The Phoenix Incident Page #5

were flares?

- Most likely they were

our LUU-2

illumination parachute flares.

- Is that unusual, to drop

flares over a populated area?

- We were miles

from any civilian areas.

It was standard procedure

to drop unused ordinance

after a run.

- I still don't know

what it was.

As a pilot and a former

Air Force officer, uh...

I can definitively say

that this craft did not resemble

any manmade object

that I'd ever seen.

And it was certainly not

"high altitude flares",

as put out by the, uh... the Air

Force at Luke Air Force base,

because I've never seen flares

fly in formation.

- There were about five or six

craft, uh...

We were tracking their progress

for about ten more minutes...

And when they passed

over the city,

they broke south for Tucson.

- What changed?

- Well, after what happened in,

uh... Belgium and Osaka,

we... we sure as hell weren't

gonna take any chances.

- What kind of chances?

- F***in' move, let's go!

- Mitch, Mitch. Hold up, man.

- Move it, let's go!

- Are you serious?

See that sh*t?!

- Let's just turn around.

...freakin' me out.

- ...seen anything like this?

I mean,

what the f*** is going on?

- What's that one

behind that one over there?

- I don't know, it's not a '15.

- Yeah, no f***ing a right,

it's moving too fast.

- They're dumping more flares.

Ugh, let's get

the f*** out of here.

- Two of our F-15's approached

them from the North.

One of our birds

attempted to make contact

with the lead craft,

and the other objects

instantly egressed from the AO.

- Flares...

- Okay.

- ...multiple bogies closing in

on your position.

- Check your nine o'clock...

- We had an E-3 in the air

covering with FLIR.

We could see them on visual,

but they were completely

invisible to radar.

- I was passed some information

that said

this was operation Snowbird.

The information this man

gave me was codenames

and Snowbird was diversion.

- Can you tell us specifically

what operation Snowbird is?

- In the event of a mass

sighting or an engagement

over a civilian populated area,

operation Snowbird would deploy

deterrent measures

or diversionary tactics to draw

eyes away from the combat zone.

- A distraction operation?

- Yeah.

- So when the public saw

the lights over the city

they weren't seeing

the actual craft?

- No. No, they were seeing

our flares.

- Is it unusual to drop flares

over a populated area?

- Well, I've already stated that

we--

- Eh! Look, as Lieutenant

Colonel Jones stated

in his report,

the events of March 13 were

a documented training exercise

with the 104th fighter squadron.

- Is it unusual that A-10's

from another base

would violate your air space

without first contacting

your flight controller?

- Lt. Col. Jones and his men

were well within their area

of operation.

- And, does this include

operation Snowbird,

as a diversion exercise

over the Estrella Mountains?

- Alright, we're going to end

this interview now.

- I didn't expect

those questions.

- At, uh, 2200 hours...

they cleared

the E. Mountain line,

and that lead craft, uh...

changed trajectory,

and engaged our fighters

head on.

- So, what was going through

your mind?

- I had never seen anything move

so fast in my life.

Okay, stay on top of them...

- Everyone defending!

...missile launched!

- Warning. Warning.

Warning. Warning.

- I don't think so, I mean

they're not supposed to be able

to move like that.

- Whoa! Look, look, look,

look, look!

- Oh sh*t!

- Oh, f***, what the hell

was that?!

- Jesus Christ!

- What was that?!

- Oh, my God, man,

that's a pilot...

- But why did we shoot it down?

- Come on, we gotta go.

- What're you doing?!

- That's enough, listen, dude...

Mitch, get...

- Everybody on, everybody on!

Come on, man!

- Goddamn it!

- Where the f*** is it?!

- I think they went this way,

somewhere over here, come on!

- They're looking

in the wrong place!

- Come on!

- Do you see it?!

- It's on the mountain there!

- Right over there! Look!

- Mitch...

- Wait, hang on,

get down, get down.

We need to turn around,

right f***in' now.

- Hang on a second.

- No, why...?

- It's a f***ing pilot,

we can't leave him.

- Listen to him, man,

he's right.

You've had your fun,

let's get the f*** out of here.

- If that's one of ours,

I'm not gonna leave him here!

- "One of ours"?

What are you talking about, dude?

If that's one of ours, military,

someone's coming after him.

- There's nobody else here!

It's our chance to save him.

Will you just f***ing come

with me for one second?!

- We don't know what the hell that is!

- We're just gonna see if he's okay!

If he's fine, we'll go back down,

we'll get some help, alright? It'll be fine!

- If who's fine?!

- The f***ing pilot, man! God, he needs us!

- Listen to me.

Nobody needs us,

and this is not the time

for you to play hero.

- What're you worried about?

- What am I worried about?!

About him going up there,

getting us all f***ing killed,

we shouldn't be here

in the first f***ing place.

Listen, Mark is not up there,

okay?

- What the f*** did you say

to me?! F*** you, dude!

- I'm trying to save

his f***ing life!

- You wanna be a f***ing baby,

fine! I'm going after him!

- You've lost your f***in' mind!

Go!

- You sack of sh*t!

F*** you, Ryan!

- F***...

- If he dies, it's on you!

- We gotta go, we got--

- Get the f*** off me!

- Let's go!

- This is bullshit! Let him go!

- Would you leave up there,

alone? Come on!

- This doesn't make any sense.

- Come on, man...

- Mitch! Mitch!

- Ryan, man! Ryan!

Sh*t!

- They were scared.

We... uh.... We're talking

about best trained pilots

in the world, best equipment

in the world, it doesn't matter.

We were not prepared for

anything like this, nobody is.

- Can we f***ing go now?

- Come on, Jake,

a little further, buddy.

- Come on!

- You see this?

- Hey, you good?

- Yeah.

- Mitch--

- Shh! Shut the f***...!

Dude, come on!

- That's gotta be

one of our jets, man.

Did you guys see

an ejection or anything?

- No!

- No, nothing. Can we go now?

- Would you shut the f*** up,

come on!

I gotta go up.

- Mitch, no. No, no, no, dude!

- Mitch!

- F***. Then stay here!

- That is far enough!

- Mitch!

What the f*** is that?!

- There was no heat signature.

Our E-3 controllers were

unable to find the crash site

for 28 minutes.

By the time we did find

their location,

it was too late.

Oh, my God!

- Go! Go! Go!

Go to the bikes!

Come on, come on!

- Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Mitch!

- Come on. If they knew

they were trapped,

wouldn't they have done

something about it?

I mean, this is the

U.S. military for Christ's sake,

they can do anything they want.

- Come on, Jake!

- Glenn!

- Mitch! Ryan!

- Jake!

Jake! Jake!

- Jake!

- Oh, my God, dude...

His leg is f***ed, man! Sh*t!

- Take it easy.

Jake, listen to me, buddy.

You're gonna be alright, okay?

You're gonna be okay.

- Oh, God, Jesus.

- I don't know, alright.

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