JOHN WOMACK

This exclusive story tells the story of John Womack, who says that he was taken aboard a UFO in April 1975 near Ryan Mountain, Tennessee. The creatures Mr. Womack describes, and his conversations with them, make this one of the most amazing UFO encounters in recent years!

By John Womack
Official UFO Magazine

Thousands of persons, perhaps millions, have experienced happenings which defy human explanation. Our Earth is only a thing grain of sand in a vast galaxy of stars and worlds. And our own enormous Milky Way Galaxy of stars and worlds is only a tiny spot in an amazing universe of perhaps billions of other galaxies. How much do we know, or maybe I should as how little do we know? My story is hard to believe because it is beyond our understanding in this short life. And this is the reason I was not in any hurry to publish this story -- for fear of being branded a crackpot. In fact, I had at one time made up my mind not to tell the story to anyone. Perhaps others have experienced similar occurrences, but the fear of ridicule has sealed their lips forever.

Hugh Helms, a good friend of mine who is a writer and publisher, told me that he felt the event was big news and other should know about it. But the story is so incredible, I balked at the idea of publishing it. I am a highly sensitive person and a rather shy one. I didn't want any publicity then and still don't. Hugh has convinced me that millions of people are open minded enough to accept the fact that such happenings are possible. Science, itself, very often teaches that things considered impossible turn out to be possible. On the other hand, there are millions of people who refuse to believe in anything mightier than man and his science, and nothing can change that.

Human knowledge and understanding in our time is so utterly limited that we really know very little about anything. Most any five year old child can ask questions that no team of experts on earth can answer. Even with our modern day technology, we still know precious little about life, death and this infinite universe we lve in. I know now that we can expect occurrences to happen which are beyond human understanding. I have experienced these happenings, and I accept them. Now I am about to tell you one of the most incredible true episodes ever told. Believe it or not, but before you jump to a hasty conclusion, think about it this way -- it could happen to you.

On a clear night in April 1975, I was driving down a lonely country road, at the foot of Ryan Mountain in the Tennessee Valley. The countryside was nice, and the time as about 10:00 p.m. The scenic little road, in north Alabama, runs through an area completely covered by overhanging tree branches. I was driving slowly, in no hurry to get anywhere, when suddenly I was shaken by a most peculiar sight. A ball of fire about three feet in diameter dropped down through the overhanging tree branches into the road several feet in front of my car. Then the fireball tarted rolling on down the gravel road. Startled, I eased my car along behind the mysterious ball of fire. As I followed, about 25 feet behind it, the fireball rolled down a little hill and made a sharp turn to the right, crossing a narrow creek bridge. It rolled approximately 100 feet beyond the bridge an, oddly enough, it never left the road up to that point. Then the fireball stopped momentarily, in the middle of the road, and made a 90 degree turn to the left and rolled out into a meadow which runs along the creek bank. I pulled my car over to the side of the road, got out and stood at the edge of the meadow, watching the blazing ball of fire. Suddenly, with the sound of a blow torch, it shot straight up and arched over the wooded hill top to my left and disappeared.

The flaming ball of fire flabbergasted me and left me standing there in the dark looking at a black sky. As I stood there gazing at the stars and wondering, suddenly a low humming sound filled the air. From over the tree tops, where the fireball disappeared, a huge silvery, disc-shaped object was approaching the area. The object appeared to be at least 150 feet in diameter and 50 feet thick in the middle. At an altitude of 300 or 400 feet, the UFO stopped over the meadow no more than 100 feet from where I stood.

The machine gave off a low humming sound similar to that made by a turbine or blower turning at high rpm. The craft was so quiet it was right upon me before I heard it. A yellowish blue glow surrounded the UFO completely. The glow extended several feet out from the ship. It hung there in the air for maybe two minutes. Then the most incredible thing happened. From the bottom of the machine, a beam of light several feet thick (approximately ten feet) began moving slowly toward the ground. This sent cold chills up my spine. I was spellbound and started walking backward toward my car. A high pitched whistling sound came from the ship as the beam of light continued to fall toward the meadow.

After several seconds had passed the column of intense light reached the ground. And I couldn't believe my eyes when the light, instead of stopping at the ground, continued to spread out over the meadow. The light flowed over the area like some kind of foggy spirit until it almost reached the road. Then it stopped. The whistling sound stopped, too, but the craft continued to give off the humming sound. I am not certain that column was light, and I don't believe it was light as we know it. It appeared to be much denser than light. Then the UFO began to drop toward the ground as if it were riding on the beam of light. By now, you can be sure, I was moving faster toward my car to leave there in a hurry, if it became necessary. But as I turned to take another look, a beam of red light slapped me square in the face. I learned later that I woke up aboard the UFO.

