The Marines Who Got too Close to UFOs

Overview

This documentary-style video presents two compelling accounts of United States Marine Corps personnel encountering unidentified aerial phenomena while serving overseas. The video examines the 1997 Peru encounter of Jonathan Weygandt, who witnessed an egg-shaped craft during Operation Laser Strike and was subsequently detained by what appears to be a DOE Special Response Team, and the 2009 Indonesia encounter of Michael Herrera, who claims to have observed a large octagonal pyramid craft being loaded by unmarked US forces. The narrator finds Weygandt's testimony particularly credible due to the specific involvement of Department of Energy personnel and NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) protocols, drawing connections to the Atomic Energy Commission's historical role in classifying UAP materials. The video explores broader questions about whether such craft represent non-human technology or successfully reverse-engineered Alien Reproduction Vehicles (ARVs), ultimately arguing that the extreme technological sophistication described by whistleblowers like David Grusch, Ross Coulthart, and Bob Lazar makes successful human replication unlikely—with the possible exception of triangular craft like the TR-3B.

The 1997 Jonathan Weygandt Peru Encounter

In February 1997, USMC Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt was transferred to Pucallpa Airbase in Peru to serve in Operation Laser Strike, a US Southcom mission involving approximately 20 agencies including the USMC, CIA, and USAF. The operation's stated goal was counter-narcotics operations in Peruvian airspace. Weygandt served as a Stinger Avenger Gunner performing perimeter security under the command of Master Sergeant Chris Diggins and Major Bob Cole.

The base employed sophisticated surveillance capabilities including TPS-43 and RR relocatable Over-the-Horizon radar systems, as well as CIA Cessna Citation spotter aircraft, providing multi-sensor detection capabilities. While at the base, Weygandt overheard USAF personnel discussing the tracking of UFOs displaying anomalous flight characteristics.

During a late-night guard detail in March or April 1997, Weygandt, Staff Sergeant Montray, Sergeant Allen, and Sergeant Atkins were ordered to secure what was described as a potentially friendly downed aircraft crash site. Records indicate a shootdown occurred on March 25th by an A-37 aircraft, resulting in a target crashing in a large fireball. By early morning, the platoon of Marines reached the designated area, with their Humvees unable to traverse the remaining distance through the bush.

Weygandt recalls finding the site easily due to "a huge gash in the land where something had landed." Weygandt, Atkins, and Allen proceeded to pursue the crashed object while remaining Marines stayed at the crash site. What Weygandt encountered defied conventional explanation: an egg-shaped craft with its narrow end embedded in a cliff face. The craft displayed extraordinary characteristics including a metallic surface that appeared to fluctuate like liquid, described by Weygandt as resembling "gasoline dripping into water" or having a "mother of pearl" effect. The surface was in constant motion with large vents resembling fish gills. The object emitted a dull humming sound that instilled profound fear and unease in the Marines. A large gash in the craft's side led Weygandt to speculate it may have been struck by a Hawk missile system.

As the Marines departed, Weygandt observed a group of men approaching from two landed US Army CH-47 helicopters. These individuals wore black fatigues, hazmat suits, and DOE rain jackets with no name tags, and appeared to be older men in their late 30s or 40s. Weygandt was arrested, stripped of his gear, cable-tied at the wrists, and taken aboard a CH-47 for 15 hours of interrogation and verbal assault. A lieutenant colonel forced him to sign paperwork he didn't read due to his state of fear. He was then held with USAF personnel for three weeks before being returned to the United States.

The most significant detail of Weygandt's account is the identification of personnel wearing DOE insignia—specifically, "big Delta Oscar Echo" on the backs of their rain jackets. This points to the DOE Special Response Team, sometimes called "Nuclear Commandos," a shadow DOE special operations unit with arrest authority when dealing with protection of DOE National Labs and assets. In 1997, Special Response Teams were staffed by contractors such as EG&G. The DOE SRT is part of NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team), which comprises special forces, scientists, technicians, and engineers combined with US Army 52nd EOD for emergency response operations. NEST technical information is classified at the level of Special Access Programs. NEST's primary intelligence comes from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and CIA, with support from DOE contractors including EG&G, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin.

The historical connection is critical: the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission were formerly the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which has been repeatedly named in connection with the classification of crashed UFO materials and craft. The 2024 UAP NDAA legislation authored by Chuck Schumer explicitly states the AEC has been used to misclassify UAP records as "trans-classified foreign nuclear material," thereby exempting them from disclosure requirements.

Weygandt's testimony first appeared in a 2001 interview with Steven Greer for the Disclosure Project. After telling his story, Weygandt went quiet until 2023, never attempting to profit from his experience.

