Linda C. Defew Word Count: 800
1026 Slocum Rd.
Salem, KY 42078
270-988-4371
oldwest@tds.net
My UFO Encounter
In the ‘60’s, UFO’s were the topic of conversation in the break rooms and nightly supper tables. In fact, the talk was so common, I think everyone in western Kentucky had either seen one for themselves or expected to see one any time. They were everywhere.
The skies were watched every night by the third-shift workers at the Calvert City chemical plants, policemen on duty, and nurses at the county hospital. The following morning, it was not unusual for the local news to include the story of a sighting that took place the night before.
Of course, my parents were skeptical and laughed at the reports, at least, in front of us kids. They told my brother, sister and I that there was no such thing as flying saucers. So, that was supposed to be the end of it. We always believed my mom and dad. For us, it was just a bunch of people seeing weather balloons or experimental aircraft out of Ft. Campbell, just an hour south of us. But, one morning before daylight, I heard an unsettling fear in my dad’s voice, something I’d never heard from him before.
It was January, 1965, and we were on our way to Louisville, just my mom, dad, and me. I had scoliosis at 12-years-old and had to see a specialist. My appointment was early and it would take nearly four hours to get there from our home in the community of Sharpe, Kentucky. We left at 4:00 a.m., two hours before daylight.
The winter morning was cold and frosty. I sat in the backseat behind my mom. Dad took Highway 62 toward Kentucky Dam. We would get on Western Kentucky Parkway a few miles on the other side.
Either because we dreaded the trip or weren’t fully awake, we didn’t talk. I wasn’t used to getting up this early, so I starred out the window in a daze. But, just as we started across the bridge at Kentucky Dam, my eyes flew open. A bright light streaked across the sky, stopped in front of us and hovered over the water.
“What is that?” my mom asked.
“I don’t know,” my dad answered. “But, I’ll tell you one thing. I’m not getting on that parkway until we find out.” I knew what he meant. That stretch of highway was divided into long sections of nothing but pavement for miles and miles. There were no places for u-turns or emergency help. Toll booths were the only sign of life. So, halfway across the bridge, he pulled into a tourist viewing area. Now, the six bright blue lights from the craft beamed straight in our direction, blinking in no definite pattern. They had to be focusing on us because there were no other cars around.
I scooted forward in my seat huddling as close to my parents as possible. An eerie chill came over me and my teeth chattered, but I was as excited as I was scared. Just wait till I tell the kids at school, I thought. We all watched as the object darted away, moved in several directions and then swerved so close to our car, I thought it was going to hit us. Back in its original position, it stopped and beamed its lights at us again.
“What is it, Dad?” I asked. Surely he had an answer. No matter what my problem, he always had a way of calming my fears.
“I don’t know, Linda,” he said. “But, don’t you worry. We’ll just sit right here until daylight. Maybe then we can get a better look.”
But, as if the object could hear our conversation, it darted off into the eastern sky just as the sun began to rise. Now, with the sun’s rays dancing on the water, everything was back to normal. Not a sign of the craft anywhere in sight. Without a word, Dad started the car, flipped the radio on WCBL in Benton and headed north. The midnight workers at the plants had seen a UFO at the exact same time we had. “According to the State Police, it was probably just another weather balloon,” the announcer said. Mom and Dad both smiled at each other and nodded their heads.
Dad breathed a sigh of relief. “See there, Linda. There’s always a logical explanation.”
“I guess so,” I said, but, as much as I wanted to believe the report, I wasn’t buying it. I had been there and seen a real unidentified flying object for myself and even a seventh-grader knew it wasn’t a weather balloon. Who were they trying to fool?
Today, I remember it like it was yesterday and still don’t know what it was. Probably never will. We’ve talked about it a lot through the years and it makes for quite an intriguing story, especially around a campfire. But, more than anything, I learned a valuable lesson that day. In life, parents have the answers to most of our questions, but there are some things even dads can’t explain.