Let The Conspiracy Theories Continue!

This week, US Air Force Reserve officials backtracked from their earlier assertions there were no military aircraft in the vicinity of Stephenville, TX on the night dozens of residents swear they saw a UFO.

As it turns out, several jets were conducting training operations nearby, reports The Dallas Morning News.

"In the interest of public awareness, Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs realized an error was made regarding the reported training activity of military aircraft," said a terse statement released Wednesday. "Ten F-16s from the 457th Fighter Squadron were performing training operations from 6 to 8 pm, Tuesday January 8, 2008, in the Brownwood Military Operating Area (MOA), which includes the airspace above Erath County."

As ANN reported, several dozen people around the small north Texas town say they saw something VERY unusual in the skies during that timeframe. Witnesses described the UFO as being a mile long, a half-mile wide, with several bright lights and eerily quiet.

That description doesn't match up with a Viper... and Air Force officials remain at a loss to say what, exactly, those people saw. Major Karl Lewis, spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, couldn't provide any details.

"What we do down there falls under operational procedures that cannot be released because of operations security for our mission," he said, adding the Air Force's official statement it had no aircraft in the area was due to "an internal communications error."

Meanwhile, many people remain convinced they saw something out-of-this-world. Over 500 people attended a meeting last weekend, hosted by the Mutual UFO Network. The group collected over 200 reports, according to the DMN... although not all of them were in regards to the most recent sightings.

The group's Texas director, Ken Cherry, says the military's backtracking on the jets adds to the credibility of some reports, given by witnesses who said they saw military aircraft trailing the unusual lights.

"We have witnesses who could clearly distinguish the difference between an F-16 and some extraordinary craft performing in a manner not typical of an aircraft," he said.

One of the first witnesses to come forward, Steve Allen, remains convinced the Air Force owes him, and others, a better explanation.

"A bunch of stuff is bubbling up," he said about Wednesday's news. "They may have to tell us the truth."

FMI: www.301fw.afrc.af.mil/, www.mufon.com