From the high desert in the great American southwest visual good evening And or good morning wherever you may be Across this great land of ours from guam Out across the state line all the way East to the caribbean And the u.s virgin islands where i’m Going to go visit one day South into south america north all the Way to the pole This is coast to coast am worldwide of Course on the internet All right now to that portion of the Show promised He does not do frequent interviews Barely ever does them Uh as a matter of fact that really goes For both of these uh Gentlemen i now would like to bring on Uh mike rogers and travis walton so Let’s do it one at a time and be sure we Can get them uh Planted properly uh first let’s go to uh Mike rogers mike are you there yes i’m Here okay you hear me okay Yeah all right good uh let’s see if we Can bring uh Travis on uh travis walton good evening Are you there Yeah i’m here oh excellent we’ve got you Both just fine Um all right i don’t know where to start I sat down
Uh and watched fire in the sky again and Took notes this time And uh so i guess i’ll kind of move Through it the way they did Except i would like to not do it the way They did with the flashback in the Beginning and then The story taking up uh mike you had a Government contract of some kind with The forest service Right what was that to do well we had to Send out the trees that were damaged and Diseased and what not after a logging Operation And pile the debris basically it’s just Kind of an ecological Program that cleans up the forest after Logging and Makes the trees grow better all right And you were the crew chief for that Right uh how big a project was it how Long were you going to be up there Oh we’d been on at about a year and a Half at that time Oh i see all right so it’s a pretty good Pretty good sized contract Exactly uh you were married at the time Mike Are you still uh in a divorce status Right i haven’t been married now for Many years okay Um i guess uh at the time also the movie Went into the The thing that you had some financial
Troubles Uh the movie took a few liberties i Wasn’t really having financial troubles I was having troubles trying to live the American dream and have quite as much as I wanted i guess And and then it covered a little piece Where travis uh Drove up on a motorcycle and wanted to Start a motorcycle shop there is that Right travis Yeah so you did do that well we had uh You know various businesses uh we Thought we might get in together but You know the motorcycle thing was more Kind of my idea i don’t know that Mike and i had plans together so the Movie the movie at least was pretty true In that area Yeah i was kind of into motorcycles at The time all right Seen shifts and you guys are on the way Up to the mountains uh To do the contract and on the way up Travis You got into kind of a thing a bit of a Friction with uh with alan dallas Yeah well you know he was kind of a a Wild guy And he’d had a little friction with Probably Several of the guys on the crew at Various times You guys arrived okay at the work site
Then worked all day Left the work site around dark was it Already dark when you left Well not quite dark it was it was Getting dark and the sun had gone down And It was darkening okay um then you Uh on the way down i guess um you both Saw Something some sort of uh glow or Fire in the sky it the way the movie Made it look i’ve seen Fires at night and it looked just like a Fire in the distance kind of lighting The horizon is that about right Well we could see it through the trees And you know first we didn’t know really What it was We thought it might be a forest fire but It was more of a golden color rather Than a red Color and and then it apparently Moved well um I mean did it look like a fire was Spreading or did it look like just the Whole thing Was moving we were just puzzling over a Lot of different things Uh nobody really talked about it while We were looking at it because You know there wasn’t that much time we Thought and You know i heard the guys kind of one by One fall silent from you know the
Various conversations that were going on So i assumed that they were all looking At what i was looking at But nobody said like you know started Analyzing out loud what it was Uh there was more you know what was Going on inside of our heads If you’d had to guess then would you Have said fire or plane crash Um well It was puzzling you know because at First i was thinking uh Fire but then the light seemed to be Coming from Higher above you know i knew the ridge Top was just A little bit above us but this was from Higher above that So that’s the reason the plane crashed Maybe it was Like hanging up in a tree or something And i guess we ought to Identify exactly where this was where Was your work site It was uh the highest area upon the Mogeon rim Forested the region up in the mountains Of Arizona and so you were at about what Altitude do you think Oh i don’t know what you think mike 7500 7500 oh you were way up there then all Right Um then in the movie uh as they always
Do In movies of this kind this you know the Radio started to go Crazy is that also accurate Well um we didn’t have a radio Uh on at the time So that’s a little dramatic license they Took then yeah Yeah okay uh at any rate um Did you guys head toward this or did you Just keep going down the road And that took you closer to the left Yeah that’s way well see there was just No other way out of there And uh we had no choice but to keep Going the direction we were going All right and somebody yelled to stop The car was that you travis Um yeah yeah i guess it was me Um as soon as we got Around this this uh group of trees the Thicket Uh to where we could see the source of This somebody in the back yelled out It’s a spaceship or something like that And uh I mean it was unmistakable it was so Close that you know i mean everybody Knew what it was right off the bat Nobody needed to say what it was Okay in the movie and again it’s you Know i’ll tell you what the movie Theater i’m sure you know what the movie Did they showed it
To be a craft but uh then at other times They Showed it to be sort of a living light Almost E did they get that right or how would You describe what you saw What we saw was um a very distinct As as a mechanical object with you know Hard Angular edges it didn’t have the shape That they gave it in In the movie now the guys described it As looking To be the color of molten metal coming Out of a blast furnace But you know they’re talking about white Hot golden hot you know sure So you know they had gave the craft in The movie A kind of a molten red flowing Sort of look that that wasn’t really the Way it was how If you had to judge either one of you Who saw it how far above ground was it If you’re gonna guess oh i don’t know 20 Feet uh 20 feet oh that’s not far in other words It was way down below the tree line Yeah so that’s close that’s that’s a Close encounter all right Then the movie travis shows you getting Out of the truck Is that right uh yeah um
I was thinking that this thing was just Gonna zip off and be gone You know the way it is when you catch Sight of a wild animal in the woods you Know you’re just gonna glimpse it and It’s gonna be gone And so i was in a hurry to get up to it Before it left Here’s where i got to stop you for a Second travis you know in the horror Movies When inevitably the lady uh you hear This noise this horrible noise and Inevitably she goes to one place she Shouldn’t go down to the basement Where something eats her so in other Words here you are With a pretty frightening thing going on A ship hovering what 20 feet above the Ground or something and you get out of The truck and go Under it no it’s kind of a crazy impulse When you think back on it now do can you Remember what you were thinking when you Did that Well i was kind of given to impulsive Behavior back in those days i Certainly you know changed me and i’m Not that way anymore But you know at the time i was just Thinking that You know it’d be gone and i’d miss a Chance to see up close Plus you know the guys were really
Alarmed by what i was doing and They were yelling at you to come back to The truck yeah they were You know and getting pretty excited About that so you know that kind of Egged me on So i was having serious misgivings Because as i got closer to it it didn’t Take off I understand oh was there any noise Yeah um it was a very strange sort of a Sound A kind of a high-pitched cyclic Sound with some real deep tones that Just You know seemed to be so deep you Couldn’t almost couldn’t hear it Would you describe it would you describe It as real loud or just There well it was just there wasn’t Tremendously loud at first but then that When i got closer And it it suddenly gotten louder and it Started to move And it rose up a little bit and that Really scared me And uh they’re still yelling at you uh Mike i’m sure you’re still yelling at Him from the truck right Oh yeah uh did you are you is your Recollection of it mike Um like his regarding the craft itself And the noise Oh yes yeah in fact uh
There’s there’s little difference if any Between all the guys that were there In the descriptions of everything Concerning it from its Distance to its size to its look and the Sound that it was giving off Okay at this point there’s what six of You in the truck Is that Um so there’s travis under the craft how Much time went by travis Before before your memory Either ends or that bolt of light hit You Well just seconds because as soon as it Started To move you know i jumped for cover And uh resolved i made up my mind to get Out of there and get back to the truck Like they were staying And as soon as i raised up to go Well that’s when i went out just at the Very moment common sense overtook you Now in the in the movie it showed this Bolt of light that came down and Literally Threw you up in the air is that Is that accurate or is that dramatic License So what they did there in the movie uh Didn’t Quite look the way it actually happened In fact the movie Didn’t make it quite dramatic enough the
