Possible UFO sighting on Fort Bragg

Here's a story that I'm sure that'll make you question the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. This incident occurred sometime around 2008 on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This one time, I was selected to be the Parachute Issue and collection & shakeout NCOIC for an airborne operation that was to take place on this military installation. This was a tedious and labor intensive job assignment in which I sort of dreaded if I was selected to ever be to perform this duty. Well, anyway on the morning of this duty, I had to get up extra early in the morning for this job. I mean, like wake up for me was 03:00 hours in the morning, (3:00 am). I had to be at the parachute issue facility no later than 3:45 am. To get to Fort Bragg for me was to take the American Express Way to Fort Bragg. The All American Express way is a Interstate type of road which is about 5 miles in length that serves as a non stop road going to the miliary post. From there, go through the Access Control Point, (ACP) gate. From there, continue on the All American Express Way until I got to Long Street. From Long Street and from there, I had to make a left onto Long Street and head west bound down that street. But when I was on the All American Express Way, the traffic light turn red so I had to stop before make that left onto Long Street. As I was waiting there, right above the traffic light facing directly in my front, running parallel to Long Street. I saw a long row of light slowly rise up behind the street lights in the tree line. This row of lights was wider than the four lanes of traffic road I was on. It was several lights, all im a row rising slowing from behind the trees and it just hovered there, making no sound at all. I thought to myself at this moment that this had to be a UFO, but at the time, I was cutting it close on time and I didn't have the time to dwell or take any pictures of this with my phone. In hindsight of this, in the years following this incident, I wish I would've taken the time and effort to document this and maybe even to attempt to take a picture of it. The universe is bigger than we could ever imagine. To think that we are all alone in this universe is absurd to say the least. Just maybe, we aren't.

Old shoes, New Shoes

I had purchased a pair of New Balance running shoes about 12 years ago. I worn them during the physical training time in the Army. After I wore them for about  6 months or so, I washed them and put them away. Most people would have discarded their old running shoes by then, but I keep mine. Recently, as I was going through some of my belongings in a large box in my master bedroom, I ran across these running shoes. I  was looking for something to wear when I was around the house, at home. Something to mow the lawn in and wear when I was working on my cars, etc. It was then, when  I rediscovered these running shoes.

 I must say, even after all these years, these New Balance still look good  and still it my feet like a glove with the right amount of room to spare. I'm glad I didn't throw these out, like most people would have. As I rediscovered these shoes, I found out a little more about myself. These shoes were like a moment in time gone by, kinda like a physical object snap shot of what I was doing a the time. Wearing these shoes again, I sort of reconnected with my old self, younger self in the past. These shoes for some strange reason had a new feel to them. I was recycling these shoes again for another journey, service to my present physical well being.

What I would like to say in a nut shell, if you have something that isn't wore out, wash, it, and put it away. Some people may say, why keep it, throw it out. Why not recycle, reuse it at some later point in time in your life. Rediscover your past self,  you might be glad that you did.

Just because an item has no have a numerical value doesn't mean that it is a worthless piece of junk.  Just as long as it means to you is what matters


 

Spring Lake Horror Story

Here's a ghost story that I'm sure that'll bring chills down your spine and will give you goose bumps.
The story goes something like this.

 Back in the early 70s. A friend of the family was in the army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He had a friend, who was also a mutual friend of ours. He says, one day his friend went deer hunting somewhere in the Spring Lake area, close to Fort Bragg.

After a long day of deer hunting, he wasn't able to shoot a deer, so he began his long walk back to his vehicle. He followed along the railroad track, because the tracks lead to where his truck was parked at. Somewhere along the way, he remembered seeing a shack of some sorts close by the railroad tracks. He begin to walk by the building, and then, he noticed that there was smoked meat hanging on the rafters in front of the shack. Not having bagged a deer all day, he thought it would've been a good idea to stop by the shack to see if the owner was willing to sale some of that smoked meat so he could bring at least something home to his wife.

 He knocked on the door, there was no answer. So, he noticed that the door was inlocked, so, he opened it and walked slowly inside. It was pitch dark in there, his eyes had not adjusted to the darkness yet. he bumped into something. When he touched it, it was cold and made of metal. He lit lighter. It was a metal coffin, a casket of all things. Shocked, and being somewhat curious. He opened the thing. And when he opened it, he was even more moved. It was filled to the brim with a dark liquid. He said that he just had to dip his fingers into it to determine what it was. The liquid was cold, and he tasted it. It was blood. The casket was filled to the brim with what appeared to be blood.
With that being discovered, he left that shack and went immediately home.

