In July of 1985, after almost 11 years of silence, I filed a report, for-the-record, with MUFON, regarding a close encounter with something, that had happened not only to myself, but to two of my rapid deployment team members, on the night of October 4th, 1974..

It seemed apparent that the UFO observed at 8:45 p.m. that evening, was there because WE were there. And because of who we were and a few other things, we didn't want to file a report.

The UFO Filter Center HQ was in the basement of my home at Mt. Vernon, Indiana. The MADAR (Multiple Anomaly Detection and Recording) equipment included (besides the sensor and recording devices) a large reel-to-reel recorder for radio communications. This unit was turned on either when the MADAR detection unit was activated or manually when we wanted to tape tranmissions between our team's CB radios for some reason. At that time there were three of us and three mobile units, respectively. When there was a local UFO sighting in-progress or had happened recently, we would deploy and begin a routine skywatch at a point one mile north of town at  a poinr known as OP-1, which was the best observation site we had available. It was dark and away from city lights, and on a hill. It was a cemetery.  Previously, we had been alerted about UFO sightings and had gone there before many times, but nothing like this had ever happened. Besides the radios and binoculars, compasses, and a strobe light, we also had powerful flashlights.

The year before (1973) the local police chief and another officer had chased a druck driver who went into a ditch so they were able to divert their attention to a UFO they were observing. When they put a flashlight on it, it reacted by dimming. When they put the cruiser's spotlight on it, it took off.

On October 4, 1974, the weather was nice and the skies were dark and clear at 8:45 p.m. We had had a report the night before about a cylindrical object in the sky but also had planned a routine skywatch and we had already set up at OP-1, out of our cars. We had been there a while and saw flashing red lights on what appeared to be a police, sheriff or fire department vehicle approaching from the west toward observers over an apparent hill and then turning south on Hwy 69 and heading into Mt. Vernon. No siren was heard. The distance was less than a half-mile and closing up to turn and object was also moving at standard speed of an emergency vehicle negotiating this terrain.

At no time did observers suspect anything unusual was going on except the vehicles previous location appeared to be where there were no roads. Because of the slight mystery that began to emerge later when a CB'r reported a CD fire vehicle returned from the North between 8:15 and 8:30, observers split up in their three vehicles and one person placed a land-line to MVPD. Officer Kermit Steele, the dispatcher, reported there had been a fire but no pursuits. This happens every day. Case was closed.     

The following day, the "gut feeling" we all had lured observers to area of reported vehicle with the aid of daylight. Upon reaching the area along the stretch of RR tracks (with the aid of a compass) it was determined that the "vehicle" had to pass over a corn field and could not have been (by any stretch of the imagination) a land vehicle.

That evening (Oct. 5) we were at OP-1 again and observed a DC-9 (Delta 556) which could have been what the observer of the Oct. 3rd "UFO" had seen. But what we saw on the 4th was real, was at one point less than a quarter of a mile away, was a lighted object flying extremely low, and turned as if to avoid passing over us. The only thing between us and the object was a cornfield.  We think the UFO was there because WE were there. But we didn't think we should file a report on it.  Later, when I was copying reports of re-revaluated incidents to Dan Wright, MUFON's Deputy Director of Investigations, this report was included.