Robert Shirkey

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From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person

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Robert Shirkey

Illustration of wreckage at a crash site — Illustration: wreckage at a crash site. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

Type	Person
Also known as	Shirkey
On the Timeline	1 event, 1947

Robert Shirkey was a first lieutenant with the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field in 1947, serving as assistant operations officer.

His account

The 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio received its first C-17 Globemaster III Jan. 21,2010. The aircraft is on loan from… — The 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio received its first C-17 Globemaster III Jan. 21,2010. The aircraft is on loan from… Photo: United States Air Force · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

In a 1991 affidavit and later in his memoir, Shirkey said that in July 1947 he watched as debris was carried onto a B-29 bomber bound for Fort Worth and then Wright Field. He said he saw men carrying pieces of material, including what looked like a piece of metal with markings, past the operations office, and that base commander Col. William Blanchard was present. His account is cited by Roswell researchers as evidence that the debris was handled as something important, though he did not claim to have seen bodies or a craft.

On the UAP Timeline

Skyline of Roswell, New Mexico, looking south along Main St — Skyline of Roswell, New Mexico, looking south along Main St Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Robert Shirkey affidavit on the Roswell debris flights (8 July 1947) — Lt. Robert Shirkey's affidavit says he saw debris loaded for flights from Roswell to Fort Worth and Wright Field.

Connected articles

References

Robert Shirkey witness page — Patrick Gross · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
The Roswell witness affidavits (1991–93) · ufopedia.pages.dev · archived copy
Roswell UFO incident collection — UT Arlington Libraries · libraries.uta.edu · archived copy

Categories: 509th bomb group | Fort worth | Person | Roswell | Wright-patterson air force base

This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.

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