Movie did Some things that were a little a little Exaggerated in other places they under Exaggerated and that’s one of the places Where the movie didn’t make it as Dramatic as it was in real life Uh the thing that hit travis whatever it Was Was so powerful that it blew him back Like an explosion it didn’t it didn’t Gently lift him up and throw him back Like that it was his going backwards was The result of a very Uh hard uh Blast of some kind like i’ve described It many times as like a hand grenade Going off in front of him And he was blown backwards literally Wow and uh travis is that where your Immediate Memory ends in other words were you out Cold Yeah i just i just kind of felt a Numbing sort of a shock but But it was just i was out instantly out Instantly All right then at this point we shift Back to you mike Uh there he is laying on the ground Looks like he’s been blown up by Something And that’s when the panic hit the fan i Guess With you guys at least that’s what the
Way they showed it in the movie and i Can imagine that’s the way it was what Did you guys think Well that the movie depicted that real Well right there it’s almost Identical to what happened afterwards i Mean Total panic it wasn’t i don’t even know If it showed in the movie Two or three seconds before i hit the Gas i think i hit the gas More more immediately seeing him hit the Ground you thought he was dead Well he looked dead flying through the Air and he sure looked dead when he hit The ground on his back he didn’t didn’t Even flinch didn’t make a motion when he Hit the ground Rolled up around him and we were we were Headed down the road uh i can imagine You were and you said it was almost Uh immediate you didn’t want to end up Like you thought he was Right it was a panic situation all right So then they showed the truck Just careening down this road uh i’d Honor how fast were you guys going do You remember If they could have actually taken Footage of that truck going down the Road it would have looked almost exactly Like it did on The movie wow yeah and then then Careening is the right word hidden thing
Oh yeah Oh really smack the mirror busted the Mirror on You know there were actually humps in The road which they didn’t show there Humps uh that were bulldozed up mounds Of dirt prevent erosion And every time i hit one of those things I tried to go flying And you know crashed down on its shocks Real hard And uh all right yeah it was a real Crazy uh Panicked uh flight how far Down the road uh going i guess still Going down the mountain right how far Down the mountain did you get how much Further away from the scene did you get Before You started talking about stopping and Going back Uh not probably not even a quarter of a Mile Uh you know we Me and ken peterson who was sitting Right next to me the one sitting between Travis and on the front seat of the Truck He was the next oldest to myself he was Only two years younger than me he was 26 I was 28 and he was like the next oldest Travis Was actually four years younger than That but
Ken and i both seem to realize about the Same time That you know here we are Flying down the road like this was it Was like As soon as i could see that it wasn’t Following us as soon as you could tell From look in the rearview mirror and the Other guy’s looking back and Uh it’s not following us whatever it is It’s still way back there we’ve got a Quarter mile distance between us in fact In the trees we’ve lost sight of it And uh then then it’s not quite so Panicky it’s like you know what did we Do we left travis back there yeah in a Way you’re like travis uh common sense Return about a quarter mile down the Road right Uh so it hit both of you really the same Way utter absolute panic i I do understand and so then uh you began You finally stopped the truck is that Right Yeah uh did stop the truck a quarter Mile down the road just hit the brakes And stop All right both of you hold on one second We’ll be right back to you my guests Are mike rogers and travis walton Back down to uh travis walton and mike Rogers i’ll try to give them Equal top billing here as we go along uh
Back with you again so mike the truck Stops And you say watch Well ken and i looked at each other and Uh Nobody said anything for a moment and i I said you know finally we you know We’re gonna have to go back Uh you know and somebody in the back Allen i think yells out What uh you know we we left Travis back there and uh you know he he Certainly looked hurt uh We need to go back and of course You know a quarter of a mile down the Road it didn’t take very long to get There The speed i was traveling and and this Is not something that Took well they started arguing about This and Uh after a couple of minutes we got out Of the truck all of us But one i think We stood out there on the other side of The truck Side of the truck away from this thing Because i’ve made a left-hand turn and Now this thing was Looking back to the north and across Through the forest there and i really Couldn’t see any Any light or anything at all we put Enough distance between us and the
Forest was thick enough through the Quarter mile of foliage there that we Could see a thing yeah dark again Right and uh yeah we’re standing there In the dark it was even a moonless light There was a sliver of a moon just about To go down on the horizon Just just a sliver and it was really Getting quite dark there And uh so after a little bit of a hectic Discussion a wild and crazy Attempt to explain what had happened to Each other there’s no sense going on There at all really The only sensical thing was that travis Is still back there we don’t know what Happened to him we don’t know what’s Happening to him We need to go back it wasn’t very brave Of us to leave and we need to go back And finally we just made the decision at Least Ken peterson and i made the decision we Had to go back Unlike the movie where in the movie they Had the guys stand there by the road That’s one difference there in reality Everybody elected to get back in the Truck and go back rather than Stand there in the dark well that’s a Pretty big difference Uh yeah and as a matter of fact i would Think the other guys would Resent the way the movie portrayed them
Well yeah there has been little of that Well for all of us i guess There’s there’s been the good and the Bad as far as the way we looked at the Movie but Uh this was one particular difference That made a lot of difference to me Because it made it look like i was the Only one that Went back at all and had any uh You know look-see when in reality Everybody went back And uh one thing that made it easier for Us I think was kind of the reason why we Just went ahead and went back Uh is because as i was rounding the Truck to Get back in my door on the other side of The truck the other guys are getting we Looked back over In the direction that this thing had Been and and A light this thing never really got Above the treetops it just You could see the light i mean it lifted Up And streaked away to the northeast Well now see they missed that one in the Movie too really Uh-huh uh so you’re saying the craft uh And you were how far from it’s still a Quarter Of a mile away from a mile away and you
Saw it lift up and streak away at this Point right It was so fast and you know you couldn’t See it clearly because you’re looking Through the trees remember these These trees right next to us are Reaching to the sky and there wasn’t any Way that You can see anything clearly but you can I you can see through the foliage you Can see this This light a quarter of a mile away uh Raise up and uh And streak away wow and uh All right so at this point then uh Everybody piles back into the truck And you go back up uh Uh back up the quarter mile to the site Where you last saw travis Well there was a little more discussion That went on there but it takes a long Time to explain these Sort of things but yes we did we did go Back and it’d been maybe 15 minutes At the most before we actually went back To the site All right gentlemen here’s where you get To take a rest we’ll be right back with You all right All right both of you stay right there Stay planted everybody i’ve got guests Mike rogers Who was the crew chief Along with uh travis walton travis is
Also here And we’re talking about an incident that Occurred in abduction the abduction of Travis walton As depicted in fire in the sky and Sometimes not as depicted In fire in the sky in other words we’re Getting the real story Uh travis travis uh had already Encountered the Uh uh the vehicle the craft whatever it Is you want to call it And it had uh thrown a light on him Zapped him backwards literally almost Blowing him up Uh mike and the rest of the guys had Taken off down the hill They were uh down the hill as a matter Of fact about a quarter of a mile away Finally decided uh to turn around and go Go back and get travis as soon as they Calmed down uh after that truck careen Down the hill And they’re just about to start back up And we’ll get to them In just a moment let me take care of the Commercial continuity right now Back now with mike rogers and travis Walton Welcome back both of you yeah okay um Mike uh so here you are i guess headed Back Up the hill with everybody in the truck You’re going to find travis