When he got home, he told his wife what happened, and both of them went to to the shack to see it.
She saw it and was mortified. Later on the following day day, they told us about it. We went down there to see it. When we arrived at the shack, we saw the smoked meat hanging on the rafters in front of the shack. We went inside, there was no coffin there. No trace of it. They swore that they saw it.
There was a trace of alcohol on their breath. I could smell it.

Maybe they saw what they claimed to have seen. I don't know. Sound pretty convincing, and down right creepy and scary.

The world could be stranger than you think, stranger than fiction. You don't have to believe everything you hear, but give it some respect for what it is.

The Most Beautiful Sight in the World

Back in 2004, when I was attending the Basic Non-Commissioned Officer's Course, (BNCOC),  at  Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD. Little did I know that one one my mistakes on this weekend would lead me to view to what I believe to be the most beautiful sight I have seen to this day.

  It was on the Thanksgivings Day weekend. We had gotten off early that Thursday at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. We had our Class-A in-ranks inspection, and a safety briefing right before being released for the weekend. I was looking to being off for four days that weekend. My wife and my children were at my wife's mother's house in Virginia. They were in the far west side of Virginia. It would have been an eight hour drive going from where I was at over to their location. I remembered when my brother told me that it took him eight hours to drive from his house, which is on the coast of Virginia over to my wife's hometown of Richlands, Virginia to visit us when when we were there back in the 1990's. I used this to gage on how long it would take me to drive from my present location to my wife's hometown for the Thanksgivings Day weekend.

  I set for my journey almost immediately after I was released by my chain of command. I remember that I had to go through Washington, DC. If you're not that familar with driving through the heart of DC, like I was, you might get turned around, much like I did. I was using a road map, despite using this road map, I must have passed the Watergate Hotel at least three times. This back tracking set me behind schedule of arriving at my wife's mother's home in time. By the time I got on to onto highway 262 South, it was already night fall. I don't know about you, but, after being up real early that Thursday morning and having to drive at night, I was beginning to feel a little bit drowsy. The weather was real  bad on this particular night. The raining was pouring down and combined with me driving at night, I found it harder and harder to stay awake. I've always thought it's better to be safe than to put myself into harm's way. The next rest stop I arrived at, I decided to stop and get some sleep. I called my wife, and told her that I was going to get some sleep before I went any further. By doing so, She wouldn't expect to arrive until early the next morning, which was Friday.

  After I arrived at the rest stop, I used to restroom, looked at the map posted on the wall there to see where I was at. I went to my car, put my driver's seat back and almost immediately, fell asleep. I didn't wake up until the next morning, I think around 6 am or so. When I woke up, I went to the restroom, and went back in my car, decided which was the shortest route to get to where my wife and my kids were at, started my car and headed southward bound Highway 262 South.

  As I was driving down highway 262 South, the road turned into 77 South. I made a left unto 40 West.
Looking at the map, I decided that it was shorter in distance to take Highway 16 North to where I had to go. I went with that. I started to drive on highway 16 North. The road started out okay at first.  About 20 miles into driving on this highway, I found myself driving up every mountain there and descending down every mountain. It took me larger than I anticipated. It would have been longer to drive up highway 460 north in distance, but I would have arrived at my destination several hours sooner.  This miscalculation would, in my opinion leave a lasting memory that was well worth the the longer driving trip.

  As I was driving one mountain, I was actually driving up and down Appalachian Mountains. At one point when I had gotten to the very top on this one mountain in particular, the road was very narrow. I had to drive slowly to prevent from going into the on coming lane. I arrive at the top of this mountain, and I saw mist just seeping down the side of the mountain. I pulled over to the shoulder of the mountain, the far right, my side shoulder. There was plenty of room to park my car there. There running right down the mountain was this mountain stream. The stream ran down the mountain, and right across the road and down the other side of the mountain. I  got out of my car to have a look at it. The first thing I noticed there was that mountain crisp chill in the air. The air smelled fresh and clean, and the air, the closest thing that I can describe it, is that it smelled just like apple spice. I kid you not. The air smelled just like apple spice combined with the cool, chilly breezy mist rolling down off the mountain.

