PASCAGOULA-THE CLOSEST ENCOUNTER: MY STORY

by Calvin Parker

  Getting back to Oct 12th, at around 9:00am and talking to the Sheriff and the owner of the shipyard, someone came up with the ideal that we needed to get checked for radiation and also have a medical examination. I thought ‘Thank God’ and hopefully there is nothing wrong with us and we’ve not exposed half of Mississippi. The Sheriff’s Department escorted us in their patrol car to Singing River Hospital for a medical check up. The hospital said that they couldn’t check us for radiation but they gave us an examination which was a great relief because I was worried about it. They sent us instead to Keesler Air force Base to be checked out for radiation. When we pulled up at the base there was about six people standing outside with white suits on, the suits that covered them from head to toe. That was as scary as hell. No one bothered to tell us their names. That was scary in its self. I was thinking they were very serious about this and I was glad to see it. They took Charlie and me and separated us about twenty feet apart and told everyone to stay back. Then they started taking radiation readings with a (Thermo Pile Detector). The reason I know the name of the equipment they used is because I asked one of the guys using it what it was called. Then, one of them gave us the all clear and they loaded up their equipment and went back into the door and that’s all they had to say ‘all clear’. Before we could leave someone came out of the door and asked Charlie and I to follow him. We walked down a hall about the length of a football field and I noticed how clean it was. All of the way along all of the floors were waxed so you could almost see your face in them .Then all of a sudden he stopped us at a door with dark windows that you could not see through. Again the country boy (me) was getting worried about what was going to happen to us. He opened the door and asked us to go in and have a seat. Charlie and I were the only one’s in there for about five minutes but we both sat there and kept our mouth's shut .Then, all of a sudden, the door opened and about six people walked in, five were in military uniform and one had on a black suit with a white tie. I was thinking, ‘Boy we’re screwed now’ but they were very nice and down to business. The one in the suit asked all of the questions about what went on the night before, so we told our story about the three beings floating us on board the craft and what happened while we were on board.

  Then they handed us a paper of what they said were the minutes of this meeting and the details of what we had seen but it was a blank piece of paper. Anyway, we took the paper and signed it and they gave both of us a copy of these blank signed pieces of paper. We were informed that they would mail us an official copy. I don’t recall ever receiving this official copy. After this we were escorted back to the patrol car and they drove us back to the shipyard. It was now around 4:00pm. Charlie and me then went in to the office where we were informed that we had a meeting tomorrow and that Doctor James Harder and Doctor J. Allen Hynek were on their way down and wanted too see us 9:00am in the morning. They also told me that my mother and brother were in a motel and wanted me to go and see them. I thought to myself ‘Thank God’ at last someone I know and trust. At this time we still hadn’t talked to the press. I was just going to head for home with Charlie but we had to pull the car over because of the way the car was running. I checked only to discover that three of the spark plugs had just about had it. There was an auto parts store just up the road (I can’t remember the name of the store), so I stopped and got some plug wires and changed them in the parking lot. The car now started running as good as new. Charlie and I didn’t say but one word and when we got home I told him I would see him at work in the morning as I was going to see my mother and brother at the motel. Charlie would have to make his own way to work.

  I left Charlie that evening thinking that was the first time I’d had to myself since this whole thing happened. I was excited to get to see some of my family, someone I knew that really cared for me. I was thinking what to say to them about what had happened and how they would react when I did. It took me about fifteen minuets to get to the motel that was in Gautier on Highway 90. I saw my mother’s car parked up by the motel. It was good and dark by then but I still didn’t know which room was theirs. I knew when I reached the right room because the curtains were open and I could see right in. They met me at the door and my mother was crying and so was I. My brother was scared to death and really jumpy. After greeting each other with hugs and tears we went inside before the press found us. We closed the door but never talked about what had happened to me, they just asked if I was alright and I told them I was fine. I asked about the rest of my family and they said everyone was thinking about me and praying for me. I also asked about Waynett, my fiancé and we were set to be married on November 9th, 1973. I didn’t want to tell her on the phone so I would wait and tell her in person. My mother said my dad would go by and see her and tell her. I was really tired so I lay across the bed and fell asleep, so we never talked about what happened that night, they just let me rest.