And i take it you go up a little slower Than you came down A lot slower yeah we uh We headed back up there and very very Slowly Very cautiously we were still In a mild state of panic i mean It wouldn’t have taken much to cause us To turn around and run but We were headed that way and and we did Get back to the site where Where this had happened upon doing so Since the thing was gone and And there was no trace of it it took a Little bit of Time to actually make certain that we Had the right clearing But once we have done that and we’re Certainly had the The right place we’re sure that we’re in The right spot Uh we took a flashlight out of the glove Box and Shown it around there while we were Still in the truck Uh not seeing anything uh Showing the flashlight into the clearing Where travis had fallen And he wasn’t there either no depression In the ground like in the cartoons you Know a travis walton depression Ground well nothing like that was 90 to 100 feet away where he fell 900 feet from the road right and uh
So you know you couldn’t have seen a Depression from that distance But we you know we there was a slash Pile a pile of logging debris There in the middle of this clearing Which travis had been standing next to When when he’d gotten hit and uh So we used that as kind of a locating Device And he wasn’t anywhere in that clearing That we could see So we just shown the light around for a While Uh still being very cautious very timid Frightened completely mentally uh Overwrought just you know emotions were At a high point You’re probably you’re probably in a State of shock oh yeah I’m sure that that we were i mean i i Know what shock Has been explained to me like and i was Definitely in a state of shock and The other guys later on explained their Feelings of it similarly But uh we eventually pulled the truck up Into the clearing or where the Headlights of the truck shown Right into the clearing and right before Travis had fallen And uh then there was another discussion That had to Take place about getting out of the Truck and looking around
And again it was an unanimous decision That everybody do it together Rather than me or ken getting out Everybody decided to go with us rather Than stay in the truck alone So we were all walking around out there But we were all very close to each other You know shoulder to shoulder Sure six men you know just as close Together as they could get I understand and uh we had the one Flashlight but we Walked up and down the ridge we looked For everything the only tracks we could Find which were Barely visible in the pine needles Intermittently A heel mark in the edge of the road that I saw before we got out of the truck And then you know there was you could See Uh the pine needles were disturbed there Where travis had fallen Where it stood but that was the only Sign of him there was nothing else there And there were no footprints in the road Leading out But you know from what we saw of the way That This thing hit him and how he flew Backwards and how he hit the ground It it was pretty Unanimous feeling among us that uh That he wouldn’t have gotten up from
Hurry lay You know so he had to be taken yeah Well everything put together all this Put together Uh it made that very strong And by the time we left there to head Back down the hill to To notify the authorities uh We felt that he was taken i mean it was It was a real strong feeling We had no other explanation and we know That he didn’t walk out of there we know That we didn’t feel he was hurt in the First place that You know he looked dead when he hit the Ground And uh we were certain that he had been Abducted all right so you guys drove Back to town Uh probably a half in a state of shock The whole way And reached this uh cafe gas station That they showed in the movie is that Accurate Oh fairly There wasn’t there wasn’t a lot of People around like in the movie they They had more people and whatnot into That but what actually happened is that We stopped there in fact on the way into Town uh See i wasn’t the one that actually made The call I guess they just chose to use my
Character throughout the movie there in Certain places Uh they do things like that to simplify Movies i understand that And because you had been the crew chief So in certain They would imagine that you would act And who did call well a guy who they Even changed his name in the movie Uh his real name is ken peterson uh In the movie uh they called him Something else and i remember right now Had you guys made a decision all of you That you would call i mean you know that Was the problem Uh i would have called normally but i Was against It i didn’t believe that that we would Be believed Uh i thought that we should report it as A person in our crew Missing somebody got lost and tried to Get somebody to help us search for him In fact i didn’t even want to Notify the authorities i thought we Ought to uh Just get some people i didn’t have a Deliberate plan in mind or just Go up and find traffic yeah i just knew That we needed to look for him before The authorities were notified because i Just knew That they would not believe this you Know yeah and
And that was my feeling so this was a Discussion on the way back into town And so by the time we got there it was Ken peterson to call and the reason he Called was because he was very Firm he was he was the guy in the movie That was uh even though they changed his Name he was depicted as the choir boy That The steadfast uh the church going the Church dwayne choirboy right now uh Never told a lie in his life and that’s A very active description of ken Peterson Uh and he was very adamant About reporting the authorities he Wouldn’t take any other Thing for for a way of doing it i mean He was firm on that entirely so he’s the One that called And he and he called uh he didn’t know Who the authorities were but The call that he made there in heber Connected him with the chuck ellison Who was a local deputy there navajo County deputy right And uh he’s the first one we talked to And then after talking to him For a while and i don’t think that chuck Ellison believed it at all just like They suspected But after a while hour later uh After chuck ellison had notified the County seat the
Actual sheriff was sheriff marlon Gillespie Uh came down with another man uh an Undersheriff Tim copeland really so there was nobody Named blake davis No those that was a composite character Yeah okay And uh and lieutenant frank waters also Composite exactly There were a lot more law authorities All together involved And to get all those people and their Real names in their uh you know There was composite characters that was Done several times in the movie Because the movie involved a lot more Characters Everywhere along and they had to Simplify that i guess is the only Explanation i know of but it makes sense That they would do that Well there was one point there uh where I guess just before the The law arrived you said look we’re Going to stick with our story or Somebody said we’re going to stick with Our story was there a general agreement To do that Well it’s funny i think the movie was Trying to play A kind of a murder mystery type of thing To the to the Audience oh in reality this stick to it
Is You know uh let’s not have contention Among us here even though we have Differences of opinion of what we should Do and what we should say to the Authorities it was like You know ken says i’m gonna i’m gonna Call him and i’m gonna tell him the Whole truth here And and i hope you guys don’t don’t you Know Try to act differently because this is What we need to do we need to tell the Complete whole truth about this thing And Just let the chips fall where they may Well you had to know one of the place Places those chips were going to fall Was in the murder column in other words They were going to suspect this because Of the nature of the story There was no way at the time we you know I i really didn’t have that in mind Uh because we did not know what happened To travis exactly We had our own feelings about it but we Certainly didn’t know that he was going To be gone Or you know especially for as long as he Was I there was no way i could foresee the Future at that point And i wasn’t concerned at that point With with the way it eventually turned
Out of the accusations of murder and Everything To me it was just we shouldn’t tell them The whole thing right now because Because we believe it i thought that They wouldn’t even come and search for Him if we told them about the ufo I know um i’m curious travis um i don’t Mean to leave you out but this is the Part where you’re left out travis when You hear all this now You know about all that went on and what They thought and what they did I know that after the whole thing you Felt according to the movie some Some resentment that uh mike and company Didn’t come back Didn’t stay there and uh and try to get You that they took off When you hear all of this now from mike And others What goes through your mind i mean do You suddenly understand or do you still Feel any resentment Well you know i i felt less resentment Than Than mike might have believed for a While I mean you know back when this happened Uh mike every time he was interviewed You know the The somebody would ask him how could you Go off and leave your friend like this You know