  When I looked over the edge of the mountain, I could see the town far down below. I estimate it must have been about 3000 feet below. I could see the entire layout of the town there. The town looked like it ones you see on a jigsaw puzzle. Kind of like the one as seen in the movie, "Joe Dirt", what he sees the moment when he lays eyes on Silvertown. It was a picture perfect, almost surreal looking town as seen from a distance. It was that stuning sight, combined with that unbelieveable smell of the apple spice scent in the air. I wish I had a camera, and a bottle so I can just take bottle full of that scent. It was nature's work at it's finest enhancing man's creation on display on that morning.

  Someday, I'll take that that trip again. It'll have to be the same time of the year, I think in order to replicate the same results. Be advised, if you decide to go on the same route I took, make sure your vehicle is in tip top running shape. Your vehicle will have to endure the ordeal of having to drive all the way to the top of every mountain top as you head north ward on Highway 16 to the exit onto Highway 460 South.

Nature's beauty is quite something to behold, combined with man's own work,  nature can shine even more.

 

Fair Today, Carnival Yesterday

Went to the Fort Bragg Spring Fair last Saturday. I was pretty impressed with the Fair. It's rides were real nice, some were a quite challenge to ride without getting motion sickness. Unlimited rides for the price of your one admission, which I thought was a real bargain, considering my two boys went on all the rides at least once. 

 Ahhh, and oh yeah, how can I forget about all the smells associated with all the Fair food being cooked there. The BBQ smoked turkey legs, powdered sugar sprinkled funnel cakes, cotton candy, corn dogs, nacho cheese chips, deep fried potato ribbons with cheese, the smell of fresh popcorn, polish sausage sizzling on the grill with onions and bell peppers, pizza slices, candy apples, and freshly squeezed lemonade.

 I'd have to take out a second loan to be able to afford to eat all that Fair food with my kids. You know what, it was worth very penney. Nothing can quite beat the smell and taste of geniune Fair food. You can't replicate the same kind thing at your home with the attempt to save money. Any attempts  to produce something comparable as the same tasting food bought at the Fair are furtile. When you're at the Fair, take my advise, get something to eat there. The Fair doesn't come around but twice a year, once in the Spring, and another time during the Fall, in October.

  This Fair was great, organized with a good layout. The Fair workers all wore new Fair T-shirts, and  I have to say, were quite polite. They were not nearly like the pushy salesman  as I remember they used to be in a time long gone by, when they were trying to get me to play their nearly impossible to win carnival games.

  Somehow, even after all these years, I still long for the Old days of the carnival. The time where you can go to the carnival, as it used to be referred to, and you might have opportunity to see side shows of the weird and unusual as I remembered as a kid, while growing up in Phoenix, Az.  I saw some pretty unusual exhibits, some I won't dare mention. The ones I know you won't see today.

   The ones I am tell you about is the time I remember seeing the world's smallest man, so they claimed he was. He was real little skins with short legs. The poor guy sat there as if he were oblivious to the fact that people were staring, gaking at him, while he eating a plate full of scrambled eggs. I felt bad for the man.

 I also remember seeing the world's biggest snake, and I cannot forget, the gorilla girl. She was a normal looking girl that would turn into a gorilla, right before your very eyes with the help special effects by the use mirrors, and smoke. The announcer would repeat over and over, " Gorilla Girl, Gorilla Girl, Gorilla Girl". She would change into a gorilla while she was in a cage that had jail like bars. She would rattle the bars, and the moment she turned into a gorilla,  the cage door would fall down and everyone in the tent would  scream and rush out of the tent emergency exit that was conveniently held up by one of the carnival workers. You know, they never had me fooled or scared for a minute, but I couldn't rest until I paid to see that gorilla girl.

  The "Carni",  people as they used to refer to the carnival workers, used to be sort of messed up looking. There was also a sense of excitement, apprehension, maybe a little bit of fear of what you might happen see when you run into it at the carnival.

 

This past weekend, I didn't see anything of that sort at the Fair. The Fair was real tame, socially acceptable, politically correct. It was professional looking, safe, and organized.

 Somehow, with it's new look, the fair, or carnival for the most part,  lost most of it's zing and appeal of the yester years gone by.
 

Still, all in all considering,  I enjoyed going to the fair this past weekend with my kids. By going out and having fun at the Fair last weekend was a great way for me to spend some quality time with my family. What else can be more important than that? I  highly recommend it to everyone.

