Camp Hood, TexasMay 1949

On May 23, 1949, soldiers at Camp Hood, Texas reported seeing unusual lights in the sky during four separate observation periods that day and night. The sightings involved multiple military witnesses stationed at observation posts around the camp. Over the course of several hours, from around 10:00 a.m. through the early morning of May 24, different groups of soldiers described similar small, glowing objects that appeared to hover or move slowly across the sky.

The witnesses reported objects that resembled automobile headlights or light bulbs in size and brightness. Most descriptions centered on round, yellowish or amber lights that moved up and down or from side to side at slow speeds. Some objects appeared only briefly, while others flickered on and off repeatedly over several minutes. The observers noted that the lights seemed dull, comparable to a flashlight covered with yellow paper, and that they disappeared behind trees or below the horizon. Weather conditions were generally clear with light winds from the south and some haze. No sound, odor, trail, or physical evidence was reported by any of the witnesses.

The Army's Office of Special Investigations prepared a detailed report and forwarded witness statements from multiple soldiers to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Each observer filled out a standardized investigation form with details about the sightings. However, no radar equipment was operating in the area at the time, and no photographs were obtained. Weather station data and winds aloft information were not available to help analyze the observations.

The Air Force's evaluation of the May 23 sightings concluded that the lights were most likely automobile headlights on a low haze cover moving along the highway near Camp Hood. The file notes that an object of this apparent size with the brightness of a flashlight covered with yellow paper, moving up and down as it traveled over hills, would produce descriptions consistent with what the soldiers reported.

The full case file as reproduced below contains 63 pages as held by the National Archives.