Loring’s First Encounter
Loring’s history as one of Maine’s most beloved Air Force bases has long outlived its closure in 1994. The base was operational for more than forty years, and served as one of the Air Force’s largest Strategic Air Command bases during its service. After its closure, it was converted into an industrial commerce park with part of the property utilized by Loring Job Corps. Also, the Department of Defense has an operational Finance and Accounting Services building on-site.
In my first book, I wrote of Loring’s thrilling three-night encounter with UFOs in 1975. The story also made its way to an episode of the television show Close Encounters. It is episode 8 of season 1, called “Nuclear Reaction,” and can be viewed in full on YouTube. The presence of UFOs in and around military bases is a story that has been told countless times, including at Dow Air Force Base in the previous chapter. The connection typically involves bases with nuclear technology on-site. As military UFO researcher Robert L. Hastings wrote, “Air Force, FBI, and CIA files declassified via the Freedom of Information Act establish a convincing, ongoing pattern of UFO activity at US nuclear weapons sites extending back to December 1948.”
Recap of the 1975 Encounters
On October 27, 1975, an unidentified flying object hovered in and around Loring Air Force Base. Multiple staff members from the base witnessed the events, including the base’s wing commander. The following is a brief description from my first book, UFOs Over Maine: “The ship was seen just hovering over the base, and at one point it just disappeared. Moments later, it was hovering one hundred and fifty feet over the base’s runway. As numerous base personnel looked on in awe, a plan was made to confront the craft from the ground. The men piled into a truck and started driving down a parallel road to the runway, toward the object. Once they reached the turn to the weapons storage area, the craft was approximately three hundred feet in front of the truck and reportedly only hovering five feet off the ground.”
This incident has garnered significant attention, and since then has been dissected not only within ufology, but by locals, journalists, former airmen who were stationed at Loring (before, during, and after the incidents), and the Air Force. The Francis Malcolm Science Center in Presque Isle, Maine, holds an annual presentation about the incident during the Halloween season. And, I am told, some of the volunteer staff at the Loring Heritage Museum are open to discussing the matter. Unfortunately, I could not confirm this during my visit to the area because the center was closed.
Immediately following the events, the base did claim that their intruders were drug smugglers in helicopters. Yet despite Loring’s initial explanation, none of the eye witnesses claimed to have seen a helicopter. In fact, the only helicopters present were from the National Guard, which was stationed at the base and aided in the search, and an Air Force helicopter that was brought in later to assist (on October 30, 1975). The base later conceded to not having an explanation for the UFO. The source of the object remains unknown to this day.
Famed Bangor Daily News journalist Dean Rhodes and author-investigator Larry Fawcett found the case intriguing. In 1982 they started an investigation that eventually led them to the FBI offices in Boston, Massachusetts (two years before Barbara Walker reported her husband). Fawcett wrote in a NICAP article, “When Rhodes checked with the FBI in Boston, he was told that the aerial intrusions over Loring remained under investigation and that they had no idea as to who was responsible. A later Freedom of Information request was filed by the authors with the Boston FBI office, asking for documents concerning the identity of the object. The FBI completely denied any knowledge of the craft or who may have been responsible for the flights.” Having exhausted all possible options in their investigation of the incident, Fawcett and Rhodes were left scratching their heads on what was seen over Loring.
The First Encounter
In 2012, Hastings reported that a former airman from Loring came forward to report an incident from 1964, which of course preceded the 1975 event by eleven years. He had been under orders never to speak of the incident and was hesitant to tell his story sooner (sounds like the airman from Dow, doesn’t it?). The airman explained, “he told us not to discuss any of it with anyone—ever! The colonel was not in my squadron and I do not remember his name.”
The airman went on to explain that on a late October evening (notice that the 1975 incident occurred in October as well—could there be a connection?), while on duty, the airman observed a peculiar object hovering just a few feet above the runway (again, like the 1975 incident). He stated, “I looked toward the end of the runway and noticed an object there. It was not very big, maybe twenty-five to thirty feet wide and ten feet tall or so. It may have been trapezoidal in shape, but I’m not sure. There were no lights on it, and it was dark in color. I had my own cheap 10x pocket scope with me, and when I looked through it at the object, I could see a very slight violet glow coming from its underside. I was about two hundred-fifty to three hundred yards away from the object when I observed it. It was two to three feet above the ground. I don’t remember any footpads under it, but I was too far away to be certain. I did not see it land, if it did land. I just happened to look in that direction and it was there.”
Moments later, the airman spotted a pickup truck driving down the runway headed toward the object. The type of truck he observed was typically used to “guide aircraft around the flight line.” The airman wondered who was inside the pickup, as the Air Police staff typically drove jeeps. When he looked back at the unidentified object, it was no longer there, and then he saw the pickup veer off the runway and out of sight. The airman started walking to the area where the object had been. He spotted another airman nearby and asked him if he had seen the object. The other airman did see the object. As explained by the witness, “He also saw it and said it was black with many flat panels on it. He told me it took off so fast as to be a blur. He was not sure what he saw.”
