February 20, 1959🇺🇸Crash
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Cedar City, UT: Soldier encounters glowing object

On February 20, 1959, Pfc. Bernard G. Irwin stopped near Cedar City, Utah, to check a suspected plane crash but was found unconscious with amnesia. He later experienced fainting spells, went AWOL briefly, and showed PTSD-like symptoms.

Date
February 20, 1959
Location
Cedar City, Utah🇺🇸
Type
Crash
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Map

Background

Vorfall Pfc. Bernard G. "Gerry" Irwin, a soldier from Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, was driving near Cedar City, Utah, on February 20, 1959. He noticed a glowing object descending, mistaking it for a crashing aircraft, and stopped to assist. He left a note in his vehicle before investigating.

Entdeckung und Behandlung A passerby found his car and alerted authorities. Searchers located Irwin unconscious in the snow nearby, without his jacket and no crash evidence. He was taken to Cedar City Hospital, where he awoke with amnesia about the events. No injuries explained his state.

Nachwirkungen Irwin suffered repeated fainting episodes, including at his base and in El Paso. Psychiatric evaluation at William Beaumont Army Hospital found no issues after tests. He went AWOL but returned, advancing to sergeant. In later years, he revisited the site compulsively and displayed trauma symptoms. David Booher interviewed him in Idaho in 2013, documenting persistent effects resembling PTSD.

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