Lost Dog, Found Dog

Lost Dog, Found Dog

  Last Thursday, I had a medical appointment that took me out of  Fayetteville to a small town, called Bladenboro. I went there for a appointment that was a speciality medical referral. As I was getting ready to leave there, I said my good byes to the kind medical staff there, and the lady who worked the front office told me to drive carefully of the expected bad weather that was about to arrive. I went out to my car, I could see that the sky was turning dark and cloudly, and it rain started to sprinkle. It rained sort of hard, but as I was getting closer to home, the rain subsided. I finally arrived into my housing subdivision, and as I was pulling into my cul de sac.

  I saw a large dark shape curled up on the door mat right in of my front door of my home. At first, I thought that our dog had gotten out of the back yard and was now waiting to be let in at our front door. As I walked up to our home, I discovered that this dog was not our dog, this dog was a stranger. I didn't recognize the dog. The dog got up from the door mat, I could see that it was a female, she looked scared, had her tail between her legs. She moved out of the way just as so I could open the front door and enter my home.

  When I entered our home I asked my wife if she knew anything about the large dog  at our front door. She said she did. I asked her who brought it home. She didn't know. I asked my children if they knew anything about this dog, laying in front of our door. They all said they didn't have anything to do with the dog. They didn't bring the dog home. The dog just found her way to our front door all by her self.

  I thought, " Well this is odd, why would a dog lay in front of our home, which is a strange home to her?"

I waited for about a couple of hours to see if the dog had gotten up and left. To my surprise, she was still there, all curled up in a tight little ball sleeping right in front of our door. I said, "Well if she going to stay there, let's get her something to eat and drink". I had my son fill up a large bowl with water and another large bowl full of dry dog food. I told him to set the bowls at the opposite end of our porch, away from the front door. After he set the bowls down, the dog immediately went to the bowls to drink and eat. The dog ate and drank her fill. She must have been on the road for quite awhile.  


  Later, one of my sons ask me if we can put her in the backyard and keep her. I immediately said no to this. I said, " If we put her in our back yard, she's not going to be motivated to find her way back home, and we'll end up with another dog. We already have three dogs, two female chihuahuas, and one large young male chow/sheppard mix dog". I ask my kids if her got along okay with one of our chihuahuas, named, "April", was out in the front yard, my little daughter said yes. The dogs played with each other. The dog is friendly, they assured me. One of my kids opened the door to see if the dog would come into our house, the dog didn't. My son tried to lead the dog into our house by gently pulling on her collar. The dog wouldn't budge off the front door mat. As the night began to approach, we all prepared to go to bed. I looked out the front door window, the dog was still there, all curled up in a ball, sleeping.


  The next morning, I opened the front door, maybe half expecting the dog to be gone by then. The dog was still there. My wife wanted to call animal control, I persuaded her not to. I said maybe the owner will drive throught there neighborhood looking for their lost dog and maybe see her on our front porch. I said to just let her stay there.


  It was during in the course of this morning, when my kids getting ready for school, my youngest daughter could not find her new school shoes.  She looked all around for them, then all my kids joined the search to find her shoes.  Finally, I enlisted in the search to find her shoes, all to no avail. I decided after 20 minutes of looking for them, to put another pair of shoes on her, a pair of Converse athletic shoes. This search made her late for school, and she missed her time to eat breakfast at school. My wife stopped at a Short Stop convenience market on the way to her school to get my daughter something for breakfast, like a honeybun or something. She never stops at that particular Short Stop store. 

  On this day, she did. It was on the way going outout of the store, she saw a posted sheet of paper, for a lost dog with the dog's picture on posted on the door. My oldest daughter called me as I was driving to work on the All American freeway on the way to work. She said, "Mom just saw the picture of a lost dog posted at the door at the Short Stop store, and it looks like the dog that's in front of our house. She gave me the telephone number to call.  I called the number, and said I was calling about their lost dog notice. The person answering the phone said their dog was indeed lost and I described the dog to her and said that I have their dog, she then scream with joy, and handed the phone to her husband. I told him that I have their dog, and her was on my front porch. I gave her husband my street address, and he said that he was on his way to pick her up. About 20 minutes later, her called back and said that was indeed her dog, and thanked me several time and She said that she will give me a reward for finding her dog.  I said please don't. I said, " You don't have to give me a reward." She insisted, I said, " From one dog lover to another, I was just glad that she got her dog back, and that she does not have to give me a reward. She thanked me again and said good bye.