The 2009 Michael Herrera Indonesia Encounter

In the summer of 2009, 20-year-old USMC Rifleman Michael Herrera was deployed to Indonesia on a humanitarian mission following the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami in October 2009. While hiking a 900-foot ridge with five other Marines to secure a position for a supply drop, Herrera's team spotted a strange object in the jungle.

Herrera described witnessing a massive octagonal pyramid-shaped craft that was rotating and pulsating between a light matte gray and an extremely dark matte black color. The enormous object emitted a low hum and had what appeared to be a scaly exterior that looked man-made but unlike any known type of aircraft. The craft was being loaded with supplies by unmarked US forces wearing black fatigues without insignia.

Because Herrera's unit did not possess radios for the short hike to the supply drop, they could not immediately report what they were witnessing. As they moved closer for a better look, the Marines were ambushed and held at gunpoint by the paramilitary unit. The armed men spoke with American accents. The Marines' cameras and gear were confiscated, and they were ordered not to disclose the sighting. After being released, Herrera was later told by a USAF Lieutenant Colonel: "You're not allowed to talk about what happened. You will go to prison or you will die."

According to Herrera's account, unmarked trucks were preparing to load weapons onto the craft. One truck in particular was hauling a small storage crate with what appeared to be temperature, humidity, and air control systems on its exterior, leading Herrera to believe that possibly biological materials—and perhaps even humans or extraterrestrial beings—were being transported.

Herrera maintained silence about his experience for 14 years before being emboldened by new UFO whistleblower protections to come forward. In summer 2023, shortly after the public revelations of David Grusch, Herrera made his first public appearance on Steven Greer's panel at the National Press Club. He testified under oath in April 2023 about his encounter during closed-door congressional testimony, despite fearing reprisals for his knowledge. Herrera is a native of Denver and currently resides there.

Analysis: ARVs and Reverse Engineering

The video grapples with a central question: if Herrera's account is accurate, was he witnessing an Alien Reproduction Vehicle (ARV)—a craft successfully reverse-engineered from non-human technology and piloted by shadow US military factions? This would confirm that certain classified reverse engineering programs, such as those discussed in the Wilson Davis Memo, have succeeded in translating craft of non-human origin into operational human-piloted vehicles.

The narrator notes that Steven Greer actively promotes the theory that most UFOs are ARVs—human-made craft reverse-engineered from alien technology. While acknowledging Herrera's sworn testimony, the narrator expresses skepticism about whether humans have successfully reverse-engineered non-human intelligence technology. The narrator cites multiple credible whistleblowers and researchers who all indicate that recovered technology is so far beyond human comprehension that successful replication may be impossible, even without the crippling effects of compartmentalization. These sources include Bob Lazar, Ross Coulthart, David Grusch, and the Wilson Davis Memo itself.

The egg-shaped craft described by Weygandt—with its liquid-like surface, gill-like vents, and psychological effects from its humming sound—closely resembles descriptions by Eric Taber, who claimed an egg-shaped craft at Area 51 was completely smooth with no rivets, welding, or visible entry points. Such descriptions suggest technology that remains fundamentally beyond current human engineering capability.

However, the narrator considers one exception: the TR-3B triangular craft. If any craft has been successfully reverse-engineered, the most plausible candidate is black triangular aircraft, particularly those associated with programs like Project Astra at Lockheed Martin. The 1990 Belgian UFO Wave featured widespread sightings of large black triangular craft with three red lights at the corners and one central light underneath. The narrator suspects these triangular craft, rather than the octagonal pyramid witnessed by Herrera, may represent successfully reverse-engineered human technology.

Sources

• YouTube — UAP Gerb

Related Pages

• People: Jonathan Weygandt, Michael Herrera, Steven Greer, Master Sergeant Chris Diggins, Major Bob Cole, Staff Sergeant Montray, Sergeant Allen, Sergeant Atkins, David Grusch, Ross Coulthart, Bob Lazar, Eric Taber, Commander David Fraver, Ryan Graves, Chuck Schumer
• Organizations: United States Marine Corps, CIA, US Air Force, US Southcom, Department of Energy, DOE Special Response Team, NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Nuclear Regulatory Commission, EG&G, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, US Army 52nd EOD, National Press Club, US Congress
• Locations: Pucallpa Airbase, Peru, Indonesia, Sumatra, Area 51, Belgium, Denver
• Operations: Operation Laser Strike, Project Astra
• Events: 1997 Peru UFO Crash Retrieval (Weygandt), 2009 Indonesia UFO Encounter (Herrera), Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami (2009), Belgian UFO Wave, Disclosure Project
• Concepts: DOE Special Response Team, NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team), Alien Reproduction Vehicle (ARV), TR-3B, Reverse Engineering of Non-Human Technology, Wilson Davis Memo, Special Access Programs, Compartmentalization, Black Triangle Craft, Egg-Shaped UAP, Nuclear Commandos, UAP Whistleblower Protections