HGB Ep. 473 - Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Moment in Oddity - Petrichor (Suggested by: Jared Rang)

In the 1960s there was a fragrance being sold in India known as petrichor, the name is derived from the the Greek word, "Petros" which means 'stone' and "ichor" which is said to be fluid that flows in the veins of gods. This is described to appeal to people on the most primal level. Although it sounds like it's pheromones, it's quite a bit more interesting than that. This scent is labeled as geosmin. Humans are more sensitive to the scent of geosmin than sharks are to the smell of blood. A shark can smell one particle of blood per billion parts of water, whereas humans can smell geosmin at 5 parts per trillion. This distinctive smell is a blend of scents that occur after a time of drought. There is speculation that plants in arid environments produce an oil that inhibit seed germination during times where water is scarce. These airborne oils combine with other compounds to produce the smell. As a pluviophile, or one who loves rain, I was shocked to discover that the 'smell of rain', or the smell of geosmin was more easily detected by the human olfactory sensors vs sharks and their ability to smell blood in water. Regardless of the science behind it, humans being able to detect anything at the ratio of 5 parts per trillion, certainly is odd.

This Month in History - Massachusetts Ratifies the New Constitution

In the month of February, on the 6th, in 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution by a vote of 187 to 168. Shortly before this, the Massachusetts convention met in the Old State House to discuss the matter. At this point, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut had already ratified the Constitution. Massachusetts had the largest convention of any of the states and of the 364 delegates, they were nearly evenly divided. Federalists supported the Constitution as written. However the Anti-Federalists believed that a centralized government, as proposed, would give too much power to the elite and end up dissolving the democratic ideals adopted during the Revolution. What ultimately changed during the debate in Boston came when Gov. John Hancock proposed that Massachusetts recommend several amendments to the Constitution, including a Bill of Rights. The proposal appealed to many of the Anti-Federalist, giving them the ability to voice their concerns. After Revolutionary leader Samuel Adams spoke in favor of Hancock's "conciliatory proposition," a sufficient number of delegates changed their positions to approve ratification.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the oldest flying field in the world and is located near Dayton, Ohio and is the site where the Wright Brothers developed the first practical airplane. This still active base has hundreds of buildings on the property and a few of them are reputed to be haunted, particularly the United State Air Force Museum. There are also urban legends about UFO reverse engineering and hidden alien bodies on the base. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base!

The Wright part of the name in Wright Patterson is for the Wright Brothers. The Brothers bought Huffman Prairie Field to use as their official test field. In 1904 and 1905, the Wright Brothers used Huffman Prairie to develop the Flyer II and Flyer III, making this the site of the world's first successful heavier-than-air development field. The Flyer III was considered the first practical airplane. The Wrights went on to establish a flying school at the field that ran from 1910 to 1916 and they graduated some exemplary individuals like 1st Lt. Henry "Hap" Arnold, who became the only Five-Star General in the Air Force and commanded the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. The hap nickname was short for happy. There was also aviation pioneer Calbraith Perry Rodgers, who made the first transcontinental airplane flight of the US and was the first owner of a private airplane (other than the Wrights). He died during an exhibition at the age of thirty-three. The first rated military pilot was 1st Lt. Thomas D. Milling and he was trained at the school. There was also Walter Brookings who was the first exhibition pilot and first pilot to reach a one mile altitude. Phillip Orin Parmalee was the first practical military flier and dropped the first test bomb and became the first commercial pilot by delivering a bolt of silk. He too died during an exhibition at the age of twenty-five.

The Wright Brothers would sell their flying field to the United States government in 1917. This included Huffman Field, Wright Field, and a nearby field called McCook Field. It's not surprising that the government would look to this spot in Ohio because it was the heart of the aviation community with a huge concentration of expertise in flight engineering and experience. In 1918, the US Army Air Service was established by President Woodrow Wilson and this was backed by Congress. The Army was looking to use aircraft strictly for spotting, carrying messages and photo-reconnaissance. There was no plan to use the air for battle. That obviously changed and soon machine guns were mounted on a canvas biplanes. Then bomb drops were incorporated into air-to-ground attacks. Strangely, even though the Wright Brothers got flight really going, America fell way behind their European counterparts. 

