Alien Abduction in Maryville

I've never experienced alien abduction,although I'm sure there are some who would doubt that. However, I have personally known a couple who once lived in Maryville who claimed it happened to them.

The story begins in 1972 when my ex-wife,Judi,and I were invited to the home of a colleague of mine. I won't tell you exactly where they lived, but I will tell you that their home was located in the slightly irregular square formed by W. Broadway,Best St,Montvale Station Road, and Montvale Rd.

During the visit, my friends originally from Ohio, asked Judi and I if we knew any ghost tales from the Smokies. My tale-telling grandfather grew up on Abrams Creek before the National Park arrived, so I had heard plenty of tales. Judi's ancestors came directly out of the Cove, so she had heard more than a few tales herself. We shared some with our friends. Strangely, they did not share any tales with us, making me wonder why they brought the subject up in the first place.

As the conversation progressed, W..., my friend, asked if I believed in UFOs. I replied that I was open minded on the subject and did not think it was a matter of belief - you've either seen one or you haven't. He then replied that he and his wife had seen one. "Where?" I asked. "In our backyard," he replied.

He went on to explain that a few weeks before that he and his wife had been awakened by strange noises and flashing lights in their backyard. They both said that the lights disoriented them and they saw a vehicle of strange design in their yard. They also said that it seemed as if they were both in a dream and it seemed as if time were "stretched."

By this time I was starting to wonder if I had sloshed too much Budweiser. I think they became embarrassed because Judi and I were reacting as if they were telling tall tales like we had just told them. We saw the couple several times after that and the story was never repeated again. That is... not until 17 years later.

My friend's career skyrocketed after that. He and and his wife went back to Ohio where he took a high position with the government. A few years passed and I, divorced now, was transferred to Austin, Texas. Shortly after I arrived, my friend transferred to Bastrop, Texas near Bergstrom AFB where he had received another promotion with the government with higher responsibility. No repeat of the story.

In 1988, I retired from the Army and moved to a home I owned in Brewton, Alabama. Little did I know that my friend had transferred to Eglin AFB base where this time he had taken a very lofty government service position in a top secret weapons laboratory. They lived in a city near Eglin that was only an hour away from me in Brewton, Alabama.

Early in 1989 my daughter had to take her SAT test and the location of the test was in the town where my friends lived. I called my friend and told him this. He immediately invited us to spend the night with him and his wife and that he would drop my daughter off the following morning for her test and his wife and I could visit and catch up on gossip.

After my friend amd my daughter left, his wife and I shared some croissants and coffee in the dining room. Bravely, I asked her if she remembered the night we told "ghost" stories 17 years back. Her reaction was startling. She began crying.

She related to me that the night Judi and I visited that she and my friend had not been totally honest with us. She went on to say that the part about the flashing lights and the strange vehicle was true, but she and her husband were afraid to tell us that they had actually BOARDED the vehicle. Then she started crying again. When she recovered she said that they were separated from each other and the creatures who were directing the show performed medical experiments on them. She showed me a scar on her ankle where one of the creatures inserted some type of tube in her leg and removed a large amount of blood.

As she concluded the story she said that over the years, her husband had become stoic about the experience. He would not deny it happened but he would not talk about it,keeping it within himself. My friend's heart had deteriorated and his wife claimed that part of the problem was the affect of keeping their bizarre experience to himself over the years. I frankly told her that if my friend had told the tale and even undergone a polygraph,his career with the government would be over. She said that is what he told her, but was still frustrated because she was witnessing her husband dying before her eyes.

I too, was frustrated because I could not help both my friends who were among the best people I've ever known. A year after my friend's wife told me the full story, he dropped dead after teaching a Sunday school class in his church.

I still don't know what to make of it after all these years. My friend's phenomenal success ran counter to his education and experience. And his wife - about 3 years after her husband died - remarried - a millionaire with a yacht.

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There is another Blount County tale of a man who saw alien creatures and strange spacecraft and went on to become successful and extremely prominent out of proportion to his education and experience. He should be about 79 years old and is a former elected official. I understand he hangs out with a group of guys at a well known coffee hangout. I will save this tale for a later day. He walks among you and his name is extremely familiar.

Until next time...