The red beam of light hit me about 10:00 p.m. And the next thing I knew -- for certain -- I was driving along approximately two miles from my home which is about 25 miles from the spot where I saw he UFO. The time was 12:30 to 1:00 a.m. Two and a half to three hours of my life had passed, which I had no reasonable explanation for at that time. When I came to I was shaking all over, confused and scared. I hadn't had a drink in two weeks, but I sure needed one now, and I got one. Now, I clearly remembered the fireball, the UFO and the red beam of light hitting me. There was never any question in my mind about that. It was what happened after the red beam of light hit me that almost drove me made before I found the answers.

As I drove on home, I felt strange. A weird unnatural feeling -- which I can't describe -- had hold of me. I knew I was wide awake, but everything seemed like a dream. I had a strong feeling I had been aboard the UFO. Frightening mental images of strange looking creatures and devices were jumping around in my mind, but I couldn't make any sense out of them.

When I got home I tried o sleep but couldn't. I was unable to get this experience out of my mind for one second. It haunted me all that night and the next day. I was extremely frustrated and confused, and my head felt like it was full of hot sand. I had told no one -- afraid people would think I was a nut. The next night I still couldn't sleep. Every time I dozed off I could see that red beam of light and those unearthly mental pictures. I called my friend, Hugh Helms, and told him what happened. Hugh said he would drive up the next day to see me.

Now before we go any further let me explain this. For many years I have had a touch of ESP or an unusual amount of psychic power. And I have always been able to close my eyes and see a strong mental picture of anyone or any place. This comes naturally to me, and the pictures are clear as day. Also, I am often able to predict events before they happen. I never try to show this talent off, because I never know for sure when it will work for me. Now back to the story. These mental images were becoming stronger, and I knew the missing two to three hours were buried somewhere deep in my mind. I felt very strongly that the missing information would come to me.

Hugh arrived the next day. We went over everything I knew about the incident, but I was still unable to make much sense out of what happened during the two to three hours missing from my memory. By now, there was no doubt in my mind, I was certain I had been aboard the UFO. Those strange mental images were still flashing in my mind, and at times I was almost able to bring them to the surface, but the event was evasive and remained locked up in my unconscious. This experience was putting a lot of hell on my nervous system. Hugh suggested that we report it to the authorities. I told him to forget it. I knew there wasn't a damn thing the could do about it except ask a lot of useless questions and perhaps get my name in the newspapers. Also, I wasn't in the mood for crank telephone calls and humorous remarks. I didn't want the publicity.

We drove to the area where the incident happened. Hugh wanted to do some investigating, and we thought maybe seeing the spot again would help me recall what had happened after the red beam of light hit me. The spot, where the event happened, was located in a wooded, hilly area. A house was within sight of the place, but I think it was empty at the time. Hugh and I examined the little meadow thoroughly and found very little evidence to support my story with the exception of a scorched spot, where the fireball had stopped out in the meadow, approximately 50 feet from the road. We drove back to my place and went over everything again and again. I knew if my mental pain and confusion continued I would have to search out an understanding doctor. This worried me, too. What doctor would believe me? And even if he did believe me, what could he do about it?

Hugh had to go home the next day. And that night I took a strong sedative and fell into a deep sleep. And incredibly, my dreams all night long were about the UFO episode. The dreams were like lightning striking me. They were crystal clear and more alive than any dreams I have ever experienced. The dreams fit the mental images I was having exactly, and they revealed many details. The next morning I knew without any doubt that the reams were telling me about my experience aboard the UFO. The whole episode became clear to me almost instantly. It was like being in the dark, and suddenly someone turned on the light. The whole incredible happening was coming back to me so rapidly, I grabbed a pencil and began to write as fast as I could. I couldn't trust my memory to hang on to all the details of the event. The burning confusion disappeared from my mind almost immediately. I never felt better in my life, and my thoughts have never been clearer, sharper or more pleasant.

The dreams opened up my memory and allowed the fantastic details of the incident to flow like a song into my conscious mind. Now don't misunderstand, my experience was not base don dreams. The dreams only served to remove the mental block. Then I was able to remember everything in a normal way. The contents of the dreams were no longer important nor were they needed. But the dreams are part of this incredible experience, and I want to give you -- the readers -- all th details that space alloted me in this publication will permit -- to help you reach your own conclusions.