It Came from Outer Space!
The airman also reported another encounter, involving a colleague, from December of ’64. It was late at night and the colleague was patrolling his typically assigned B-52 bomber area. The bombers were armed with nuclear weapons and placed on alert so they could be scrambled at a moment’s notice. As the airman approached an area behind the bombers, he saw shadowlike figures lurking by a snowbank. He knew no one should be in this area and fired a warning shot. Soon after, he commanded the marauders to turn themselves in. He did not get a response, and the night fell eerily silent after the obnoxious gunfire. He stood reserved and watched for any sign of movement. Suddenly, the figures emerged from the shadows and skulked openly in the moonlight. The airman was frightened by their appearance and fired directly at them. They vanished instantly; he couldn’t believe it!
After composing himself, the colleague walked to the area where they’d been and investigated. Unexpectedly, the base came to life. Security lights switched on, and Air Police approached the airman. He was apprehended immediately, and despite his arrest, he could only think “They goddamn vanished!”
He tried to explain his behavior to superiors but was ignored. He was then promptly relieved of duty. They explained to him that firing live rounds on base, without reason and near nuclear weapons, was not only illegal but could be considered treason. They advised him that he was lucky to not serve time in military prison. The original witness explained it as follows: “He was relieved of duty at the time. We all thought he was sleep-walking and woke up startled. He was known as the guy who shot at the ‘little green men.’ No one took him seriously at the time.” Years later, he ran into the disgraced airman and the two briefly discussed the incident. In regard to firing shots at the alleged “little green men,” he quoted his colleague as saying, “They were gray, not green.”
UFOs & Nukes
Encounters such as the ones described above, and others reported by numerous Air Force personnel (at bases harboring nuclear technology) around the country, could be considered to have some of the most credible eyewitness testimony. The airmen are trained observers and are expected to function while under pressure. This may seem anecdotal, but there are multiple cases reported by seemingly rational military professionals of all rankings, including colonels, wing commanders, and brigadier generals. Given the secrecy that the United States government has been shrouded in since before the latter part of the twentieth century, their information could be considered of the utmost priority. Hastings put it best when he said that “the heightened presence of the UFO phenomenon since the end of World War II is a direct consequence of the advent of the Nuclear Age. To suggest that this is the only explanation for widespread UFO sightings during our own era would be presumptuous, simplistic, and undoubtedly inaccurate. Nevertheless, I believe that the nuclear weapons-related incidents are integral to an understanding of the mystery at hand.”
My Overnight Investigation of Loring
On the morning of April 18, 2017, I typed “Loring AFB” into Google Maps and found that Limestone (home of Loring) is a three hour and fourteen minute drive (180 miles) from my home in Bangor. I sighed loudly due to a couple of factors. First, I had just driven to Portland and back on Saturday, April 15, to drop my lovely family off at the Jetport. Second, I had to go back to Portland on April 19 to pick them up. Another long drive in such a short period felt daunting, but realistically, it’s not that far. I had been planning the trip to Loring all month, which finally culminated in heading up to the “county” on April 25.
An aircraft hangar at Loring Air Force Base.
In preparation, I put together the same gear I’d brought with me to Hacker’s Hill, booked a hotel room in the area (Presque Isle), and swapped out batteries and charged my gear. Also, I proceeded to download about ten episodes of the Flip the Table podcast that my friend Chris has been producing for the last five years. According to their website, tableflipsyou.com, it’s a podcast “about the other side of board games.” They take a humorous and interesting approach to dissecting funny and obscure board games such as Heartthrob, The McDonald’s Game, and more. There’s a whole lot of space up north, and my audio companions would be needed.
I left my house at about 9:00 a.m. and my first stop was at the Mount Katahdin overlook right off Interstate 95. After taking the obligatory pictures, I hopped back into my Ford Escape and vowed that my next stop would be Houlton. It was not. I stopped at a rest area further north and vowed again to make no more stops until Houlton. I did it! I then pulled into the Maine State Police Barracks on Route 1 and told them of my plan to hang out at Loring Air Force Base at ungodly hours. They politely thanked me, but advised me to inform the local PD instead. Fair enough. I reached Presque Isle at around 12:30 p.m. and checked into my hotel (thank goodness for early check-ins!). I freshened up a bit, then headed to Limestone. I walked into the municipal building and explained to the officer behind the counter about my otherworldly intentions on the base. He took down my information and thanked me for letting them know.
