Fascinating topic 
Marilyn Forbes/For the Daily Courier

After nearly 45 years, the interest has not waned but actually increased as more and more people are wondering what landed from the sky into a wooden area in Kecksburg on Dec. 9, 1965.

Known as the “Kecksburg UFO Incident,” at approximately 4:45 p.m. Dec. 9 a fiery object was spotted over parts of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania and was reported to have crashed in a wooded area in Kecksburg, a small village in Mt. Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County.

Written off by officials as a large meteor, many eyewitnesses claimed that what fell was instead an acorn-shaped metallic object that bore a series of symbols resembling hieroglyphics on its rim.

Witnesses stated that the object was removed by military personnel who covered it and transported it from the area on a flat-bed truck.

“Witnesses are still coming forward today to tell me about the incident,” said Stan Gordon, Kecksburg incident and UFO expert. “I just recently had numerous people speak to me about the incident.”

Kecksburg celebrated the anniversary at its annual “Old-fashioned Days and UFO festival” in September, featuring Gordon and other speakers who did presentations and offered informational materials.

“The crowds were huge this year in Kecksburg,” Gordon said. “They are talking about finding a larger location for next year.”

Gordon said many witnesses come forward after long periods of time because they feel he may already be aware of any information that they may be able to provide.

“People just think that I already know what it is they saw and that they didn’t have to say anything,” Gordon said. “But the more witnesses, the better. Their stories help, and all of the information collaborates with what we have.”

A UFO expo was held recently at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood, too. In addition to paranormal activity information and Bigfoot displays there, Gordon and others were on hand to discuss the Kecksburg incident with visitors.

Paranormal investigator, consultant and speaker Michael Rambacher of Ohio spoke to the expo visitors about his experience with the Kecksburg UFO.

Rambacher was with the Air Force security unit at Wright Patterson Air Force base where the Kecksburg object was reportedly transported when taken from the area.

“I was in security and we were instructed about it,” Rambacher said, adding that he arrived at the base in 1966, one year after the incident. “They talked about the item that was brought there on a flat-bed truck and was said to be from Pennsylvania. At that time, there was no access to it, and we were told that it was being studied.

“We put two and two together and figured it was the Kecksburg object,” he said.

Although Rambacher himself never saw the object, his roommate and others in his bunk reportedly saw it and described its shape and markings.

Kecksburg ‘UFO’ continues to draw interest

“My roommate said that it was acorn-shaped and about 3 feet high and 2 feet in diameter,” Rambacher said. “He said that it had a rim about the bottom and what he noticed was that there wasn’t a seam or any signs that the rim was added. It appeared to be one solid piece.”

The Air Force security guard, who Rambacher could not name, reported seeing markings on the rim of the object.

“He said that it had lines and circles and squiggly-looking markings on it,” Rambacher said.

Rambacher left the base the following year. He never saw the object but is certain of its existence and that it is not of this world.

“I think that it’s there,” Rambacher said. “They move it from building to building for security reasons because of what it is and where it came from, but it’s there, and I also think that all the Roswell material is there, too.”

According to reports, the “Roswell UFO Incident” was the alleged recovery of extra-terrestrial debris, including alien corpses, from an object that crashed near Roswell, N.M., in June or July 1947.

Since the late 1970s, the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and conspiracy theories as to the true nature of the object that crashed. The U.S. military maintains that what was actually recovered was debris from an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program titled “Mogul.” However, many UFO proponents maintain it was a crashed alien craft and bodies were recovered, and that the military then engaged in a coverup. The incident has turned into a widely known pop-culture phenomenon, making the name Roswell synonymous with UFOs. It ranks as one of the most publicized and controversial alleged UFO incidents.