After the red beam of light hit me, I now remembered waking up aboard the UFO. I was sitting in a well padded chair with a metal helmet on my head. The helmet was connected to a sophisticated looking machine by a cord. I was in a large room packed with intricate devices and equipment. Strange people were scattered about the room. The two who ere obviously the leaders were communicating with each other, and their voices reminded me of croaking tree frogs. These two appeared to be human in every respect from the shoulders down. Their heads were oval shaped like an egg. Their mouths were large and more like the mouth of a porpoise than anything I have ever seen.

I knew it was useless to put up a fight because standing on each side of the ahir in which I was sitting were two of the largest creatures I haver seen on two legs, and another one stood not far away. I could see no way out, not even a window. The three giant creatures were at least eight feet tall and powerfully built. They definitely were not of the same species of beings as were the two leaders. Moving about over the floor were six or eight little creatures which were beyond the imagination of any science fiction artist. They were totally unbelievable. These little creatures were about five feet tall. Their long feet were flippers, somewhat like those of a sea lion or seal. They had six skinny arms and crab claw hands. Greenish warty lumps covered their bodies. They had large heads and looked harmless, even comical. Words cannot describe any of the beings aboard the UFO. We have made hundreds of drawings, and I have selected the ones which correspond the closet to what I saw that night in April. The drawings are featured in a booklet we have written about this experience.

One of the leaders stood in front of me and spoke a message into a boxlike device. A cord connected the box to the giant computer-like machine which the helmet on my head was plugged into. After he completed his message the machine began to speak in a weird, unearthly way, but it was in English and plain enough to understand. He explained to me later that the machine was capable of translating his language into my language -- and my language and thought waves into his language. The machine was a huge, complicated looking contraption. It must have weighed several tons.

He said, "We are peaceful. We will not harm you. We are beings with feelings just as you are. You are not a prisoner. You are our guest."

Strangely enough, I was calm and not at all frightened. Then the leader gave me an aspirin size pill. He put one into his mouth and motioned for me to do the same. I accepted it as a gesture of friendship and wasn't about to argue the issue anyway, so I did as he suggested. The pill dissolved in my mouth, and I swallowed. By now, I felt completely at ease. I was happy about the whole situation, and I was eager to know more about these strange folks (if that is what they were) from other worlds. I felt full of joy. I had never been so at ease with myself.

Then the leader started talking into the machine again. He told me that his people were 10,000 years ahead of our knowledge here on earth. He said it would be a waste of time for me to try to understand how the equipment aboard the ship worked. The leader, the one who did all the talking, welcomed me aboard the spacecraft, and he said I was free to leave anytime. He held the box device close to my face and asked me if I had any questions to ask. I told him I certainly did have some questions to ask, and I asked him how I got aboard the craft and why I felt so at ease and happy about it.

He flipped a switch on a control panel and replied, "Take a look at the screen on the machine (the giant machine had a screen built into it). You will see how you got aboard. We let down a ramp, and you walked aboard our ship."

Sure enough, a screen at the top of the computer machine was showing a picture of me walking up a long ramp toward the UFO.

He continued, "Your brain was temporarily made inactive by the red beam of light you saw. A signal in the beam of light you saw caused you to follow it inside the spaceship. We gave you an injection which prevented you from becoming fearful and overly excited. An Earth person with a bad heart could die from the shock of your present experience without the injection. We don't want to harm anyone."

So that explains why I am not scared stiff like my senses tell me I ought to be, I thought. Also, the ramp explains why Hugh and I were unable to find any evidence of a UFO landing in the meadow. The ship actually never touched the ground. He went on to explain that the pill he gave me was an anti-demon pill. He told me that the joy and inner peace I was feeling was life in its purest and most perfect state. The purpose of the pill was to drive all demons and evil influence from the mind and leave nothing but pure joy in the soul. The spacemen told me that the pill was not a mind altering drug, and it did not work that way. He said that demons exist throughout our galaxy, and they are able to enter and leave one's mind at will, and demons are the cause of all wars, hate, evil and unhappiness. This man from the stars told me he came from a planet 40 light years from Earth. He stated that his people had none of our common problems, and they lived for hundreds of years in a constant state of joy. I asked him if he knew how many planets out there in space were inhabited.

And he answered, "We know of many planets in our galaxy which are inhabited by intelligent beings. Because f the great size of our galaxy, the Milky Way, we have explored only a small part of it. We are not able to visit other galaxies outside our own Milky Way, but we believe that thousands of planets are inhabited throughout the universe. A strip to the nearest galaxy outside our own would take at least a million years traveling at the speed of light. It is unthinkable, even for us. There are enough mysteries in the universe to keep your people and my people busy for eternity. I asked this incredible person if he believed in a Supreme Being or God.