I finally reached the base at around 1:30 p.m. I was utterly unprepared for how desolate and abandoned the place felt. Roadways were cracked from vegetation, and the former military housing area would be the perfect setting for The Walking Dead. Large hangars were fatigued and bled rust, and the runways felt massive and like they were from another decade. I looked inside buildings through broken windows and took hundreds of pictures. I made sure to stake out the areas that I wanted to visit later that evening, and noted how to get back to them come nightfall. I left the base around 3:30 p.m. and got a bite to eat. I napped afterwards, called my girlfriend (she wished me luck and told me to be careful), and headed back out at 9:30 p.m.
I arrived on-site at around 10:00 p.m. and was surprised at how different the base was at night. There were absolutely no lights (I don’t know why I thought there would be). The only signs of life were from the Loring Job Corps campus, but once I left their grounds, the base swallowed me completely. I was lost for about twenty minutes as I searched for Tower Road. This is the area that gets you to the radar tower and the runways. My plan was to hang out on the runway for a while, as it had an unobstructed view of the sky. After utilizing Google Maps again, I found my way to the areas I wanted to investigate.
I parked awkwardly in what I considered the center of the area, shut off all lights and the car, and watched the skies. It was drizzling that evening, and after about an hour, the rain sounded like white noise and I was in total darkness. I began to feel claustrophobic. The irony was not lost on me, given the fact that I was in the widest of open spaces. I started my vehicle but soon exited it, hoping to feel lighter. I was still surrounded by darkness, but the glow from my dash lights, the fresh air, and the rain hitting my face helped me feel better. I lit a cigarette and continued to watch the skies.
After a moment, I could hear someone walk down the runway. It was faint, but it sounded like they would take a few steps, pause, and then take a few more steps. I wondered whether they walked in this manner to avoid detection. I strained my eyes in an effort to see who or what was approaching, and, I’ll admit, I was frightened. I stepped in front of my vehicle, which was still running—and was relieved to figure out that the sound was coming from my intermittent windshield wipers. Whew! I thought I might have been losing my mind.
After laughing at myself, I got back in the car and headed toward the hangar just opposite Tower Road. This thing was a behemoth, and in the darkness it felt as though it was three hundred feet tall (it wasn’t). I parked near its entrance and used the light from my full-spectrum camera screen to light my way. I took some pictures and had a brief EVP session by the open door. I then got back into my vehicle, shut everything down, and watched the skies once again. I considered some UFO summoning, like I’d done at Hacker’s Hill, but decided against it since I hadn’t been on-site for very long. Midnight approached, and I decided to drive to the parking lot of the radar tower to watch the skies from that vantage point.
Once I had parked, my head was on a swivel. On the runway and at the hangar area, the view is completely unobstructed. You can simply see the entire sky. But in the tower’s parking lot, you have to scan the area from left to right to see everything. Just after midnight, as I was looking into the sky toward my left, my head coming back to the right, I noticed a light in the sky. With camera already in hand, I immediately turned it on and hit record. After about thirty seconds, I decided to try to drive closer to the light. It seemed impossible to gauge where it was in the sky, as I couldn’t even see the radar tower in the darkness. I drove forward about five feet when the light suddenly flashed, shimmered briefly, and then blinked out.
Close-up of my photo of a potential Loring UFO.
I was frustrated in that moment and mad at myself for moving the vehicle. Despite this, when I played back the footage, I found that I’d captured the entire series of events! Honestly, the video simply shows a light in the sky, a flash, and then nothing. Nonetheless, a true unidentified light was captured. I turned on my headlights to see where the tower was in relation to the light. I was surprised to find how far left, and low, the tower was in comparison to where the light was situated. In the darkness, it had felt like they were next to each other, and my skeptical mind thought it was a reflection at first. If I had to guess, I would say the light was about three hundred feet in the air.
I stayed at Loring for another two hours or so before departing. I drove back to the runways, visited an abandoned building, and skulked about the property without further incident. During this time, I uploaded the video to Facebook. The LTE service was weak and it took almost an hour and a half to upload. I arrived back at the hotel at around 3:00 a.m. and began analyzing the footage. It wasn’t all that compelling, so I took a screenshot of the light and zoomed in. There is an implied structure within the light, but it’s difficult to discern any real detail. I have included the close-up pictures, along with the video, in a high-resolution version uploaded to my YouTube channel (“Nomar Slevik”). You can also find it by searching for “Light in the Sky over Loring AFB—April 26, 2017.”
What’s the final verdict on Loring? How about we first revisit what has taken place so far. There were reports of a UFO and odd figures on the base in 1964. We know that in October 1975, the United States Air Force confirmed that the base had had intruders in its air space and that it had spanned three nights. And lastly, we have a light in the sky that I observed in 2017. To answer the question of whether Loring Air Force Base has been visited by otherworldly vehicles and alien beings is impossible. Skeptics will say no, and believers will say yes, so what are we left with?
Well, the only thing I know for sure is that you should take the time to travel to Limestone, Maine, and see this historic base for yourself. It truly is something to behold. And while you’re there, maybe you’ll see something for yourself.