On February 20, 1959, Army Private First Class Gerry Irwin reported an unusual sighting while driving through southern Utah on his way to Texas. Irwin observed a bright flash in the sky and described seeing a glowing object descend behind a nearby ridge. Believing it might be a plane crash, he left a note on his steering wheel stating,
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“Have gone to investigate what looks like a plane crash about 1/4 mile to my right. Notify State Police immediately.”
After writing “STOP” in shoe polish across his car and turning on the blinkers, Irwin set out into the unknown, armed only with a flashlight and his army overcoat. Approximately 24 hours later, Irwin was found unconscious about a quarter-mile from his vehicle. Upon regaining consciousness in Cedar City Hospital in Utah, his first words were, “Were there any survivors?” To Irwin’s confusion, he had no recollection of anything that occurred after leaving his vehicle. This memory lapse marked the beginning of a series of strange occurrences that would puzzle both military officials and UFO researchers.
The military showed significant interest in the case. Irwin was flown to Fort Bliss, Texason the commanding general’s plane and admitted to a psychiatric ward for examination. Despite being released with no apparent issues, Irwin subsequently experienced fainting spells and continued memory loss. After a 32-day hospital stay, Irwin returned to Utah without authorization. In what was described as a trance-like state, he located his previously missing jacket. The jacket had a pencil inserted through a buttonhole with a piece of paper wrapped around it. Irwin burned this note without reading it. The scent of burning paper snapped him out of his trance, but he suddenly realized he was AWOL (absent without leave).
On March 27, 1959, as part of the investigation, Irwin was injected with sodium amytal, commonly known as “truth serum.”
His response caught the attention of Captain Valentine, who noted:
“Irwin stated there was a special intelligence that he couldn’t explain to me since it would be incomprehensible to me which has directed him not to remember or not to tell me about any of the events in Utah. He says that if he tells what was behind the incident in Utah there will be a big investigation that he does not want to be bothered with and also because it will harm many people and doesn’t want that to happen.”
Intriguingly, Captain Valentine also reported that Irwin
“stated it all began at the age of three years although he will not reveal how or what began stating that it would provide a clue to me as to what is behind all of this.”
Despite extensive efforts, including the use of drugs and possibly electroshock therapy, leading him to have a speech impediment and studder according to Captain Valentine, the military’s investigation failed to uncover a definitive explanation for Irwin’s experiences. On August 1, 1959, Irwin failed to report for duty and was listed as AWOL. For years, it was believed that Irwin had vanished without a trace with articles written about his experience and disappearance such as Soldier Sees Flash, Unconscious Twenty-Four Hours by UFO researcher Coral Lorenzen and in Jacques Vallee’s book Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact.
However, the story doesn’t end there. According to research by author David Booher, detailed in his book “No Return: The Gerry Irwin Story — UFO Abduction or Covert Operation?”, Irwin was eventually found. Booher’s investigation revealed that after the incident, Irwin went AWOL for 81 days, living in a tent and working in a mine. He was avoiding the military to gather his thoughts, feeling that they weren’t helping his condition. Surprisingly, once apprehended, Irwin was quickly shipped to Germany and then to Austria on a covert mission. Which is odd since he was registered as AWOL and stripped of his rank.
When interviewed in the early 2000s, Irwin, then in his 70s, had fragmented memories of the events. He remembered the initial sighting, his hospital stay, and being questioned, but many details remained elusive. The case attracted attention from various quarters. Psychiatrist Carl Jung corresponded about the case, suggesting it might be an instance of “ambulatory automatism,” similar to a dissociative fugue state. He recommended hypnosis as the primary treatment, with dream analysis as a secondary option. Interestingly, although hypnosis sessions were booked and paid for by researchers Jim and Coral Lorenzen, Irwin was allegedly prevented from attending by the military, always being given extra tasks that conflicted with his appointments.
The parallels between Irwin’s treatment and known practices of the CIA’s MK Ultra program have not gone unnoticed by researchers. The intense military interest, psychological treatments, and apparent attempts to alter his memory all echo known MK Ultra practices. This raises unsettling questions about whether Irwin’s case might have been part of this covert human experimentation program.
The Gerry Irwin UFO incident remains unresolved. It combines elements of unexplained aerial phenomena, military procedures, and psychological factors. The case continues to be a subject of interest in UFO research circles and discussions about military handling of unexplained incidents. The military’s intense interest, the unexplained medical symptoms, and the gaps in Irwin’s memory have all contributed to the enduring mystery surrounding this case. Despite numerous investigations and analyses over the years, many questions remain unanswered about what exactly occurred on that night in 1959 and in the subsequent days and years. The Irwin case stands as a notable example of the challenges involved in investigating and understanding reported UFO encounters, particularly those involving military personnel.
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