  The next morning I got up around 7:00am, took a shower and said good bye to everyone and told them that I loved them and as soon as the meeting was over that I would leave and go back to Laurel, Mississippi and see everyone for a couple of days and tell them all what had happened. I left around 8:00am going straight to the shipyard to meet with Dr. Harder and Dr. Hynek. They were going to be there around 9:00am for the meeting. It was about 15 minuets to the shipyard and I was already dreading the day (I don’t like meeting people that I don’t know). I arrived at the shipyard and the guard escorted me in the gate to where the office personnel parked. I walked in through the door and saw Charlie and Dr. Harder talking. Taking a deep breath I walked up and introduced myself. They said lets go into the office and talk. We walked into the conference room where Dr. Hynek was already waiting for us. The first thing they wanted to do was to hypnotize us in order to try and get more details about our experience on the river. They hypnotized Charlie first and he was back with us after about an hour .While he was being hypnotized by Dr. Harder (in a different office) Dr. Hynek, who was an astronomer and was part of the USAF’s Project Blue Book, started to talk to me about our encounter. He already knew my story, I guess from talking to the Sheriff’s Department, but he wanted me to tell him again, so I did. Then Charlie came back with Dr Harder. Dr. Harder was a Professor at Berkeley Engineering. Dr. Harder told me to step into the back room with him. He talked to me for a little while, nothing about the abduction, just questions, like where were you born, how old are you, who was your mother and father and do you have any brothers and sisters etc. I answered all the questions as honestly and as accurately as I could. The next thing he did was to have me to lie down and relax. He was going to hypnotize me. Then he had me pick a spot on the wall and concentrate on it and started talking to me about my arm floating. So, I did what he asked and while under hypnosis I was telling him about what had happened to us, but when he got to the part about being abducted. I went into a panic mode. Dr. Harder started taking me out of the hypnotic trance that I was in and didn’t try again. It would seem that the hypnosis didn’t work on me. When all of this was over I had a chance to ask them questions and that’s when I found out who they were. Later on I read in the newspaper that had interviewed Dr. Hynek and he had said that he withheld judgement on what had happened to us but he did say that Hickson and Parker were honest men who seemed genuinely distressed about what had occurred. Then they left as fast as they got there. I was really impressed with both of them, they were all business.

  At the end of our meeting they called Charlie and I into the office and told us to take a two weeks paid leave of absence so things would get back to normal. So they went ahead and wrote us a cheque so we would not have to come back to the office to get it .I had already made up my mind to go back to Laurel, Mississippi which was home and where my finance and family were, so I could tell them what had happened. I already had my clothes in the car so I set off for home and I just couldn’t wait to get there. I knew that everything would be okay then. I just didn’t know how Waynett and the family would take it but I knew
she would be worried but it would all be fine.

  I don’t know who let the cat out of the bag and informed the press of what had happened to Charlie and me but the story got out somehow. Here is another item from the MUFON file. It looks a little bit like a press release but I can’t be sure. MUFON have redacted this document as is there policy. I think this document will help you understand how the press hounded us. I will also be using a selection of newspaper cuttings elsewhere in this book.

  ******

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Hypnosis Charlie worked with a guy called William Mendez and they published their own book called ‘UFO CONTACT AT PASCAGOULA’ which was published in 1983 and has recently been re-published by my publisher Philip Mantle at FLYING DISK PRESS. I didn’t have a great deal to do with the book but I did agree to undergo hypnosis. I have the permission to publish it here which I believe this is only fair to do so that the readers can see it for themselves.

  William Mendez had brought in a guy by the name of Kraus to do the hypnosis. Mr. Kraus had been at the time at his address for seventeen years and during that period of time had established an extensive practice in hypnotherapy. Most of his clients were referred to his centre by doctors in the Detroit area. He was an active member of the American Institute of Hypnosis and the American Association of Professional Hypnologists. Currently (1976), he was serving as secretary with the Michigan Association for Professional Hypnosis. Kraus had taught hypnosis to doctors, dentists and other professionals in Michigan.

