James Penniston

James Penniston served as a U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant and senior security officer at RAF Woodbridge, where he was stationed during the Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980. As the senior security officer responsible for the initial response, he led the three-man patrol during the incident and directed the patrol that approached the craft. Penniston made physical contact with the landed craft and examined it for approximately 45 minutes.