We have all thought about it every now and then; even if you don’t like to admit it. Are aliens real? Are they among us or lightyears away on an unknown planet? Some may even reject the idea based on religious beliefs. Others want to believe we are not the only ones in this seemingly endless universe. Theories and experiences around UFO phenomenon can be intriguing, as well as extremely frightening. Statistics say that 1 out of 2 Americans believe in the existence of UFOS or Alien life forms.

“When I talk about Extraterrestrials, we must think of beings who are like us

Monsignor Corrado Balducci, a personal friend of Pope John Paul the second, a Roman Catholic theologian, as well as a long-time exorcist and an expert of demonology for the Archdiocese of Rome, has some thought – provoking ideas on extraterrestrials.  During an interview on April 17, 2000 he claimed that aliens and their vessels “Do quite defiantly exist”. He believes there is a “Middle Stage” between Angels and Humans where aliens could exist and may even have souls. Mr. Balducci cleverly explains, “When I talk about Extraterrestrials, we must think of beings who are like us — more probably, beings more advanced than us, in that their nature is an association of a material part and a spiritual part, a body and a soul, although in different proportions than human beings on Earth.” While Balducci makes some fascinating observations; Travis Walton has lived through a petrifying experience involving abduction, and alien encounters.

November 5, 1975, Travis Walton along with six other coworkers were making their way home after a long day of thinning tree limbs in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to promote faster growth for smaller trees. This was the highest paying contract this small contracting company has earned. Travis describes how the men were tired after a hard working day but the over stimulating activity the job requires leaves them restless in their seats. The windows were rolled down so the men could feel the cool evening breeze; four men smoking in the back while the two non-smokers getting the clean air in the front seats.

Not long into their journey home, the men noticed a glowing light as bright as the sun. As they made their way closer to the illumination their nightmare began. Filled with curiosity and terror they glare upwards at this metallic object that has no sharp edges, no door or hatch, and was illuminating a yellow hue that caused the trees and surrounding nature to give off an indescribable shade.

Stunned, the men sit in their truck frozen. Travis Walton suddenly jumps out to get a closer look fearing it would fly away quickly. The shrill terrified screams of his coworkers were drowned out by the bewilderment of this outer worldly object; “There was no motion and no sound from the craft. It almost appeared to be dead in the air.” That’s when Travis realized he no longer had control over his body, the pressure of the air was mind numbing, he could no longer see or hear anything.

Travis then illustrates a horrifying description of waking up on a hard slab and how the aliens themselves were performing excruciatingly painful experiments on him. “I was looking squarely into the face of a horrible creature! It looked steadily back at me with huge, luminous brown eyes the size of quarters.”  He jumps off the metal slab he was laying on, screaming at the aliens to get away. Without warning the extraterrestrials suddenly turn and leave the room. Taking advantage of their absence he runs down a hallway, too afraid to peer into the doorways. He stops himself, realizing he could be running past exits to get out of what seemed to be a triangular shaped craft.

He then approached an empty room where he investigated his confusing surroundings. That’s when a largely built human man entered through the doorway and without saying a word led him through multiple hallways to a double door that opened as they approached. He then describes three other humans who were sitting at an empty table, “They were smooth-skinned and blemishes. No moles, freckles, wrinkles, or scars marked their skin. The striking good looks of the man I had first met became more obvious on seeing them all together. They shared a family-like resemblance, although they were not identical.”

His nightmare was finally coming to an end. The odd humans led him to a table in the same room where they covered his mouth and nose with an object that looked similar to an oxygen mask, before he could reach to grab it off his face he became weak. Travis woke up on an empty road in Arizona, he ran to an Exxon gas station where he called his brother in law to pick him up.

His experience is one of the most famous abduction accounts resulting in movies like “Fire in the Sky”, books and documentaries. The fact that Travis Walton’s coworkers who witnessed him being abducted passed lie detector tests asking about the incident sets this account from others.

Thousands of individuals claim that they have been abducted or witnessed UFOs. How many first-hand accounts, or eye witness reports will we disregard before we as a society finally except the possibility of alien life forms or UFOs? Maybe it’s best to leave it to the unknown. Travis Walton’s curiosity left him to the mercy of these unknown creatures, his words almost a warning, “If I had to do it over again I wouldn’t get out of the truck.”