So they were really dumping this load of Guild time which which really added to The sort of Feeling that he was getting from my Family you know during the search and Things Sure uh so it was kind of a blame Situation that uh That came about and he kind of uh Misread me as to us feeling that way i Don’t i don’t I don’t really you know i’ve always said Excuse me that uh that they uh You know they did what they had to do Yeah that you know in A similar situation i can’t see that it Would have made Any sense for anyone to have done any Different than they did jumping out to The end of the movie for a second Or the story uh was it a year a year and A half that you guys really didn’t see Or talk to each other Was that accurate yeah but you know There were some other things involved There too but Now that was a part of it uh did you Really get together the two of you at The end as they showed uh Go back out to the area um We’ve been out there uh a few times A few times i try to avoid All right uh back now mike to you um So this went on there was five days
Pure hell i mean travis was gone for Five Days what did that what what happened to You You talked to the police the first time I guess they arrived and you started Telling them this story Yeah it was a very harrowing five days Believe me it was the worst five days of My life And it didn’t get much better the next Several days after that but Uh yeah they the Sheriff although he’s always held held a Line publicly That he’s skeptical uh i think he was The only one of the three Police officers that we met with that That night that Uh gave us the glimmer of hope he partly Believed at least At least he his mind was open to the Possibility that what we were saying All together was true well here’s a guy Who probably knew you it’s pretty small Town there and he He knew your characters so well in Reality he had actually had Uh deciding himself uh not too long Before that a few Months or years before that and I guess from what i’ve heard this this Was what made him At least open open-minded to the
Possibility he never Just totally believed it but it left him Open enough before he could take what we Were saying Serious to an extent and it made it Possible for them to go out and conduct A real search Which which they did i guess the movie Showed helicopters out oh yeah It was dog dog teams four days worth of Searching all together How many men were involved in that oh Gosh uh 50 to 100 i don’t know how many uh I’d just be taking guesses i don’t think Anybody knows that actual figure but It eventually involves aircraft and Helicopter Helicopters and dogs and You know what’s funny about the search The one thing that i always bring up About it that the movie That never showed uh is that This search was so thorough that these Guys would come back From a jog out and around with their Hands full of debris that they had found In the woods Everything from pop tops to beer cans to Old oil bottles You name it old pieces of logging Equipment uh you know pieces of cable And whatnot
They literally slipped those woods up And they’d come back and throw them in The back of the pickups and they They had piles of debris there that was Gathered up This is how thorough the search was they Were looking for every little speck or Clue that they could find and managed to Clean up the forest in the process And i thought that was kind of funny i Always have since then thought that was Kind of an interesting little part of The whole thing Well it’s interesting because they Didn’t find a even a trace did they Right not so much as a footprint Wow so travis was gone In other words he wasn’t uh uh there’s There’s no way we could imagine he was Conked out uh unconscious somewhere in The area they’d have found him That’s right he would have been found That’s really the truth of it Well all right so they didn’t find him Were you up there During the entire time of the search uh Not Every single hour of it but almost all Right meanwhile back in town at this Point How many people started thinking that You had uh You uh or um the wild one they called Him i think alan dallas right
Uh had dispatched travis Well there were people who thought that Almost immediately in fact uh You know in the movie they they have the Travis brother called dan Right this is another composite Character in reality there were two Brothers One’s name is dwayne and the other’s Name is don And dan was a name in between Combined the two brothers together in Reality one brother was very Supportive because he believed this Because he hadn’t had an experience Himself a few years before that Where he had seen something fairly close Range in the woods While he was hunting the other brother Was totally the opposite He was hot mad he was certain that The foul play was involved his brother Had been murdered And uh there were some confrontations Between him And uh and us the crew well i’m sorry to Say but i can I have sympathy with that i mean if Somebody by the way you too i’ve seen a Craft myself So i i have a lot to do with the story You’re telling but Uh if you came back with a story that Sorry your brother’s
Gone may may be dead uh we saw him hit He looked like he was dead And it was aliens you know that story is Not going to go down really easily Well that’s what i say it’s funny the One brother took it that way He believed that foul play was involved While the other one the one that knew me Best Uh was completely supportive and Believed everything that we said about It So uh two two brothers uh Four brothers took it exactly opposite From each other Interesting yeah and that was kind of The whole mode of the town there Uh that that summed up the entire Reaction of the town You had those that were almost Completely supportive And those that were just those who Believed that we had murdered him or the Whole thing was a hoax or something But it was very divided that way almost Down the middle Yeah that’s what made for a real uh Wild situation in the town there for Several days in fact ever since really Well the the fellow they called out alan Dallas the bad apple or the best Eater the drifter um was he um As hot-headed uh as they depicted him to Be in the movie
Yeah he was yeah so then there was some Reason that You know particularly since uh travis Did you really have that uh that Altercation with them Well we nearly come to blows uh you know You know it’s been kind of a situation That it cropped up with Not just me but uh some other guys on The crew Mike uh actually got a fifth fight with Him And you know so then if you’re so then If you’re a cop if you’re a lieutenant Or the sheriff or whoever And and you’re getting told this story You’re going to figure this allen dallas Character Might have done in travis right you know Of course he had an attitude about Police too of course Yeah i’m sure he did well then that’s Exactly the way they showed it All right uh there was a town meeting Mike wasn’t there I imagine there were several But so you didn’t really walk in on a Town meeting the way no that was that Was again that You know that’s the condensation of a Much bigger story But i had confrontations with the number Of groups of individuals in the town There during that time
And they just chose to do it that way in The movie which summed it all up really I’m sure you were thinking travis is Never going to be found I’m either going to be suspected of Being or Put on trial for murder or something Like that yeah by the fourth day of the Search By the second day of the search Those accusations were beginning to Arise and and by the End of the fourth day of the search they Were honest It was full-blown yeah all right you two Hold on just a moment we’ll be right Back Back now to mike rogers and travis Walton hi there you two we’re back on All right um now uh here we are in town They’re Beginning to suspect you strongly and The other guys of murder Maybe dallas maybe all of you they don’t Know and they keep Asking questions at some point uh According to the movie They wanted you to take a lie detector Test Is that right that’s right only uh I imagine you thought pretty hard before You uh decided you’d take it Well not really uh we all knew that we Were telling the truth uh there was no
Doubt of that And we certainly knew we didn’t uh Murder anybody And uh they wanted us to go down to the County seat Which we did the following day and they Had it all set up for us Had a lie detector man Up from phoenix a dps state police Polygraph operator His name was ty gilson and uh He looked like a mean guy Yeah you know in the movie they made him Look like mr friendly And uh everybody said he’s the best You’ll be happy with this and all the Rest of it He today he sort of looks like mr Friendly Uh you know 20 years later but Back at the time he looked pretty stern And he acted real stern And uh uh He was very intimidating and there was a Little conference that went on before They started early in the morning it was A A monday morning and uh He he really had us intimidated pretty Bad there To the point of where uh after He went to set up the machines for for The Lie detector test uh some of the guys
Including myself were feeling just a Little bit Uncertain we we were a little bit afraid That Just by the way this guy acted in the Intimidating manner in which he Talked to us there we were afraid maybe There was some Government involvement uh that uh But you know it turned out that that Just wasn’t true it was just simply uh You know a feeling that we had that uh Maybe this guy had been bought off and He You know we were all going to fail these Tests even though we were telling the Truth Well that’s what i that’s what i would Have been worried about that uh you know I i would feel intimidated uh Probably like kato kalyn in front of Marcia clark or something and my Pulse would start racing and the machine Would say i’m lying uh-huh Yeah is that about right well no we Weren’t worried You know we knew we were telling the Truth i had no idea how polygraph Machines work you know we just Were basing our feelings entirely on on His Attitude he was a very stern guy and uh Very experienced obviously and it was Just
