1 00:00:17,629 --> 00:00:23,219 hello everybody I'm Bruce fenstermacher 2 00:00:21,059 --> 00:00:26,759 I don't have any exciting stories like 3 00:00:23,219 --> 00:00:31,229 rolling a truck with 18 miles on it in 4 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:32,789 from 1974 to 1976 I was a combat crew 5 00:00:31,230 --> 00:00:36,299 commander and a captain in the Air Force 6 00:00:32,789 --> 00:00:40,799 Station fe warren air force base at the 7 00:00:36,299 --> 00:00:44,250 400th SMS and signed to romeo flight in 8 00:00:40,799 --> 00:00:46,378 the fall of 76 my deputy who I'll call 9 00:00:44,250 --> 00:00:49,109 Sam because he's not given me permission 10 00:00:46,378 --> 00:00:51,539 to release his name we were on alert 11 00:00:49,109 --> 00:00:53,969 trying to stay awake we were listening 12 00:00:51,539 --> 00:00:56,039 to the conversation between the flight 13 00:00:53,969 --> 00:00:58,739 security controller of the topside NCO 14 00:00:56,039 --> 00:01:01,920 and the strategic alert team was 15 00:00:58,738 --> 00:01:04,679 security alert team SATs kind of that 16 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:08,189 was one way to stay alert because this 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:11,580 sack duty is moments of terrorists with 18 00:01:08,188 --> 00:01:14,639 hours of boredom and suddenly we heard 19 00:01:11,579 --> 00:01:17,819 the FSC call the SAT team and say stop 20 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:19,469 the vehicle get out of the vehicle look 21 00:01:17,819 --> 00:01:23,069 around and didn't tell him where to look 22 00:01:19,469 --> 00:01:26,670 or anything and Sam and I look at each 23 00:01:23,069 --> 00:01:28,709 other and then said what do you see any 24 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:33,629 so oh I don't see anything I don't see 25 00:01:28,709 --> 00:01:38,069 anything holy bleep I do see a white 26 00:01:33,629 --> 00:01:40,259 pulsating light in the sky that's maybe 27 00:01:38,069 --> 00:01:43,349 seven or eight miles away the FSCS where 28 00:01:40,259 --> 00:01:45,899 it was he set us to the north he said 29 00:01:43,349 --> 00:01:49,500 it's pretty close to where the the 30 00:01:45,899 --> 00:01:51,299 launch control facility is so my deputy 31 00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:54,450 I did a double take we called upstairs 32 00:01:51,299 --> 00:01:55,860 and we said what's going on he said 33 00:01:54,450 --> 00:01:59,129 you're not going to believe this captain 34 00:01:55,859 --> 00:02:04,500 but right above us there's a huge white 35 00:01:59,129 --> 00:02:05,849 thing pulsating light above us and I had 36 00:02:04,500 --> 00:02:09,360 to call them to make sure I wasn't 37 00:02:05,849 --> 00:02:12,120 seeing anything of pond prodding he told 38 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,730 us it was shaped like a fat cigar I 39 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,580 think he's 40 00:02:12,729 --> 00:02:18,219 pregnant cigar white pulsating light 41 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:22,150 between the pulsations he saw red in red 42 00:02:18,219 --> 00:02:24,699 and blue lights it was silent because I 43 00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:27,539 prodded him saying is it some for a 44 00:02:24,699 --> 00:02:30,098 helicopter he said no it's very silent 45 00:02:27,539 --> 00:02:32,019 we're talking to him for several minutes 46 00:02:30,098 --> 00:02:36,518 and he says it's starting to move away 47 00:02:32,019 --> 00:02:39,430 along our access road so we hung up by 48 00:02:36,519 --> 00:02:42,549 Deputy saying what do we do we got to 49 00:02:39,430 --> 00:02:45,459 report this he calls down the FSC call 50 00:02:42,549 --> 00:02:47,290 down shortly and says it's over a one of 51 00:02:45,459 --> 00:02:49,479 our launch facilities a missile silos 52 00:02:47,289 --> 00:02:53,259 and it was the closest one along the 53 00:02:49,479 --> 00:02:57,250 access road so I ordered the SAT team to 54 00:02:53,259 --> 00:02:58,840 go to that site and they called in to 55 00:02:57,250 --> 00:03:03,579 through the FSCS so they had to go back 56 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:05,140 for batteries all and they were little 57 00:03:03,579 --> 00:03:07,269 slow getting out so I was kind of 58 00:03:05,139 --> 00:03:10,119 ordering them come on get get on get 59 00:03:07,269 --> 00:03:12,909 going and in at the same time we 60 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:16,420 contacted sacked command post at fe 61 00:03:12,909 --> 00:03:19,209 warren and NCO answered and we told him 62 00:03:16,419 --> 00:03:26,339 the story and he laughed and said when 63 00:03:19,209 --> 00:03:29,560 it eats the SAT team call me back so 64 00:03:26,340 --> 00:03:31,598 satine never got to that LF it silently 65 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,370 moved again to another launch facility 66 00:03:31,598 --> 00:03:36,039 we called the SAT team three or four 67 00:03:33,370 --> 