- GAUTIER -- Charles Hickson
has spent the last 30 years living with something most other people couldn't
even imagine.
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- On Oct. 11, 1973, Hickson and Calvin Parker were fishing
on the Pascagoula River, enjoying the cool fall evening. What seemed to
be the beginning of a peaceful night turned to chaos when the pair suddenly
found themselves in a close encounter with an alien craft and its occupants.
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- In 1973, media reports show a rash of UFO sightings across
the country, including many reported by law enforcement officials that
September and October in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.
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- In October 1973 alone there were more than 500 sightings
reported, said John Schuessler, international director and founding member
of Mutual UFO Network, which tracks sightings and contacts with alien vessels
and beings.
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- "There's no way to know why things happen that way,"
Schuessler said.
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- Schuessler said a similar rash of sightings were reported
in 1961, the year Betty and Barney Hill reported having contact with aliens
while returning from vacation in Canada to their New Hampshire home.
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- Most reported incidents are not actual UFO sightings
or do not have enough information for investigators to follow up on, Schuessler
said.
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- "There's only about 10 to 20 percent worth investigating,"
he said.
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- Schuessler said he has been researching UFO phenomena
since 1965, but takes it all with a grain of salt. Retired, he worked for
a contractor at NASA's Johnson Space Center, so he takes a more scientific
approach to ufology -- the study of unidentified flying objects.
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- Hickson's reported abduction is one Schuessler said he
believes happened.
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- "He's credible because of his background,"
Schuessler said. "He's not a loose can of nuts."
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 Hickson is a religious family man and demonstrated strong leadership
skills as a foreman when he worked in the shipyards in Pascagoula, Schuessler
said.
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- An Army veteran with five battle stars from his service
in Korea, Hickson was honored by the Republic of Korea in 2000, 50 years
after he was stationed there. The Korean government gave Hickson a certificate
and medal to thank him for giving his all to protect and preserve democracy
around the world.
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- Schuessler said many of the people who report sightings
or contacts with aliens are upstanding citizens like Hickson, and are hesitant
to talk about their experiences in public.
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- "It's quite common for them not to seek publicity,"
Schuessler said.
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- Others have contacted Hickson through letters and e-mails,
confidentially sharing their experiences with UFOs or aliens.
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- "They don't want to tell anybody else about it,"
he said.
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- Most people that Hickson has talked to about the abduction
believe him. Very few people, in fact, have expressed doubt about Hickson's
contact with aliens.
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- "I've never had anyone tell me I'm lying, or ridicule
me," he said. "I've had a few people tell me they couldn't believe
it unless they've seen it for themselves. I wouldn't believe it if it hadn't
happened to me."
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- Hickson still gets questions about UFO experience
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- About 40 people turned out for a book signing Hickson
held in April at Gautier Public Library. None expressed doubt about Hickson's
contact with aliens. They all had questions about his experience.
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- "Was there physical evidence found at the site?"
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- "Were there other witnesses who saw what happened?"
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- "Have you had contact with them again?"
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- "Are they friendly?"
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- "Were you able to communicate with them?"
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- The questions rained on Hickson but he patiently answered
each one, giving insight to the alien encounter 30 years ago.
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- Hickson, then 42, and Parker, then 19, like others at
first, did not want their abduction publicized, but a reported leak to
The Mississippi Press made publicity inevitable.
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- Not knowing what to do after their experience, Parker
and Hickson went to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department to report what
happened. The two men's interviews were taped as they talked with the sheriff
and deputies at the Pascagoula station.
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- In the days and weeks that followed, the two men underwent
hypnosis with UFO investigator Dr. James Harder. Under hypnosis, they provided
further details of their abduction. Hickson and Parker were interviewed
by Dr. Allen Hynek, a noted UFO expert. Both abductees took polygraph tests
and were deemed to be telling the truth about their experience.
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- Then-Sheriff Fred Diamond in 1973 said he believed the
two men shared a terrifying experience.
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- "Their stories -- told individually and together
-- were the same," Diamond told The Mississippi Press in 1973. "To
them, their experience was real. They showed it emotionally."
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- Capt. Glen Ryder, who worked for the Sheriff's Department,
at the time at first expressed doubt over the two men's tales.
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- "I thought they were pulling my leg," Ryder
said in a Mississippi Press interview in 1973. "I didn't believe their
story at first, but I do now, after I got them on tape. If they were lying
to me, then they should be in Hollywood."
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- Hynek and Harder both said Hickson's and Parker's stories
are credible.
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- Hynek told the press soon after interviewing the men,
"There is no question in my mind that these men have had a very terrifying
experience."
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- Book about Pascagoula incident now in third printing
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- The experience was documented in a book written by Hickson
and William Mendez called, "UFO: Contact at Pascagoula." The
book, published in 1983, is in its third printing.
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- Since the Pascagoula incident was documented and investigated
thoroughly and quickly, it is one that many UFO scientists and aficionados
know well. Many Web sites devoted to UFO phenomena cite the 1973 Pascagoula
abduction in detail.
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- Hickson in the last 30 years has traveled the world speaking
about his experiences at universities, UFO conferences and other events
and special engagements.
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- "They want to know would I describe what their craft
looked like, what they looked like," Hickson said are some of the
more common questions asked. "They want to know did they talk."
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- Hickson, 72, said he has been staying closer to home
in the last few years, giving fewer speeches about his contact with aliens.
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- In his travels, Hickson has met quite a few authors,
ufologists and astronomers who have sought his knowledge on extraterrestrials.
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- Hickson once gave a presentation in Mobile with Erich
von Daniken, author of "Chariots of the Gods," on Daniken's insistence.
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- Interest ran high and after the presentation the two
men were bombarded with questions.
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- "We couldn't get out of there," Hickson said.
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- He often speaks locally to school children.
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- "They ask sensible questions," Hickson said.
"They seem really intelligent."
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- Hickson said educating young people about extraterrestrials
is important since "they're the ones who've got to deal with these
things."
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- Hickson said he has had other contacts with extraterrestrials,
but did not want to elaborate since he is in the process of writing another
book about those experiences.
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- "I'm not ready to talk about that yet," he
said.
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- Hickson is also working on a book about his infantry
platoon's experiences in Korea.
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- "I don't have much time to do anything now,"
he said.
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- Hickson said often around the anniversary of the abduction,
he revisits the site at the mouth of the Pascagoula River.
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- "Usually, for the longest time, I would go back
down there on that night with friends and talk about it," he said.
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- A documentary about Hickson's and Parker's experience
has been filmed for public television for "Mississippi Roads."
The video is in the editing stages. No date for airing has been set.
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- Hickson will have copies of his book available at a book
signing on Oct. 21 at Lucedale Library. Books also are available at Wayne
Lee's and Jerry Lee's grocery stores or from Hickson by calling him at
497-4753. Cost of the book is $20.
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- Lici Beveridge can be reached at 934-1475 or lbeveridge@themississippipress.com.
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- http://www.gulflive.com/mississippi/index.ssf?/base/news/106578096493130.xml
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