After World War I, 347 German planes were brought over to Ohio and some became part of the National Museum of the United States Air Force, which opened in 1923. This museum is celebrating 100 years this year, 2023. It started simply as a small engineering study collection, but would eventually become the world's largest military aviation museum. Visitors are transported to another era when they enter the museum. There is the Early Years Gallery, which covers those first accomplishments by the Wright Brothers and their fellow pioneers and goes through the military planes up to World War II. Many planes from the 20s and 30s are featured. There is the Air Power Gallery with WW2 planes and exhibits featuring the story of the Flying Tigers, the story of the Philippine Death March, life in a POW camp and other artifacts. The Modern Fight Gallery features the Korean War and Vietnam War and The Cold War Gallery covers our most modern advancements in flight, particularly military bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes and the world’s only permanent public display of a B-2 stealth bomber. Finally there is the Space Gallery with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and a Space Shuttle Exhibit.

Now back to the history of the base. The training school the Wrights started was closed and President Calvin Coolidge was presented with the deeds to begin construction on a new aviation engineering center in 1924. The Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot was established at Wright Field, which actually only received that official name in honor of the Wright Brothers in 1927. The depot and field were merged as one at that time. There was a part of Wright Field that was east of Huffman Dam and this was re-designated Patterson Field in honor of Lieutenant Frank Stuart Patterson who was killed during a test flight at the field in 1918. Building kicked into high gear during World War II and the 30 buildings that made up Wright Field, grew to 300 buildings and covered 2,064 acres. These buildings would provide recreation centers, test facilities, aircraft housing, personnel housing and administration buildings. The population at the base would grow to 50,000. A Hilltop area was acquired in 1943 in order to provide troop housing and services.

In 1947, The National Security Act was passed and this created the Department of the Air Force, officially separating the Army and the Air Force from each other. On September 18, 1947, W. Stuart Symington became Secretary of the Air Force, and on September 26, Gen. Carl A. Spaatz became the USAF's first Chief of Staff. This made Wright Air Force Base the heart of development for the United States Air Force and with the Cold War getting started, air defense was even more important. Also at this same time, the base was getting involved in secret operations dealing with extraterrestrial activity. Project Blue Book got its start here. We'll talk more about this in a moment. In 1948, Wright AFB was officially renamed Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Operations continue today at the base and it is the center of Air Force engineering, graduate education, and USAF administration and deployment. 

Ohio is known for its indigenous mounds and the area near Wright-Patterson is no different. The Adena Culture left behind prehistoric Indian mounds here. The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Mound has been designated as 33GR31 and sits right on the base. It is an archaeological site that is eight feet tall and 86 feet in diameter. Pieces of limestone nearby have lead researchers to believe that the Adena culture covered the mound with limestone. The mounds haven't been excavated but it is believed that when they are, they will reveal the death customs of the culture.

To add to the mystical energy of the area, this base is no stranger to UFOs and other strange flying phenomenon. As we mentioned, Project Blue Book was headquartered here. This study into UFO activity began with Project Sign, which became Project Grudge in 1949 and finally Project Blue Book in March 1952. The records from this project have been declassified and are available to see at the National Archives. They describe the collection in this way, "The records include approximately 2 cubic feet of unarranged project or administrative files, 37 cubic feet of case files in which individual sightings are arranged chronologically, and 3 cubic feet of records relating to the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), portions of which are arranged chronologically, by OSI district, and by overseas command. A cubic foot of records comprises about 2,000 pages."

The following is a copy of the US Air Force Fact Sheet distributed by Wright-Patterson AFB in January 1985.

On December 17, 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination of Project BLUE BOOK, the Air Force program for the investigation of UFOS. From 1947 to 1969, a total of 12, 618 sightings were reported to Project BLUE BOOK. Of these 701 remain "Unidentified." The project was headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, whose personnel no longer receive, document or investigate UFO reports. The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on an evaluation of a report prepared by the University of Colorado entitled, "Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects;" a review of the University of Colorado's report by the National Academy of Sciences; past UFO studies and Air Force experience investigating UFO reports during the 40s, '50s, and '60s.