He replied, "Yes, and we believe those who are psychic are in direct touch with the Creator in a small way. We believe a Superior Spirit or Supreme Intelligence must have created the universe and established the laws of nature. In our opinion creation cannot be intelligently explained in any other way. But we have no idea how the universe was created or why. Exploring and studying the universe is our whole life, and we never tire of it. We have studied your Earth for thousands of years and watched your progress since before the time of Moses. Our methods of monitoring and observation are far advanced. Our scientific knowledge and ways are beyond your understanding."

I asked the spaceman if he knew the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. And his answer was that he was not allowed to give out any direct scientific information. He explained that the policy of his world was to let other worlds progress in their own natural way. He told me that to much knowledge too soon would destroy us. The leader said that we already knew about nuclear energy and bombs yet we still don't know how to live in peace, and he said that is a good example of too much knowledge too soon. He stated that solar energy supplies all of the energy needs on his planet. Even his spacecraft, which travels among the stars, is powered by stored solar energy. The spaceman said our sun is the only final answer to our energy problems.

The leader led me on a brief tour of the UFO. The ship had four floors with an elevator connecting the floors. It had two main floors with one large room and several smaller compartments on each of the two main floors. The two larger rooms were about 50' by 50' and approximately 12 feet high. Complex devices and gadgets were everywhere. He showed me instruments, machines and equipment, I cannot begin to describe. The ones which I did understand were amazing. He asked me to stand behind one machine that is the answer to the medical profession's wildest dreams. The machine showed on a screen every bone, muscle, organ, artery, even the flow of the blood and the beating heart as plain as daylight and living color. Another marvelous machine was powerful enough to show atoms in action.

The ship was lit up very brightly, but I didn't see any lights anywhere. I believe the light was coming from the walls and ceiling. There were two smaller auxiliary floors, apparently one for the engine room and one for storage. I saw about 25 beings of the leader's kind aboard the craft. They seemed to pay me little mind, as if they were used to alien visitors.

The spaceman asked me to sit down in an odd looking chair. Then he told me that he believed I was a good Earth person who wished no harm to others. He said that we live in worlds billion of miles apart, but for a few short moments in time providence had brought us together. He told me our brief association would live on in the memory forever. The most puzzling thing he told me was for me not to be too concerned about the unknown, because within two years it would all be revealed to me. I have no idea what he meant, and it bothers me.

The last thing I remember, aboard the UFO, was that the spaceman pulled a lever on the wall and a cone-shaped object dropped from the ceiling covering me and the odd chair. A terrible roaring noise and flashing green lights filled the cone. I drifted into what seemed like a mental journey. What actually happened here is totally beyond my understanding or even my wildest imagination. It was pure beauty. No writer who ever lived can describe the magnificent splendor what I saw. No artist has ever captured a scene on canvas so utterly beautiful and peaceful. I wish I could tell you more, but I feel I have given you a fair, overall picture of the episode just as simply and honest as I know how. I must bring this story to a close.

I woke up sitting under a tree on the creek bank. I have no idea how I got off the UFO. I looked up and saw the great ship for the last time. It shot out of sight almost instantly. All the details of my experience are clear in my mind, except I don't know how I got off the spaceship, and for some strange reason I still don't remember driving the 25 miles mentioned earlier in the story.

I don't understand why the event aboard the UFO was blanked out of my conscious mind. The human mind is the most complex and least understood apparatus man ever studied. Without my unusual amount of ESP, I doubt if I ever would have been able to recall the event so vividly, if at all.

Neither do I know why I was taken aboard the craft. But I believe it was all for the benefit of the beings aboard the UFO, not mine. Perhaps they learned all they wanted to know about me even though I was not aware of any special examinations or tests. Maybe the beings from outer space -- in exchange for what they learned about me -- were willing to give me information about themselves. But if this is so, why was it temporarily erased from my memory? Possibilities and conjectures are endless. I don't know any of the answers, and I've quit trying to know.

Dear Reader:

Approximately 18 months after John Womack's UFO adventure, a tragic gas explosion took place at his home. He was critically burned, and passed away from this world three weeks later in October 1976. Womack was one of the best friends I ever had. On many occasions he had amazed me with his uncanny ESP abilities. I have his voice on tape telling of his UFO experience, and I shall treasure it all my life. I believe without any doubt whatsoever that the story is true just as he told it. Could his untimely passing into the unknown have any connection with the spaceman's prediction - that within two years the unknown would be revealed to him? I wonder.

Sincerely
Hugh Helms

Hope you enjoyed John's story! See you next time.

Thursday's Child