Joey's Reddit Post Verifying Michael Herrera's UAP Encounter Part One
"Verifying Michael Herrera's UAP Encounter, Part One" is a Reddit post by researcher Joey Is Not My Name (username: joeyisnotmyname) that attempted to independently corroborate the military operational context surrounding Michael Herrera's claimed 2009 Indonesia UAP encounter through open-source research. The post became a significant document in the Herrera case because it demonstrated that key verifiable details of Herrera's account — details not publicly released or broadly known at the time of corroboration — were consistent with accessible public records.
Corroborating Details
Joey's research strategy focused on details that could be verified without access to classified records, specifically targeting the logistical and operational context rather than the UAP sighting itself:
- USS Denver assignment: Joey confirmed that the USS Denver (LPD-9), which Herrera named as the vessel his Marine element deployed from, was indeed assigned to the region and participating in relief operations related to the 2009 Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami.
- 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit: Herrera named the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit as the parent unit for his element's deployment. Joey confirmed the 31st MEU's presence in the area during the relevant timeframe.
- CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters: Herrera described CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters as the lift aircraft used in the logistics operations near Padang, Indonesia. Joey confirmed that CH-53s were consistent with the rotary-wing assets available to the 31st MEU and USS Denver at that time.
Joey explicitly noted that these corroborations do not prove the UAP sighting occurred — they prove only that the operational backdrop Herrera described is consistent with verifiable public records. A fabricator constructing a false account would need detailed knowledge of specific ship assignments, unit rotations, and helicopter allocations to the humanitarian mission, knowledge that Joey treated as unlikely for a non-specialist to independently invent without genuine firsthand exposure.
Role in the Herrera Investigation
Joey subsequently played a broader investigative role in the Herrera case beyond the Reddit post, serving informally as a Dead Man Switch contact during the period when Herrera was meeting with an anonymous insider allegedly connected through Steven Greer. Joey later claimed to have verified travel data and location indicators confirming that Herrera's described secure-facility meeting occurred.
The UAP Gerb episode covering Joey's investigation also addresses a dispute between Joey's findings and the characterization of Herrera's account in AARO Historical Report Volume 1, which Joey and UAP Gerb argue misrepresented material elements of Herrera's testimony — particularly whether Herrera identified the operators as U.S. Special Forces and whether he characterized the craft as extraterrestrial versus reverse-engineered.