As a result of these investigations and studies and experience gained from investigating UFO reports since 1948, the conclusions of Project BLUE BOOK are:(1) no UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our national security;(2) there has been no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represent technological developments or principles beyond the range of present-day scientific knowledge; and(3) there has been no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" are extraterrestrial vehicles. With the termination of Project BLUE BOOK, the Air Force regulations establishing and controlling the program for investigating and analyzing UFOs were rescinded. Documentation regarding the former BLUE BOOK investigation has been permanently transferred to the Military Reference Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, and is available for public review and analysis.

Since Project BLUE BOOK was closed, nothing has happened to indicate that the Air Force ought to resume investigating UFOS. Because of the considerable cost to the Air Force in the past, and the tight funding of Air Force needs today, there is no likelihood the Air Force will become involved with UFO investigation again. There are a number of universities and professional scientific organizations, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which have considered UFO phenomena during periodic meetings and seminars. In addition, a list of private organizations interested in aerial phenomena my be found in Gayle's Encyclopedia of Associations (edition 8, vol-. 1, pp. 432-433). Such timely review of the situation by private groups ensures that sound evidence will not be overlooked by the scientific community. A person calling the base to report a UFO is advised to contact a private or professional organization (as mentioned above) or to contact a local law enforcement agency if the caller feels his or public safety is endangered.

Periodically, it is erroneously stated that the remains of extraterrestrial visitors are or have been stored at Wright-Patterson AFB. There are not now nor ever have been, any extraterrestrial visitors or equipment on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base." However, a retired Air Force engineer who worked at the base for 39 years named Raymond Szymanksi says aliens from the infamous crash in Roswell were brought to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Dayton, Ohio for inspection. He also claimed that a mentor told him about a system of tunnels that house living and deceased extra-terrestrial beings at the base. Rumor claims that Hangar 18 is where all of this material ended up. Another man named Oliver Henderson told his wife that he flew a plane loaded with UFO debris and several small alien bodies, from Roswell to Wright Field. And the children of WWII ace Marion “Black Mac” Magruder, said their father told them stories of seeing a live alien at the base in 1947 and that "it was a shameful thing that the military destroyed this creature by conducting tests on it."

And now that the Pentagon is admitting that UFOs are a real thing, this letter from 1985 and findings from the project just scream cover-up. In a 1988 interview, Senator Barry Goldwater claimed he had asked Gen. Curtis LeMay for access to a secret UFO room at WPAFB and an angry LeMay said, "Not only can't you get into it but don't you ever mention it to me again." So clearly the base has connections to UFOs, but what about other unexplained phenomenon, specifically ghosts? There are apparently several buildings that reputedly have hauntings going on inside them. Disembodied footsteps, weird sounds, flickering lights and apparitions have been reported in many buildings.

Building 70

Building 70 is a large World War II era warehouse that currently houses the Tax Center. There are claims that an old woman haunts the building. And the sounds of crates being dragged is heard. Rachel Castle worked as a public affairs specialist in Building 70 and in 2008, she told Stars & Stripes about a harrowing experience she had. A woman was standing behind her office door on a cold December night. She said of the woman, "She reminded me of the way my grandmother would look when she used to go to work. She wasn't fat, not thin, just average weight. She had on a white shirt with a ruffle or bow hanging down the neck, and a blue polyester vest or dress." Nothing strange about that except that Castle has just locked up for the night and no one else had been in the building. She continued, "She was three-dimensional, but the best way I can describe it, was she looked like a mannequin. Almost waxy. It was just so weird. It scared me. I've never seen anyone like that." Castle was in her car, getting ready to leave when she saw the woman and she stared at her for several minutes before driving off. One woman, whom she called Val, had told her that she heard someone call out her full first name, which no one calls her. There was no one near her and then the printer started and printed out something from a computer in another office that wasn't physically networked into the machine. Then Val walked past a television she had turned off earlier and it suddenly blinked on.

Ghost Hunters was called in to do an investigation in 2008. On the second night of their investigation, the Ghost Hunters investigated Building 70. Jason and Grant started an EVP session and during that Jason saw a black shadow obscuring a light and then Grant saw it from a different angle. They also heard disembodied footsteps and some tapping. Jason asked for two taps if the spirit wanted them to leave and there were two taps, so Jason honors that and he and Grant leave the warehouse.