  Kraus began his first hypnosis session with Charlie by reassuring him that hypnosis is not a form of mind control, that Charlie would be in full possession of his mind at all times and that he could terminate the session whenever he desired. After further assurances that everything would be done to prevent Charlie from being uncomfortable (we were mindful of how painful the hypnosis had been which was attempted less than forty eight hours after the incident), we were ready to begin. There were four people in the office; Charlie, John Kraus, Curtis Watkins (an artist who sketched Charlie’s descriptions) and myself.

  Several tape recorders were turned on and Charlie assumed a comfortable position in a reclining chair, which was then adjusted to its more horizontal position. With his hands loosely clasped at his belt buckle and a blindfold covering his eyes, Charlie lay on his back attempting to relax. Kraus then began his induction talk, a series of suggestions, which, if successful, would take Charlie back to the events of the evening of October 11, 1973. The entire induction procedure took approximately thirty minutes and was in three parts. During the first part, the hypnotist asked Charlie to imagine that “a wonderful feeling of relaxation” was gathering at the top of his head. It was next suggested that this feeling would “flow like water” down and over the muscles of Charlie’s face, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, hands and finally out through his fingertips, relaxing each of these groups of muscles in turn.

  A similar series of suggestions were then given which focused on the muscles of the chest, back, waist, thighs, knees and feet and terminated with the suggestion that they “wonderful relaxing feeling” would flow right out through the tips of Charlie’s toes. Throughout this procedure Charlie was encouraged to imagine, to feel if he could, what was being suggested. As suggestions were made, Charlie remained in the reclining position he had initially assumed. At one point I began to worry that he might be falling asleep. It soon became evident, however, that this was not the case.

  During the second part of the induction talk, Charlie was asked to visualize a special clock, his own “clock of relaxation.” This clock had numerals like an ordinary clock, but it had only one hand, which revolved in a counter clockwise direction. Charlie was told to picture the clock with its hand pointing to twelve and as the hand moved and pointed to each of the numbers on the face of the clock, he was instructed to think to himself, “I am relaxed.” Charlie was cautioned against speaking the words; he had only to think silently to himself, “I am relaxed.” John Kraus then counted off the numbers as the imaginary clock revealed them, “eleven,” and Charlie was reminded to think, “I am relaxed - ten,” and the same suggestion was given again; “nine,” this time the hypnotist said nothing, but simply paused, then continued lowly until the hand of the clock was back where it started on “twelve.”

  In the third and last part of the induction, Charlie was asked to visualize the pages of a calendar beginning with the current month and year, February 1976. This calendar was unlike an ordinary one in that its pages were backwards. When February 1976 was removed we would find January 1976 and when January was removed December 1975 would be revealed and so on. In this way, Kraus slowly carried Charlie back in time, all the way from February 1976 to September 1973. He then suggested that Charlie move forward in time, into the month of October and up to Thursday, October 11, 1973, the day of the abduction.

  The following is a compilation of edited tape transcriptions of the several hypnosis sessions conducted with Charlie and Calvin between February and May 1976. Wherever the ellipsis (…) appears, part of the hypnotic testimony has been deleted. This was done to render the transcript manageable, unedited they are far too lengthy to reproduce.

  KRAUS:

  ... Going forward now in October 1973 to the ninth of October-and the tenth, relaxed, calm and secure, very aware, very relaxed and always in perfect control. Now, the morning of the eleventh of October 1973. The morning, the day you have to start work. You remember very clearly, very distinctly - all of what happens to you. After breakfast you go to work - it’s mid-afternoon now- taking your lunch break - very relaxed, very calm, very secure, very aware of all that’s going on…I want you now to begin to describe what’s happening to you….You’ll be able to speak very clearly and very distinctly and understand what you’re saying. The very sound of your own voice becomes a tool of relaxation to you….It’s your lunch break now-after your lunch-and you’re going back to work now.