The way we felt because of the way he Was acting It made us feel very intimidated and we Felt like he He was being too skeptical He was acting extremely skeptical and he Had popped me on the back of the arm With his With the back of his fingers you know I’m on my arm with the back of his Fingers And he said you’re not lying are you and Pop me on the shoulder you know Boy you know i’d be thinking he’s trying To get the graft to spike Well he had he had us intimidated he Definitely did All right well so you all took it and uh You know the impression i got from the Movie was That one of them was inconclusive but That the Others had all passed yeah on the Inconclusive one of course was The alan dallas but not because he Wasn’t telling the truth Uh him being the person he was at the Time and involved in a few more things Than Than anybody actually knew at the time Uh you know He might have been afraid they were Going to ask him something he didn’t
Want to ask right He was really on the spot and he was Concerned about being in that position And i guess that Something happened uh never have heard That the complete explanation You know these lie detector tests it’s Not just like they ask you a series of Questions once They actually go through it at least Three and maybe four and even five times The entire each test actually involves Several Series of questioning each series of Questioning is Pretty much identical but but the The whole thing altogether per person Took uh Two hours or more oh boy so you know you Really get grilled And so you don’t you don’t just go Through the thing one time What happened is allen had gone through Like two run-throughs Of this thing and somewhere along the Line and more or less in the middle of The testing series Something happened between him and the Examiner where alan got mad Thought that indeed this guy was bought Off by the government Uh for some reason uh and And that in combination that feeling Because of something that the examiner
Had said to him And so he gets up and he pulls himself Loose from the machine and he stops out Of The room and and came back and i think i Think he was like the second one tested There was one before him and he Had to get drawn the straw for second And i’ve drawn straws for like Fifth or something like that so at that Point Uh i volunteered to go in ahead of my My schedule fifth place in line and went Next after allen Because uh i figured that somebody Needed to To cool a situation down i knew that we We couldn’t just all get up and walk out Because of allen’s anger because i know On allen’s personality i figured that His reaction there was was more his Personality than anything And uh we didn’t want to have this thing In that way so i i went in next And uh the examiner kind of explained a Little bit of what happened with allen But he wouldn’t tell me A whole lot he just he just said well You know Uh he thought i was the next one in only Those guys knew who was in order because Withdrawn Straws among us to go you know in order But once in there
Uh he went ahead and convinced me By talking to me that that uh he was on The up and up that there was nothing You know going on here he had been Bought off He was just doing his job he’s going to Give you an honest test Yeah exactly and that’s the way he Presented this to me so i went ahead And was tested then and the whole thing You know went normally and and then the Next couple of guys came in and Everybody got done it didn’t didn’t Finish until late that night Because it took so long for each one That’s a big process Yeah the examiner really went through a Day there and then they kind of the Uh at the end of that day they said well Uh everybody seemed to be telling the Truth and There was one inconclusive with jose’s Dallas i want to clear something up About dallas ford go on travis Uh dallas had a cut on his hand no No well he may have cut himself at work But it had nothing to do with any Fight that we had so that was movie Stuff yeah Uh they were trying to imply that there Had been some fight Between uh you and dallas where he might Have gotten that cut Yeah there were there were theories you
Know about uh chainsaw murder and that Sort of thing And uh you know the the movie went uh Out of their way to sort of add Suspicion or Questionable circumstances that weren’t Really there Well they need a story there was no National enquirer In the truck that day you know oh really Now see that Had i been you travis or or you mike i’d Have been really angry about that Because the Clear implication was you guys were Sitting around the truck yucking it up Drinking some beer some And uh read this story and decided to Perpetrate a hoax That was the clear implication wasn’t it Yeah well You know that was that was the reason They threw that in there was to add Suspicion and they I know we you know ignored a lot of uh You know corroborating evidence and And threw in a lot of suspicious things That never really happened Yeah but that one would have made me Angry would have made me angry Because it cast doubt on all of your Characters Well there is one thing travis passed Over there between him and al and alan
Did nearly hit him with a tree that day Yeah oh that was true then yeah i’ll be Darned Um did you figure did you think uh Travis he was out to get you one way or The other or pick a fight with you or Something Well yeah and i think that uh that may Have contributed to his anxiety In the testing you know because the the Thrust of the question was do you Do a harbor real will towards this guy But You know even though he knew he didn’t Kill me he was in a situation where You know if he denied ill will sure he You know he’d be lying on the test And that would show up and if he Admitted it then they Then they would just fuel the suspicions That were directed towards him and So i think that’s kind of added to his Anxiety All right i’d i’d kind of like to travis Try and ask you About what you can remember the movie The movie travis showed of course Very specific things um the movie showed That you were in a cocoon-like area Um almost like a beehive or something Did they take this from your description Travis no i they just You know as a matter of fact the script That i was given didn’t have that
Sequence Uh aboard the craft in it at all it was Totally uh mythic from the copy out I understand um travis what do you Remember Well you know there were certain things That occurred in the movie that You know sort of uh symbolized Things that i underwent uh left you with The same kinds of emotions but as far as The actual events were concerned None of it was really there you know Except in symbolic form There was no uh cocoon there was no The ship itself looked Very clean and uh Hospital-like it was not all trashy and Oh my that’s another Yeah that’s very different very very Different so You know you lost consciousness Obviously uh when the light hits you Right and uh what is the first thing That you can remember After that just pain i was just Coming to and i was in a lot of pain and I didn’t come too very quickly it was Kind of like in and out for a long time And i was kind of half conscious And half wondering what had happened to Me I could hear movement around me And i even remembered approaching the Craft
But i figured that that i’ve been Injured somehow and that i’ve been taken To a hospital Were you lying on a table or in yeah i Was lying on my back and There was a light above me and I know what you mean you’re kind of half Conscious in and out in and out I’ve been there myself um so You slowly slowly came toward Consciousness yeah And there was this thing lying across my Chest it was kind of like holding me Down i wasn’t moving too much because it It hurt and i was felt really really Weak But when i finally got where i could Focus my eyes Um and made out these you know these Faces That were all standing over me you know It were not doctors this was This was something that just totally Blew me away as the appearance of these Creatures Can you describe them can you remember Generally how they looked Well they were humanoid you know they Had They were just uh large eyes uh Kind of a large cranium No hair no hair um It was it was just such a shock it just You know combined with the pain
And you know not being able to breathe It just flipped out Were they just standing around you or Were they Communicating among themselves can you Recall Well they were you know kind of standing Over me at least one of them was closer Than the others And when i saw him i just involuntarily Sort of lashed out at him And i i was just so weak that it was Just more of a push than anything And my my arm hit him in the chest and Knocked him back into The other one did he feel um I’ve never talked to anybody who’s hit An alien before Did he go over easily yeah it was much Lighter than i expected Huh you know even though i was so weak He just fell back Quite easily but he was a solid Substance yeah sort of soft and spongy But You know it was it wasn’t real if Anything And he got pushed backwards yeah I i was in a lot of pain and having a Lot of trouble moving but i managed to Get to my feet and back away from them Uh their thing fell off of me That what fell off well this instrument I don’t know what it was