Building 219

Building 219 is a former World War II era hospital with a basement morgue and a former pediatric clinic that now houses offices and reputedly has a little boy haunting it. People who have seen him claim that he is blonde and around ten years old. This is considered the most active building on the property, but the museum probably gives it a good run for its money. Castle had heard from fourteen other Air Force and civilian workers who had experienced unexplained activity in the building. A member of the base's Judge Advocate Corps told her that during a meeting of five JAG officers in a basement room, the sounds of a loud and disruptive child were heard. There was laughing, running and playing. This official of course thought that there was a real child running around, so he angrily asked one of the JAG officers to go settle the child. The officer looked everywhere for the kid and couldn't find him. He asked a few people if they had seen a child and nobody had. They hadn't even heard a child.

A janitor had a terrifying experience up on the third floor one night. He was going about his cleaning regiment and had opened all the doors to make access easier for himself. He was emptying trash cans when he heard all the doors slam shut at the same time. All the windows were closed, so this wasn't some breeze that had blown through and caused the doors to close. The janitor ran out of the building and they had a hard time finding any cleaning staff that would work in the building at night. This incident could have been cause by other spirits in the building. Some people claim to have seen the shadow figures of older people and sometimes even a mist. One of these spirits has been named Henry, after a doctor who is rumored to have committed suicide in the building.

Arnold House

The Arnold House is the oldest structure on the property and had been a family farm in 1840. This had been owned by Hap Arnold and is today a museum. The faint sound of children laughing is heard here and disembodied footsteps are heard going up and down the stairs. People claim that there are up to five spirits in this house. One of those spirits is thought to be Hap himself. The Ghost Hunters team investigated the Arnold House on the first night of their investigation and they got spikes on the EMF Meters and they heard strange sounds coming from the bathroom. This is actually something that has been reported by several people. Jason asked the spirit to communicate by knocking and he received answers to his questions in this way. It was revealed that there were five ghosts in the house. In another room, Jason did the flashlight experiment and the flashlight did turn on. Kristyn and Kris Williams did an EVP session in the dining room and they caught a little girl's laugh.

United States Air Force Museum

The United States Air Force Museum really seems to be the most haunted building on the property and for good reason because it has so many aircraft and artifacts that saw war and death. One of these was “The Hopalong,” which was a medevac helicopter Sikorsky UH-19B that evacuated troops during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. A pilot was killed at the controls and his blood still stains the seat. Museum staff claim that they see the pilot in the seat, flipping switches and trying to get the helicopter airborne. Another plane here is a B-24 Liberator known as the “Strawberry Bitch,” nicknamed for the girl painted on the side that reputedly didn't have a stitch of clothing on when it served in action. It served with the 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group of the 15th Air Force based in Libya and Italy. No one is sure who haunts this plane, it could be several men, and staff have seen apparitions in the plane as though still carrying out their duties. One janitor even claims that a spirit decked him one night. The Belly guns rattle on their own and strange lights are seen moving around the plane.

Parts from another B-24 Liberator are on display here known as “Lady Be Good.” It was stationed at Soluch Airstrip on the coast of Libya. During its first bombing mission in which it was to drop bombs on Naples, Italy, the bomber was forced to turn back due to limited visibility and some sand also got sucked up into the engine. The navigator was fairly new and not well trained and the plane became hopelessly lost and crashed in the Libyan Desert on April 4, 1943. The crew initially survived by parachuting out, but died in the desert. The wreckage wasn't found until 1959 and eight of the nine crew members bodies were recovered. Staff Sergeant V.L. Moore was never found. The parts move around inside their display case on their own. The spirits of the nine crew members are said to wander around the museum at night.

There is a B-29 Bomber known as “Bockscar,” nicknamed for its original pilot named Frederick Bock. This is the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. “Bockscar” became the first and only aircraft to effectively end a world war. The spirit of a Japanese boy is said to haunt this plane. Guards claim to have seen his ghost standing by the bomber. Another haunted helicopter here is the “Black Mariah” which is a Sikorsky CH-3E helicopter transport that was used for classified missions. The helicopter is full of bullet holes and people claim you can hear the moans and voices of the troops it carried.

Wright-Patt, as Air Force members like to call it, has a unique history connected to the origins of not only American aviation, but international aviation. The museum is home to many planes and artifacts that clearly would have emotional energy attached to them. It would seem that the living service members that are on this base, share their space with a few spirits. Is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base haunted? That is for you to decide!