National Personnel Records Center and UFO Witnesses

A Different Perspective-- In today’s world, not everything is as it seems. Not all that long ago, I ran a feature that suggested a witness claiming a long military background could produce no documents showing this, other than a couple that looked to be forgeries. When I requested his records from the National Personnel Records Center, part of the National Archives system in St Louis, they showed a short military history in the Army and nothing from the Air Force. In other words, the records that I received from them did not agree with what he was saying or with the four other documents that he had supplied.

So I decided to run a test. Using my mother-in-law’s name, I requested my records for my Air Force service from the same source. What I received from them was a surprise.

Let me point out here that I have, in my possession, literally, hundreds of documents from my military career. I have DD 214s from my service as an Army enlisted man, as a warrant officer, as a commissioned officer in the Air Force, and finally from my service in Iraq. I have copies of orders, I have commendations, I have OERs (one of which always brings a smile because it mentions that I had worked with the CIA, FBI and Special Forces). And, of course, I have the ID card supplied to retired members of the military that showed my rank at retirement. In other words, if there was nothing in St. Louis, I have backup documents.

Plans to convert 'haunted' castle on hill into a home

Portsmouth.co.uk-- PLANS have been submitted to turn a 238-year-old ruin into a modern-day home.
The proposals seek renewed consent to transform Racton Ruins, which is a striking tower that was built on a hill in 1772 and close to the village of Funtington, near Emsworth.

The tower was built as a folly as part of the Stansted Estate and many believe was used by the then owner to see his trading ships berth at Emsworth, then a major port.

Mark Talbot, who has owned the tower for 30 years, has applied for planning permission to turn the tower into a home.

He has already been granted planning permission before, but wants to renew the consent to keep the refurbishment plan alive.

He said it would cost in excess of £500,000 to convert.

'It's just a renewal of permission which you have to do every three years, if you have not done the work,' he said.

'It's going to take an awful lot of money. We could start next year, or this year even, we just don't know. We just have to keep the planning consent.'

Mr Talbot said he has no qualms about living in the building if it is haunted as rumours suggest.

'I don't believe in it being haunted,' he said.