In the Orbit of UFO Enthusiasts

I understand them, because I used to be skeptical. . . . A certain degree of skepticism is healthy. And that applies to the believers' side as well.

Has your involvement with the subject of UFOs hampered your relationships or career plans?

Perhaps in the early years, I could sense that people would have kind of a funny reaction. . . . But in the last 10 to 15 years, I understand that it's still not treated seriously, but it has become part of the culture. People think it's an exciting subject, and they want to know more. In some foreign countries, the culture is much more disposed to accepting information about UFOs. In America, it's mostly thought of as entertainment.

What would it take to make acceptance of UFO phenomena more widespread?

It would help if we had a very dramatic, solid case with multiple witnesses. Some case that could bring the phenomenon back to the front page.

Sue Swiatek, 49, Fairfax

Job: Software analyst and publishing specialist; Virginia state director of the Mutual UFO Network

When did you first get interested in UFOs?

I was 8 years old, and I read about the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case in Look magazine. I took it very seriously; it had the ring of truth. I thought if they can pick up one couple, they can pick up more. That's what led me to have a lifelong interest.

Ever had a UFO experience?

Well, apparently. I was just driving along and saw something for five to seven seconds, and I couldn't resolve it. It was a stubby fuselage, fatter than a plane, and it wasn't tapered like a plane would be. It didn't have a tail or wings. But you know as well as I do, if a plane's at a certain angle, you can't tell. I'm very skeptical, so that's still in my gray basket. It was a big object. . . . It was weird, I will say that.

What is it that most convinces you that UFOs exist?

When I get involved with local people in local cases and I see the fear in their eyes and how serious they are about what they've seen. When you meet real people and you know that they don't want publicity, they don't want their name in the paper, it's very powerful when you meet them. . . . People who have close encounters feel threatened. They think the UFOs might be coming back, they fear the government and they feel their friends and family are going to ridicule them.

Why do you think UFOs are visiting Earth?

I believe they are coming here to explore and glean some kind of resources from our planet. Whether that's DNA material or something more prosaic, who can say? Maybe it's just knowledge.

How do you deal with skeptics?

I personally don't mind skeptics. I don't get my feelings hurt. I am who I am. Some people ask me questions about the fact that I'm a Christian. A guy once said, "How can you believe in God and UFOs when there's no proof in either one?" I think he thought my brain was going to explode.

Has your involvement with the subject of UFOs hampered your relationships or career plans?

So far, no. This article may change that. [Laughs.] A lot of my friends are in the UFO field. If people can't tolerate me believing this, then we're probably not going to be that close anyway.

What would it take to make acceptance of UFO phenomena more widespread?

We have meetings about just this thing. The thing that would work the best we have no control over, and that would be a major sighting or a wave of sightings that involved a large geographic area. Or if there was a major disclosure by our government, that would help.

Norm Gagnon, 47, Springfield

Job: Graphic and architectural designer, UFO investigator

When did you first get interested in UFOs?

In 1995, I started investigating, researching, reading about it. I started to make a little noise so that people could contact me if they have unusual sightings.

What is it that most convinces you that UFOs exist?

I did observe at least three sightings. I saw something, looked up and thought it was very unusual. When I observed these I didn't think, "Hey, UFOs," I just thought, "Wow, that's unusual." On one sighting, my wife and I saw two unusual floating-type objects. I don't mean flying saucers or ships, I just mean unidentified floating, flying objects.

There's too many sightings out there. Something is going on. There is also a lot of fraud out there, and I've seen a lot of pranks and movies on YouTube that are fakes. One of my interests is trying to determine fakes by looking at photos and visiting with people.

Why do you think UFOs are visiting Earth?

There's so much to say. I can't give you a simple sentence. I believe there are formidable forces outside our physical realm of time-space and these extra-dimensional beings have been hovering our skies and even visiting us since the beginning of human history. One of my objectives as a ufologist is to not only document these sightings but, most important, to help the folks that may have been affected be these encounters.

How do you deal with skeptics?

Well, myself, I'm a skeptic sitting almost on the fence. I do believe what people say they see are manifestations and aerial phenomena. However, I cannot point the finger and say that these are absolutely from another universe. I say these are manifestations that could have been created on Earth. I also believe that our government has vehicles that they test which are top secret which sometimes fly away from where they are supposed to be. They are futuristic, man-made vehicles that we don't know about. But as to aliens, I do not believe, personally, that there is any alien visitation.

Has your involvement with the subject of UFOs hampered your relationships or career plans?

Um, not really. As to my work, my regular day job, I really don't talk about it. Most people don't talk about it. My involvement is usually outside work and with groups like MUFON. My passion is that I love investigating, just getting down to the ground level and looking for evidence that can be collected.

My wife is aware of what I'm doing, and she's not too crazy about what I do. But I'm not going to stay in this [field] for the rest of my life. I'm collecting reports or photographs for a book I'd like to write.

Ben Moss, 52, Annandale

Job: Information technology consultant

How old were you when you first started exploring ufology?

I was a kid. Probably 7 or 8. Walter Cronkite did a UFO show, and I was fascinated from that point forth. The media was a lot more open than it is now.

Ever had a UFO experience?

There's one thing I saw in college that looked like a cruise missile prototype. I heard a whistle and then rockets fired on its side, and it started climbing away at rapid speed. This was in the mountains of Virginia. In Key West, I saw two objects that looked like meteorites that crossed the sky and then stopped. Then they caught up to each other and then turned at a right angle.

What is it that most convinces you that UFOs exist?

Well, I think Roswell was the crash of an extraterrestrial spacecraft. . . . I've talked to individuals, several military people, who were out at Roswell at the time, and there's a lot of evidence. The danger is if we find evidence of other life out there, we have to keep it a secret.

Why do you think UFOs are visiting Earth?

Well, if you know anything about astronomy, you know we have a fairly young sun. The more we look, the more we see that there are systems out there that are like ours but much older. Anything that's of a high technology, say 500 years advanced from what we have, will look like magic to us. Perhaps like things that our minds can't process.

It makes sense that we're being monitored by other beings. The theory is that man is a very aggressive race and that they want to put restraints on us or to prevent us from attacking them. We're a warlike race, and if you're studying it, you need to figure out how to control it.

How do you deal with skeptics?

I'll just logically try to argue the point. A reporter or someone in public office is not going to talk about UFOs because of the ridicule, and that's tough to overcome. If someone firmly believes that none of this is true, then it's never going to be true to them.

Has your involvement with the subject of UFOs hampered your relationships or career plans?

I pretty much do my own thing. But, no, I don't blurt it out a lot. I don't mind talking to friends about it. I can argue in a logical way and point to evidence.