I don’t know what they were doing to me But whatever was going on i was Putting a stop to it did you have a Feeling that they didn’t expect you to Wake up Well looking back now but at the time i Was just total confusion I you know i was in such pain i wasn’t Really fully conscious but At the same time i was you know just Hysterical so it’s just kind of this Animalistic sort of instinctive uh Fear you know i hear you i would be too Just screaming and And lashing out at them and They stopped when i did that and uh Turned and left the room Simultaneously they all just turned and Went out the store huh Oh there was only one one way out of There It was uh can you describe the room you Say it was like a hospital was it Really hygienic uh white color or no it Was Metallic but it was just very bare and It was Featureless uh incidentally did you have Any sense of Movement uh travis presumably you were In a moving crash Could you no i felt no movement no Movement i didn’t hear any sounds like Mechanical sounds
In the distance either and you know I i wasn’t in the most uh tuned in state But you know i just don’t have any Memory of anything like that All right uh let me try this from the Time that you were hit with the light Until you began Began to raise from consciousness Unconsciousness How much time do you guess past You know that that’s what something that Really bothered me because you know the Time that i recall Bored the craft you know even though i Was hysterical And that kind of affects your perception Of time sure couldn’t have been Couldn’t have been um More than an hour or so at the most Probably less than an hour And uh in the in this Span of time even though i was missing For five days and six hours i don’t know Where in there this conscious period Occurred Whether i was this coming too was soon After i was taken on board Or or later on well How much if you had to guess how much Total conscious time can you remember Spending In that craft there were five days in Real time that went by How to you how much time went by well it
Just seems like a matter of Minutes you know in in in retrospect at The time He’s just like forever i gotta get out Of here i gotta get out of here it was Just total panic But uh you know it was Just less than an hour probably so it Felt like less than an hour in the craft Total All right wow they left i don’t know Whether there was some sort of Time dilation or contraction effect Going on here or if i was just Unconscious the rest of the time Maybe uh maybe it was your last uh it Was the last hour uh before you were Actually returned maybe you were Unconscious for a very Long time i know that In the movie they had they examined you Uh when you got back And they said you had not uh eaten or Had anything to drink in five days Is that is that accurate well the Medical tests are kind of Yeah i don’t know i i need to look into This perhaps but they they say that if You Haven’t eaten for five days that you’ll Uh Have uh certain chemicals in your urine That uh Will you know it’ll begin to show up in
Your urine yeah No you know i i don’t know if is that True of an unconscious person You know i don’t know i would imagine so In other words the body’s processes Conscious or unconscious continue and if You have have not had nourishment in That time Then i would imagine that would be so um So you spent an hour of conscious time In that craft did they ever come back Into that room No i was afraid they would though i was Really terrified of that And they’ve gone out this hallway down To the right so i just took off to the Left Just running oh wait a minute this was There was an open door Yeah oh excellent i figured they’d have Locked you in But they didn’t no so you just walked Out Yeah and they went to the right so you Went to the left yeah that’d be my Choice too Yeah well i tried to find a way out And push some buttons controls and Things you know trying to open a door Crazy desperate sort of things but This was interrupted by a person a being Coming in who i took to be human I figured i was saved and uh
When he motioned for me to go with him i I went thinking that you know he was You know saving he rescued me and Uh he led me out of this craft Out of a craft yeah and at this point It was parked inside of What appeared to be well it was either a Building or a part of a larger craft Wow and again i felt no movement You know getting outside of there the Air was much more Breathable uh the air The light was brighter so you were You were either walking out you walked Out of this minecraft either into like a Hangar Or a building or another craft who could Tell i guess huh No but it was completely enclosed yeah There was Like panels where light was coming Through You know whether these were artificial Lights or or actual Sort of translucent windows i don’t know But uh I didn’t get too much chance to look Around He hurried me out of this large room Down a hallway to another room where There were some more people like him All right that’s where we’re gonna have
To break it off you two take it easy for A few moments it’s a great cliffhanger Point anyway And we’ll be right back It absolutely is i make no guarantees About getting to the telephone we’re Gonna let this story unwind As it needs to unwind and in just a Moment we will return to our guests Travis walton the abductee mike rogers Uh the crew chief in the group In which mr walton uh was present when He was Abducted we’ll get back to them in just A moment All right back now to my guests mike Rogers and travis walton Um uh hi there you two we’re back again Travis Um i just got a fax from somebody in Washington And they asked the following though There are many questions i’d like to ask Both mike and travis My main question is why the human type Being The one who showed travis the star map Was never shown in the movie Yeah that’s very curious you know and i I’ve always been really Amazed at how many times i’ve been Interviewed Uh over the years in which uh this this
Being is just kind of like excluded from From the report It’s you know it came off that way from The very start And to me you know this the the amazing Similarity to human Is this could be the key to the whole Thing and you know for people to just Ignore this Maybe uh maybe maybe travis the movie Makers thought Gee how pedestrian or how common to show Somebody who looks like a human and they Wanted to just show aliens uh or Alien looking beings could that be Yeah you know i understand that the Reason for it but you know In a commercial sense but for me you Know Trying to figure out what’s going on Here This is this seems to be a key element Did uh did this human type Was he um as human as anybody else or Were there any differences Well there was something odd about his Eyes that i never was able to really pin Down You know all right did he say anything To you No i know i was really trying but i Thought that Maybe it was because of this helmet that He was wearing a helmet
That he couldn’t speak to me or hear What i was saying or something But when he took me to these other People and they didn’t have helmets i Started over with the same Uh you know torrent of questions and They didn’t answer me either they just Uh started to Uh well aware of the table where were These okay He took it out of the one craft into What was another crafter of building And to some other beings yeah Human looking beings human looking Beings and They just you know put me down put Forced me down on this table i started To try to fight Back at that point and i was still too Weak And there were too many of them and they Put a mask over my face And oh i went out real quick Oh uh in the movie of course It showed this really weird Membrane-like stuff being put over you But it was a mask [Applause] And you went out it was that it was Anesthesia of some kind Yeah apparently Uh i just went out real quick and the Next thing i knew i was waking up uh On the roadway outside the town there’s
Where this happened okay That’s something they never showed they They showed you Uh at a sort of a gas station uh uh Store type affair All curled up and naked yeah and Wet i might add so it wasn’t raining and I was dressed But uh you know i looked around after The craft left and And you know figured out where i was What kind of condition were you in i was Still kind of weak but and still a Little bit of pain Cuts bruises no not like that Um i was just kind of Psychologically blown out you know it Was just I was just really probably glad to be Back on earth Oh yeah you know i just ran just as hard As i could Down across the bridge there was some Lights on in this one building did you Let me ask you travis did you know where You were When you when you regained consciousness And looked around did you recognize Where you were Well at first i didn’t but i figured out The stretch of road and the lights down There Where i must be and And then ran down into the town the
Closer i got of course the more I knew it was the town sure and uh You know to make a long story short i Finally uh was able to telephone my Family and they came and got me in the Movie of course You telephoned uh mike right Is that but you did not it was another Brother-in-law it was another Brother-in-law And uh he came and got you in the movie It showed your condition was Terrible i mean you were all curled up And screaming and Uh and not not very with it um is that Right or half right or all wrong yeah That was basically i was i was dressed Though Um i thought it was the same night I didn’t realize how much time it got by Wow And then on the way back they said Something that kind of Let me know you know that fail your face You know i had this five-day growth of Beard Look at your watching and You know so much time had gone by It was quite quite a shock to me i just Kind of Uh as you broke down at that point As you look back on this now travis do You think you were taken Just because you were crazy enough to
