Bentwaters Incident 2010 Reunion

An Open Letter to:
Gen. Gordon Williams Wing Commander
Col. Theodore J Conrad - Vice Wing Commander
Col. Sam P Morgan - Base Commander
Col. Charles I Halt - Dept. Base Commander
Lt Col. Malcolm Zickler - Security Police Commander

As you may or may not know, I am currently in the process of putting together a reunion, next year, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the unexplained incidents that took place in and around the twin bases of Bentwaters and Woodbridge in December 1980. The purpose of this reunion is to get as many witnesses together as possible with the eventual aim of finding some kind of explanation for these strange events. There are a number of organizations working to make this happen.

Some of us now involved are having serious health issues related to the incident. I am very concerned about what we may have been exposed to out there especially as I was exposed to something on two occasions.

Col. Halt you have offered to write a letter for Jim Penniston and I to give to the VA (Veterans Health Administration) stating we were exposed to high does of radiation and the interrogation techniques of the AFOSI which included using drugs on some of the witnesses. Jim Penniston and I to this day have to yet to receive this letter. We are left with an empty feeling that all of us who were out there have been deserted by our chain of command and the military who we so proudly served. We are now forced to worry what we have been exposed to and what will happen to our health in the future.

Over the years I have been told you have tried to keep me out of different shows about Bentwaters, for example the ABC, SciFi and History Channel productions. I was told by the producers you had no idea how to get hold of me, yet you were working with Jim Penniston who had all my contact details and he passed them on to you. With regard to the movie Out of the Blue produced and directed by Mr. James Fox, you told him I was not out with you on the third night.

Col. Halt when I first went public with my experience stating I was involved in the first and third night, you said I was never involved at all in the third night. Well your tape proved that I was. You then said I never came forward and met up with you. However, I have a taped interview where you state that I did indeed come forward and met up with your group. I have been told that your reasoning was that I was loose cannon and would talk too much to the press about the incident.

You have now gone on the record and said we were exposed to was something Extra-Terrestrial in nature. What could I have ever said that would have caused more of a stir than that?

I for one have no idea for sure what we were exposed to. How do you know for sure that the events were extra-terrestrial?

Col. Halt’s memo and tape clearly shows something happened to all of us. The USAF stated to CNN that they stood by Col. Halt’s memo. I can't help but feel the Government is waiting for the health of all of us to fade without reaching out to help any of us.

I have been told by more than one person who was involved in the command structure there was no investigation done afterwards which I do not believe.

Col. Conrad, - You were the Base Commander at the time and you moved to the Vice Wing Commander afterwards. You stated you never saw anything from you house like Col. Halt claims. After being asked certain questions years later by Ben Jameson you said you needed to talk to Lt Col. Zickler about the questions before you could answer them.

Over the years I have reached out to all of you for help:

Col. Halt - you offered a letter but we never received it.

General Williams - all you would do for us is say we were good men doing good work.

Col. Morgan - all you care about is what organization is sponsoring the reunion.

Col. Conrad - all you can do is contact Lt. Col Zickler before you could answer our questions . . . . . .and then you never get back to us.

Here we have the top four people involved in the incident and yet not one of you can agree on anything including Col. Halt’s memo having the wrong dates and times of the incident.

Everybody agrees Col. Halt would have never made that kind of mistake he even had the witness statements in front of him when he wrote the memo. I have also learned that there were statements written by all of the people involved in the third night and collected after the incident.

Lt Col. Zickler, I understand after you departed Bentwaters you moved to Eglin AFB Florida where there was then reported numerous UFO events. You then moved on to become head of System Security Engineering and Chief of Operation Security at GE Aerospace to include going to extensive lengths to test and create realistic scenarios on an Air Base. 

(See Lt. Col Zickler's Bio here)

Everybody wonders how a Squadron Commander in charge of Security Police and Law Enforcement, can ascend to working with the US Special Forces Counter Intelligence Deception Unit.

This seems suspicious. Why have you never gone on record about the incident at Bentwaters/Woodbridge?

When I contacted you this week all you could offer was “Cheer up, things will get better soon!”

Col. Halt stated that you ran a major investigation afterwards involving OSI yet I can find no one who will support those claims. On the questions of the paper trail of reports 1569 and blotters, Col. Halt stated they were stolen well everybody who worked back in the area stated they were not. They were available and maintained in the proper way and kept in storage the required amount of time. Everybody agrees that if they came up missing there would have been a major investigation done because they were controlled items. The fact that nobody in my chain of command can agree is very interesting. That a squadron commander seems to run the show is even more interesting.

These are just a few things I have uncovered and I would welcome your response. I would truly like for all of us to be able to get together next year and would welcome your involvement and support in the reunion. I have been in contact with Gary Heseltine on the movie screenplay he and Col. Halt are putting together and truly hope the project will happen.

I understand Mr. Heseltine would be very happy to help with the reunion. - I’m asking now, Gen. Williams, Col. Conrad, Col. Morgan, Col. Halt, Lt Col. Zickler, would you like to be involved?


Yours Sincerely,

TSgt. John Burroughs