  Later that day when I came home from work, I found myself on the front porch talking to a solicitor, then  a vehicle pulled up into my cul de sac, and parked in front of my driveway.  A young man exited a SUV and approached our home, and walked up to the porch, and asked me if I was the one who founded their dog, I said yes. He then offered me to the reward for finding their dog, I told him that they, ( he and and his wife ) didn't have to.  He insisted and said that it was a gift card to PetSmart,  I could get something for my dogs. My wife was standing there, asked said give it to her, my wife, which he did. I thanked him, and he thanked me again and left.

  I was thinking about this incident, about that dog. That dog knew by staying on my front door mat, she would be able to find her way home, and be reunited with her master. Her master would eventually come and get her. She stayed her ground, she wouldn't budge for the world to get off that door mat. How did she know to find my house, out of all the homes in that area,  that my home would be the one to get her home. What a strange sequence of events had to occur for that to happen. Somehow, I think that this dog knew, somehow forsaw the future maybe by whatever means she had, or maybe just by sheer desperation.
She knew the future outcome of her actions, which would eventually bring her the reunion she longed for with her master.


 I marvel at dogs, and for all the other pets for that matter, on just how special they are, with that special unbreakable bond they possess for their masters.

fayettehumane.org

Battleship sunken in Fayetteville's Cape Fear river?

Several years ago, when I was in the 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, NC, I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. Our conversation changed to the topic of fishing in and around the Fayetteville, North Carolina area.  He asked me if I had ever seen the battleship that was in the Cape Fear River.  I thought for a moment, an actual battleship in the Cape Fear River, and I said, "Yes I have, you mean the one that's in Wilmington, NC, the USS North Carolina? He said, No, This battleship was sunken, on the side of the Cape Fear River. He said it wasn't really an actual, a real "battleship", like the WWII battleships you're used to seeing, but it was close enough to it. He then told me where to go find it, and this really struck my curiosity. I just had to go out and seek to find this ship and have a look at it.

  I went down to the banks of the Cape Fear River. I walked down and through the through the forested area, down the long embankment. I walked past the Person Street bridge overpass, and walked several hundred yards more. I could just smell the sweet smell of the river water, and as I was getting closer, I hear the rush of the water as it was headed southward bound down the river. 

 Just there, beached along the western bank of the river, just north of the Grove Street Bridge, was this enormous looking bottom half of what appears to be a ship of some sort. It was right there on the Cape Fear River, of all places, in Fayetteville, NC. From the looks of it, the ship looked like it was listing to one side, the side facing the middle of the river. The top half of the ship looked to have been long eroded away.  The top most likely would have been salvaged scrapped away.

I could still clearly see main the deck of it. The deck was buckled. Along the main deck, is what looks to be placements for the gun turrets.  I would roughly estimate the ship to be somewhere around 200 feet long range. It appears small when seen from a distance, but when you get up close to it, right near it, you can actually get to see just the sheer size of this thing.

  Sometime later, I went to the Cape Fear River to do some fishing with my daughter, and my son.  I went to the Campbellton Landing area to park my car. There was this large fishing store there. When I was in the store, I asked the lady who worked there if she knew anything about this ship that was  listing to one side on the banks of the Cape Fear. She then began to tell me the story behind this ship.
 
 Back sometime ago, right after WWII, a man who used to own a Pepsi Cola plant in Fayetteville, or somewhere near Fayetteville, bought a surpluses WWII US Naval submarine destroyer.  He wanted to use it as a for his business, neither as a landing or a museum piece. While towing up it stream in the Cape Fear River, the ship had runned a ground and subsequently got stuck in the mud. They attempted to move it, but the ship was too damn big and heavy, it wouldn't budge an inch. So, they decide to scrap what salvageable metal they could get from it, and just leave it in place.

Here's something else describing what the ship was, and how it ended up along the banks of the Cape Fear:

In the years prior to World War II, Breece’s Landing – established along the banks of the Cape River near the former the Campbellton – was the social center of the city of Fayetteville. This ship that still sits somewhere between the Grove Street Bridge and the Cape Fear River Bridge was:  Patrol Craft 1084, a US Naval ship which saw active service during World War II. Stripped of its guns and sold as surplus after the war, it was purchased to serve as a floating dock for Breece’s Landing.


  Both stories are little bit different, but the ending is the same. Believe whichever one you want to, but they both wind up with having the same fate.

 

 Hence, later, what you see today is what remains left of a ship when exposed to the elements, wind, water, and other erosion factors 70 plus some odd years later.


   I believe everything has its own time and place in this world. What we see today, may just be a fleeting glimpse of it's glorious days fading away.




http://fayetteville.citysearch.com/

http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/8660.html