Walk out there Under that craft do you think they Decided you were a target of opportunity Do you have any idea what they wanted With you Well it’s all just speculation you know But I i i a lot of people you know Try to suggest that they were waiting For us there but You know i i think that it was just kind Of an accident at least i prefer to Believe that This is just a bolt from the blue so There’s been no unintended And uh that you know it’s just a One-of-a-kind Sort of incident that i can just put Behind me and get on with my life Well i know that you both really love Reporters don’t you Well there’s been a few good ones but You know we’ve had a lot of trouble with People getting it right Either intentionally or unintentionally Well i know i’m interviewed frequently Myself by the press And i worry most about that when you Talk to a Newspaper reporter inevitably i mean It’s like they have to get it wrong or Something Yeah it’s just i mean just as well
Sometimes it’s not like Anything malicious it’s just just basic Facts you know people’s names Dates places it’s just never right well That’s why Radio is better it really gave me a lot Of insight into looking at the news you Know when i see things going on i always Wonder what Really happened there i I understand um but a few of them have Had it right Yeah here and there if you were to guess And i know it is just speculation but Again you you think it was just all sort Of Uh happenstance do you have any guesses About What they did with you for that time [Applause] Well it For a long time it was just something That you know there was just a It was like there was just a fragment of Things and and you couldn’t Didn’t really have enough information to Go on and it was just something that Would have just Drove me nuts you know to try to to Piece something together from what I remembered at the time so i just sort Of put it out of my mind and tried to Get on with my life and And live as normal a life as possible
And not just constantly delve into it You didn’t you didn’t uh end up being Consumed by it wanting to go to a Hypnotherapist and get regressed and all The rest of that You know i was invited to go to a lot of Gatherings and you know approached by People who Had similar signings to The greatest extent i’ve i’ve avoided That you know And uh just tried to get on with my life There’s a lot to adjust to a lot to cope With so yeah When when you go through something like This uh tonight With mike and you sort of go back Through the whole story again Is it like reliving it yeah you know it Never fails to just get me All wrenched up in inside and for a long Time i didn’t talk about it hardly at All But when the movie happened you know i Was kind of in a situation where You know i was being impressed for large Numbers of interviews all of them Uh i was afraid that it was going to Just make me so sick of the subject i Never could speak of it again it would Just build up to a point where it get Worse and worse But actually it’s kind of had a Desensitizing effect on me
Yeah even though you know it’s still There to a certain extent I i do you know feel a little easier to Talk about it than i used to All right right at the end of the movie Uh mike uh this is for you they They rolled something that said uh and i Think this audience ought to know That another lie detector test was Administered And every single one of you passed Well there were only three of us that Took these this new series of Tests uh what happened was there was There was a fellow By the name of jerry black who caught Wind of the movie being made Uh just just as the movie was beginning To be filmed Back in the summer of 1992 and uh Jerry black approached the screenwriter Tracy tormey Uh on the phone at first and he was Trying to get tracy to Cease the the movie to chop it off Because he says that you know this This whole thing is a hoax uh jerry Black uh Was a personal friend of some major Skeptics although he himself Is a believer in the ufo phenomena and Uh That was his first initial uh approach To this thing and then after
Launching eventually a whole new Investigation into the thing because You’re a black Ufo investigator uh he Came to the point the word he thought Well what we need now Is some new tests because the first test Uh Everybody took him and everybody passed Even alan dallas of course Uh according to the police report that Was finally came through after all these Years Showed that allen passed part of the Test that he took But what jerry black wanted for his own Personal conclusion to his investigation Was a new lie detector test For me and travis and alan dallas who he Considered to be the The lead characters of the thing allen Because Alan was not only lead character but was The one who had an inconclusive test In 1975 so in february First week of february 1993 just A month and a half before the movie came Out We all submitted to a new life detector Test And jerry black chose the same uh State police polygraph examiner cyrus Gilson Who then had uh you know 20 years
Experience Something like that he had been in it All these years since then he was a very Experienced examiner at the time in 1975 And uh by this time cy gilson Had worked to develop Equipment and machinery that is Unbeatable And as computer assisted in analysis And jerry black was Very convinced that that the last niche In this investigation was these new Polygraph tests it would you know just Polish it off So we we finally reluctantly but finally Agreed to the To these tests and took them and Uh travis as a matter of fact took two He was in there all day long Wow lie detector test two separate I was about to ask that travis uh took One himself Yeah well he travis took one years ago Back and you know when this right after This happened and passed Past it but uh you know this was This was the first time that travis had Taken a test with the state police Polygraph examiner And the new whiz-bang technology exactly And uh We all three uh passed the test to the Highest degree Possible uh and then what did your
Skeptic friends say They haven’t said anything about it to This day since Uh the major skeptics have never come Forward in the last Two years to say anything about these New tests Well it is widely regarded as one of the Best documented cases Um ever there’s no question about it let Me go back just for a second To that moment when travis phoned home So to speak and uh how did you get the News mike I mean it must have been pretty Important to you here you are Missing a friend probably accused in the Minds of many of having committed murder And all of a sudden bang travis is back It didn’t happen like that with me i Wasn’t the brother-in-law he called Again like i said earlier they they kind Of used my character throughout the Movie for a lot of things Uh even though uh i was present Throughout this entire time And a kind of a lead character in the Thing they they gave me the role of Doing certain things like calling the Police initially and then again Uh being the one that travis called from Telephone booth you know Right no i understand that that you were Not the one called but surely somebody
At some point picked up the phone called You and said guess what Well see this is where i kind of got Left out uh Everything that happened uh when Travis’s brother and brother-in-law Uh went out and and picked him up He was actually had already been Transported down to phoenix And was beginning this process of Being analyzed by doctors and hypnotists And Psychotherapists and every every expert That they could throw at him I didn’t even know that he was returned For Almost the whole day after you’ve Actually been returned i Nobody’s even told me for a long time of Course when i did learn of it You know i was elated i was i was Thrilled i was I was relieved uh you know and uh Well you see what happened at the time Was uh my brother Uh had been watching what had been Happening to my mother and and the way That the the police and the media were Just unmerciful You know she’d had to be sedated and That’s in the kinds of things that were Being done to the family and In the community and everything they Just felt that you know
He said oh that mob is not going to get Hold of this guy how how were they Treating it in the media travis uh Well you must have read all the Clippings now were they making a big Joke out of it was it a murder mystery In the media what were they doing Well you know it was one theory after Another you know of course right At first it was just a murder and then It was a drug hallucination and then it Was A transitory psychologist It’s just one thing after another you Know i’m sure they tested you for drugs Yeah the medical tests revealed no trace Of any drug in my system All my psychiatric tests were perfectly Normal Scores uh but you know it was no end to The sorts of accusations uh However baseless and you know It turned into you know a long series of Attempts to try to set the record Straight So they got you in phoenix they put you In the hospital in phoenix huh Yeah and uh came at you with what a Battery of tests and Uh doctors to come in and have little Conversations with you Yeah that sort of thing ekg eeg You know the whole shooting match did They find
