Appearance / Description of Object(s)

Glowing red solid oval. About twice as wide as tall. The object could hover, move side to side and move at amazing speeds. It was brighter than the brightest ship lights off the Gulf Coast of MS by a factor of 10. Not having any reference other than clouds to mark the distance from shore makes estimating the size of the object. While viewed on a 24" TV screen the object was about 1cm across. The widest lightning strike was about half that width.

Size of Object(s)

If I had to take a guess on the size, I would estimate about 25'-35' feet across and about 15' tall.

Distance to Object(s) & Altitude

Again a guess, but I would say about a half mile out and about 100'-200' above the water.

Description of Area / Surroundings

Cloudy with light rain and a strong lightning storm over the Gulf. Directly South of Keesler AFB Biloxi Mississippi.

Full Description & Details

After the purchase of a digital Cannon camcorder I decided to film lightning. The digital camcorder could film at 1000/frames a second and I decided to film lightning strikes out in the gulf. The camcorder was placed on a tripod and set to 1000 frames a second. At this setting only lightning would be picked up. Due to this I just set the focus out to over 1000ft and let the camcorder record until the power was empty. The next day I decided to copy the tape to VHS to play back lightning at very slow speed. While fast forwarding the tape I caught a glimpse of a flash of red. I rewound and found it. I played it at regular speed to very slow.

The object appeared to move very slowly over the water. It appeared to stop and then rapidly speed off up and to the West. When the video was played back at frame to frame the object was a oval about twice as wide as tall when viewed from the coast. As the object rapidly zipped out of view even frame to frame could not still the object. The lightning that was filmed had VERY detailed arcs of lightning out of the sides of the primary bolt. The frame to frame lightning was amazingly clear. During the filming the camera was on a tripod and stationary during the filming.

I was a member of the US Air Force at Keesler AFB at the time. I remember I took the camera and the tape to show my chief and officers in my department. The next piece of memory I had of the object was months later. The original tape 'labeled lightning' was recorded over with just a black screen. There was not a single part of the original footage left on the 9mm tape. I knew the only way I could even make future frame and slow motion footage was with the original. So I would NEVER have recorded over it. I also remember that when I seen the 9mm tape I thought to myself, "Why would I have recorded over the lightning." I never remembered filming a UFO. Two years later while unpacking I found a VHS tape with lightning from that night. I felt like, "Wow, I have some record of that amazing lightning show." Only when I seen the VHS capture of my original viewing of the lightning did I start to remember the events of the UFO and taking the leaving to take the film to my fellow workers. I watched that tape for hours after that trying to remember the WHY. Why didn't I remember. Why didn't tell everyone I knew. Why did I ever record over the original! So I felt with just a copy there was little I could prove. I felt that if I made a big deal about the whole event I would just be laughed at. I again forgot about the VHS copy.

A few years after that I again moved and watched what I had on various tapes. I again was amazed how I forgot about this tape and the footage. I quickly showed the tape to my friends at the time. Once again I forgot about the tape. I was watching TV at my parents house one holiday and I seen footage of lights over the Gulf of Mexico and said, "I have film from Biloxi of something that looks and acts very much like that FL footage!" Again I looked for the tape. I remember every single time I find it I tell myself, "Put this somewhere where I will not forget it." It never fails I forget about the tape. As I watched the Sci-Fi channel of UFOs I remember I have the tape. As I decided to post my experience on your site I again spent hours looking for the tape. I cannot find it once again. I have the ability to copy the tape to computer but never have. I have the ability to copy it to another VHS or DVD and I haven't. When I find it, I want to put it someplace I will not lose it and then forget about it. I can remember how to get to the old bicycle shop my grandfather purchased my first blue Schwinn bicycle when I was four. Try as I might, I cannot remember the tape or the location after just hours at times. The event of erasing the tape and losing it all the time is much more strange than the UFO. I do promise next time I find the tape, I will post it on this site before I put it away again. It is an old VHS tape almost 20 years old now but I will capture it for you.

Can sighting be explained as any conventional man-made or natural object?

I have loved aircraft since I was a child. I watched air shows. I rode in a single prop plane when I was in grade school. My father was an Army Helicopter mechanic and have been around military aircraft for years. This object acted nothing like anything I have ever seen.

Witness Background

May share more if / when I find the tape.

Views on UFOs, before and after sighting

I have been interested in UFOs since I was very young. The first sighting was when I was in 4th grade. I have read what little was published on UFOs. I felt much of the information was fiction. Some of the data seemed very conclusive. I believed in UFOs as objects from outerspace. My experience with the film of the object did not change this (1988).

Reported Sighting? 

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