  CHARLIE: Yeah.

  KRAUS:

  Fine, back to work now?

  CHARLIE:

  Some of 'ems comin’ back late-from lunch.

  KRAUS:

  Got your crew working there for you now? Yeah, they’re about all back now.

  KRAUS:

  Go ahead just a little further now…just relax…everything’s fine. CHARLIE:

  Me and Calvin’s talkin’ about going fishin’ after a while, after we go home and have supper…..

  KRAUS:

  Go ahead….you’re very relaxed.

  CHARLIE:

  I hope my wife’s got supper ready, I’m hungry. From the above comments, it is evident that Charlie’s hypnotic regression was the type that caused him to relive the experience, rather than simply ‘witness’ it. When he formed his sentences his verbs were all in the present tense. Referring to the men working under him, he said, “Some of 'ems comin’ back late-from lunch,” rather than, “…came back late.” There can be little doubt that Charlie is reliving the experience when we hear him say, “I hope my wife’s got supper ready, I’m hungry.”

  KRAUS:

  What’s happening now? CHARLIE:

  We’re going across the bridge toward Gautier, toward home…We’re nearly about to the house. Yeah, she - she’s got supper ready….Damn! I loaned somebody one of my fishin’ reels - oh, I got three though; I got plenty to fish with this evening. I don’t have to go by and get my bait. I got some frozen shrimp, already in the freezer. We're going to go now…. (to the river) I don’t hardly know where we ought to go on the river. I fished up and down there a lot of time I - (Charlie sighs at this point as though trying to make up his mind just where to begin fishing).Try to go down by that old grain elevator first, I think….

  Charlie frequently pauses in his narrative. These periods of silence varied from ten to thirty seconds. Listening to him one had the feeling that sometimes Charlie is waiting during these periods of silence for part of the ‘action’ to pass. Occasionally, he will simply pass over some event wh
ich clearly took time to occur in reality.

  For example, supper was mentioned as being ready, but there was no pause or time spent describing the eating of it. It’s as if Charlie’s conscious mind was mediating, deciding what was important and passing over events that were relatively insignificant.

  KRAUS:

  Just relax now, easy and relaxed. CHARLIE:

  There’s a lot of waves comin’ in the river here from the fishing boats comin’ in. (Charlie and Calvin are fishing in the river now). We’re not gonna catch no fish here. We’re going’ on up the river now. Looks like we’re gonna have to walk a little ways here…The tide ain’t right. (Long pause, then Charlie chuckles, it’s a genuine, infectious kind of laugh that makes us smile with him.) That Calvin just told a joke…. (He chuckles again.) We ain’t gonna catch no fish - that river ain’t right. He ain’t got no - Calvin said he left his watch in the car - wonder what time it is….Sun’s still up there a little bit though - it ain’t too late. Well, I guess we won’t see what time it is, he can’t find his watch - no, he can’t find it. We’re going on up the river now, going up the side of the river.

  KRAUS:

  You’re very relaxed and calm. I don’t know, we might catch something here - I doubt it though.

  KRAUS:

  You’re very relaxed and calm, easy. CHARLIE:

  We’re just talkin’ about going’ back - back up on Pearl River - set out some trotlines for catfish like we did long time ago - Calvin’s Daddy and my boy. I don’t know when I’ll get to go though. Boy, this ol’ pier’s been here a long time - getting’ pretty old. (They are now at the abandoned Schaupeter Shipyard.) Just caught a catfish -‘Hardhead’ (name of a local species of catfish) - not any good though. Don’t think the Redfish are gonna bite…wish to heck Calvin could find that watch, we could see what time it was. Calvin just caught a Croaker. (Charlie laughs out loud again. We do not inquire and he does not volunteer why he laughed.) We ain’t gonna catch no fish here. (After a long pause, Charlie hands and feet begin to twitch slightly and perspiration beads above his upper lip.)