Anything wrong anything for example that Physically could have caused you to go Into a coma-like state say for five days Um no nothing nothing like it Wow uh so what did you do mike you heard He was back you heard he was in phoenix And uh after you hot side of big uh sigh Of relief i’m sure Because of you were accused and your Friends back What did you do well obviously i I wanted to to get down there and see You know But uh i wasn’t able to do that for Another couple of days more It was it was like maybe three days Before i was actually able to sing for The first time And this is one area where where the Movie uh Fire in the sky actually got real simple They showed him in the movie being put In a local hospital and treated very Normally And the hospital was quiet and and i Snuck in there during the night And got a nurse to talk to my buddy for The first time you know That’s right and in reality this thing Was a media circus Uh there were there were a whole team of Doctors and people there And uh they had him bound up for for Several days before i was able to
Ever get a first glance at it couldn’t Hardly go anywhere walking Across the parking lot of the hospital Hey there he is like oh No it was just crazy you know this is Crazy stuff They put me in the hospital under an Assumed name Oh oh so uh delayed the media But at some point they they saw you Walking yeah How were you gonna handle it in the Media uh travis i’m sure you thought About that you know what am i gonna say To him Well you know i was just a Country boy i wasn’t really very Well versed in these kind of things i Didn’t know how to handle it you know I guess i was a sitting duck at times Uh so did you did you talk to him or did You tell him to get lost most of the Time Yeah i i i i just wasn’t up to talking For For quite a while you know you still Don’t like talking about it do you No it’s it’s still kind of upsetting but You know i feel that it’s important to Set the record straight maybe it’s Important for you to because every time You go through this Maybe a little you know like another Piece of it or the pressure of it falls
Away from you a little bit Yeah just just a little all right you Two stay put we’ll be right back to you My guests mike rogers and travis walton The story of fire in the sky Only uh this is the real thing and we’ll Be right back Or some craft to come back and for you To then understand Exactly what happened and what it means In a larger scheme of things Yeah in other words we’d like for the Mystery to be solved Um You know by by somehow some Maybe not in being the person that gets Out there and solves it but Uh you know anyway it would be nice for It to be known If it’s going to remain a mystery i’d Just assume You know my life yeah i can understand That Getting wanting to get on with your life Um Travis what of of your whole experience Of what you remember of it Um what was the uh the worst And most terrifying moment for you i Mean when you flash back on it And you think of the worst what was that Worst moment Now well you know suddenly seeing them
And Their eye the way their eyes just seem To Look into me does that haunt you still Yeah it does and that’s been you know Something that’s been in the center of Every Feeling you know i’m not exactly Flashback but When i think back you know that’s that’s The part of it that just Is the most intense other than when some Uh A crazy person from the media like me Comes along and talks to you Uh is it getting now to the point where You think about it Less and less or does it still come to You regularly Well i work at not letting it You know when somebody brings it up that I never bring it up And i just never bring up the topic of Conversation I can’t blame you uh Are are the two of you now close would You Would you both say you’re you’re close Since it or What well we were we were close uh You know prior to the incident and you Know we ended up falling out In the in the interim but we’ve kind of Passed things up and we’re
Getting you know to where we More like it was before were you really Close friends Yeah best friends what about The others uh do you stay in touch with Them have they fallen away They’ve just blown away most of them you Know or other states and Have rarely talked to him since this Happened Mike uh for you in the movie uh it Showed your wife at the time Uh kind of in a crisis and Not believing you and and ending up uh Crying and not believing you is that About the way it happened Well uh she did believe me that that was I think they just did that for some sort Of personal drama there Going on and kind of an explanation for Why there was Eventually a spread out between us but As far as Her wondering what to believe that Wasn’t Just her that was that was all of our Relatives And travis’s family my family i think Everybody struggled in that way And uh my wife At first didn’t know what to think uh And In the movie they they didn’t actually Show her saying that she didn’t believe
Me Uh they just no that was right by the Way they did it yeah they showed her Crying as though she couldn’t It couldn’t say yes i believe he wrote Something he did have an awful hard time With the community And she was in a personal crisis as a Result of that and that was Instrumental in our divorce Well i’m sorry are you still in touch With your children Oh yeah as a matter of fact uh uh Eventually i got real close to my family I’ve been close to my My children especially all all along but Uh It’s not like my family was taken away From me We we’ve always lived in the same town What do you both think now mike do you Think your family completely Uh buys the story I don’t know one that doesn’t travis Same deal you think your family buys the Story Yeah well you’re both you know and a lot Of people Here in the town you know over the years Uh It’s grown more and more in favor of it Because As one theory after another just sort of Fades away i mean
The the evidence against it comes Forward you know people are faced Forced to face the facts and and you Know belief has grown Well i imagine it would particularly With the latest lie detector tests Yeah the movie did a lot for it too and It’s partly a personal thing you know a Lot of people that i meet Uh very often remarked that you know They they’re skeptical but after meeting Me it changes them I mean all of the actors and in the in The movie you know said the same sorts Of things Well it seems to me as though the real Story as you two have told it tonight Is to me a lot more convincing and a lot Less Trying to throw doubt in the mind of the Audience than the movie i mean they Threw doubt At several places with the the tabloid Newspaper That never happened all the rest of it When you when you guys sat down and you Watched that movie for the first time Um how would you describe your feelings After seeing it were you Were you amused upset angry Well you know it kind of uh became Apparent to me in a sort of a gradual Way that how these departures were Being made and i was i fought against
That As best i could and successfully to a Certain extent you should have seen what They wanted to do In other words as the movie was uh being Produced you have some Input yeah but you know no power to veto Things i was just able to Get them to not do certain things every Now and then say you guys are nuts this Didn’t happen Yeah and i kind of wore out my welcome i Guess but uh You know i i kind of faced the fact that You know they were they had commercial Considerations and They were just going to do what they Were going to do and so Um when it came time to see the movie I’d kind of uh Come to terms at least in part with some Of it So it was kind of like an emotional Uh reliving in a way that was pretty Intense All right just uh probably just one more Question um I had my own siding you two and i Thought Really long and really hard before i Admitted it publicly Because of the job i do and I might not do it again and i guess That’s my question for you
If it had not been for travis being Abducted And you all had just seen this craft and Instead of Losing travis you’d take it off back to Town in the truck Would you you two have would you have Told this story Or would you have kept your mouth shut i Would have kept my mouth shut Yeah there was any way that i could have Uh you know had it on the totally under Myself to decide whether or not to tell What happened and could see in the Future how things would happen And how i would be treated there’s no Way i’d say a word about it I wouldn’t recommend that you know it’s Just it’s not worth the grief that The world was going to give you and it Has been a lot of grief hasn’t it Well look i want to thank you both for Telling the story as it really was Uh and i as i promised i will get both Of you Copies of this program oh thank you all Right Thank you both for being on the air with Us thank you take care good night Uh travis walton and Mike rogers and um i hope that you all Enjoyed this I ended up not taking any calls because I wanted to get the story out
I thought it was an important story These two uh Strike me as very very honest Individuals And i was very impressed by the story so I’d like to take a second out to um I’ll tell you that if you would like a Copy of this program And i can imagine that you would it’s Probably one of the best renditions Of the travis walton abduction you can Get it by calling 24 hours a day beginning right now 1 800 917-4278 Once again 1-800-917-422 Seven eight
