidence, such as elevated levels of radiation and impressions in the soil (equidistant apart, giving the appearance that something had landed in the forest) coincided with the reports and seems to corroborate the idea that something strange took place. Too, unknown objects were observed both visually and on radar from the base's tower. The quality of the witnesses, and their large number, makes what is now know as "THE RENDLESHAM FOREST INCIDENT" one of the most intriguing UFO cases in history. And the experience of James Penniston is truly remarkable.
AUDIO
The following audio clip is an excerpt from The Coast to Coast Radio Show (2010) and features host George Noory interviewing James Penniston (with UFO researcher James Fox).