00:03:39,009 times I'm sorry we called command post 68 00:03:36,039 --> 00:03:42,098 via fax the last time and we got the 69 00:03:39,009 --> 00:03:44,229 same nonchalant attitude the last time I 70 00:03:42,098 --> 00:03:47,318 said are you logging this and they said 71 00:03:44,229 --> 00:03:49,689 no so I said give me the officer in 72 00:03:47,318 --> 00:03:51,818 charge and he said well he's busy ice 73 00:03:49,689 --> 00:03:53,039 well either give me the office charge or 74 00:03:51,818 --> 00:03:55,388 I'm going to wake up the base commander 75 00:03:53,039 --> 00:03:56,888 the squadron commander because there's 76 00:03:55,389 --> 00:03:59,019 something going on something's messing 77 00:03:56,889 --> 00:04:04,150 with my lfs they were mind for that 78 00:03:59,019 --> 00:04:05,560 period so the officer came on I said you 79 00:04:04,150 --> 00:04:07,840 need to log this or I'll wake everybody 80 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,819 up he said he would he called us his NCO 81 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,949 a different NCO called us back a few 82 00:04:09,818 --> 00:04:15,250 minutes later took the log of what had 83 00:04:11,949 --> 00:04:17,739 happened in a timely sequence so it went 84 00:04:15,250 --> 00:04:21,098 to another LF the SAT team had to come 85 00:04:17,738 --> 00:04:23,829 back for gas then it said it had car 86 00:04:21,098 --> 00:04:24,889 trouble it could only go five miles an 87 00:04:23,829 --> 00:04:28,938 hour 88 00:04:24,889 --> 00:04:31,550 so a long story short after several you 89 00:04:28,939 --> 00:04:33,590 know about an hour and a half the flight 90 00:04:31,550 --> 00:04:35,870 security controller said he could see it 91 00:04:33,589 --> 00:04:38,778 over another launch facility down still 92 00:04:35,870 --> 00:04:41,749 down the road and then he said it 93 00:04:38,778 --> 00:04:46,550 suddenly and silently just went away up 94 00:04:41,749 --> 00:04:48,319 to a star sighs and then disappear so 95 00:04:46,550 --> 00:04:50,240 that was it was exciting rest of the 96 00:04:48,319 --> 00:04:53,539 tour the next day we were leave by 97 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:56,840 another crew to go back home and I went 98 00:04:53,538 --> 00:04:59,658 upstairs and the FSC is lying like in a 99 00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:02,089 chair in almost a fetal position and I 100 00:04:59,658 --> 00:05:04,250 talked to him and he was scared he said 101 00:05:02,089 --> 00:05:06,560 I can't sleep I can't hit that thing out 102 00:05:04,250 --> 00:05:10,399 of my mind and I said what the heck was 103 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:11,870 with the SAT team he said both my deputy 104 00:05:10,399 --> 00:05:14,418 I were prior service so we got a long 105 00:05:11,870 --> 00:05:18,379 wall with enlisted guys so I said if he 106 00:05:14,418 --> 00:05:21,620 promised not to tell anybody they told 107 00:05:18,379 --> 00:05:25,009 me they were not going to go to any LF 108 00:05:21,620 --> 00:05:27,110 with that thing over no direct orders no 109 00:05:25,009 --> 00:05:30,050 nothing and in fact they never left the 110 00:05:27,110 --> 00:05:32,538 launch control facility we picked up the 111 00:05:30,050 --> 00:05:36,020 Quebec Quebec team on the way back look 112 00:05:32,538 --> 00:05:39,050 what Kubek crew cuz Quebec was in a way 113 00:05:36,019 --> 00:05:43,430 to Romeo and cyclic the save little gas 114 00:05:39,050 --> 00:05:46,310 so we wrote share and they told us that 115 00:05:43,430 --> 00:05:50,778 earlier that evening they had the same 116 00:05:46,310 --> 00:05:54,139 sort of thing flying over several over 117 00:05:50,778 --> 00:05:56,180 their launch facilities and I said what 118 00:05:54,139 --> 00:05:59,028 happened you were reported it and they 119 00:05:56,180 --> 00:06:01,250 said are you crazy we didn't report it 120 00:05:59,028 --> 00:06:03,259 we're not going to report it I said well 121 00:06:01,250 --> 00:06:04,939 I did he said well if you tell them 122 00:06:03,259 --> 00:06:08,360 about us we're going to say it never 123 00:06:04,939 --> 00:06:10,699 happened they so we went back home I 124 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,800 reported to my squadron commander the 125 00:06:10,699 --> 00:06:14,389 next few fluck we always have departure 126 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,310 meetings when you go out for alert the 127 00:06:14,389 --> 00:06:19,519 next several departure of meetings we 128 00:06:16,310 --> 00:06:24,408 had an unusual visitor we had an officer 129 00:06:19,519 --> 00:06:26,598 in a uniform telling us that he may have 130 00:06:24,408 --> 00:06:29,360 heard rumors about this it didn't happen 131 00:06:26,598 --> 00:06:32,329 it's top secret and I wanted to stand up 132 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:34,990 and say which is it didn't it happen or 133 00:06:32,329 --> 00:06:40,289 as a top secret 134 00:06:34,990 --> 00:06:40,290 so that's my event I think mr. Salas