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Life After Paranormals: Season 2, Episode 9
Find out what life is like today for Travis Walton, the man involved in one of the world's most shocking abduction cases as depicted in "The Abduction."
Find out what life is like today for Travis Walton, the man involved in one of the world's most shocking abduction cases as depicted in "The Abduction."
Do you think you were targeted for an abduction?
Well, no, I think I got myself into a situation that just happened—I think now it would be more correctly described as an ambulance call rather than an abduction. I think that by getting too close to the ship it caused some kind of injury that they felt necessary to repair. So it's more like they took me on board to revive me because had they left me there—it was 8 degrees at night—I would not have survived.
So you've changed your thinking about the abduction over the years?
It's just a hunch. I was recently doing an interview with Steve Pierce [a crewman who also witnessed the incident] and he believes I was chosen.
What did the aliens look like?
They were humanoid, meaning they had two arms, legs, a head on top—the basic arrangement. Small, hairless, huge eyes. That was the most disturbing part—their stare was intense. But their eyes blinked. It could also be that they were wearing some type of sunglasses—having very large eyes signifies a low-light environment, like with nocturnal animals on Earth. So the light here would have been too much for them.
Did they speak?
Not that I heard.
Had you been interested in UFOs and the paranormal before this happened?
I definitely was—there was the suggestion that I'd been a UFO buff but that was not the case, I'd never joined any societies or anything like that. But I was interested in everything at that time.
How has your life changed since the incident?
It definitely did make me feel a part—there are people who try and figure out if there's something out there, and I know there is! But it also derailed my life—made it unrecognizable from what it would have been otherwise. For many years I had regrets about that, but now I'm more resigned to it.
Your book, Fire in the Sky, was turned into a movie in 1993. What was your role behind the scenes?
I was used as a consultant and did many interviews with the writer. But when the studio came in they were less interested in my participation.
What do you think of the movie?
Overall, the movie had a positive effect in that it caused people to be more open to the facts. Even though it could hardly be called a documentary, it leaves the same emotional impact.
Do you keep in touch with the other crewmen?
For many years I had almost no contact with them, but I've started doing interviews again with John Goulette, Steve Pierce and Ken Peterson. I lost track of Dwayne Smith, and Allen Dallis recently passed away.
Did you have any paranormal experiences before this?
Some people think that what I experienced was supernatural—ghosts, spirits, time travel. But I favor the extraterrestrial explanation.
Have you had any paranormal experiences since?
If I did I wouldn't talk about it. People praised me for coming forward but I didn't really come forward—the story came out on its own. And for a while I didn't want to do interviews, but that it didn't make the story go away, only turn more negative. So I then had to do interviews to combat the negativity.
Were there any positives that came out of your experience?
You do have to look for the positive to come to terms about things. It broadened my perspective (though oddly, also made me more of a skeptic). I got to meet a lot of really great people and travel to places I never would have gone to. I do have to look on the positive side.
Where are you working now?
I was working at a paper recycling plant for 11 years but retired three years ago because I thought the plant wasn't going to be around much longer. And sure enough, they just announced they're closing at the end of the month. So I took retirement. I also did an updated version of my book, 26 pages longer, with additional illustrations.