AP Photo A mock 'Unidentified Flying Object' (UFO) and three mock aliens are pictured in a garden in Jacobsdorf near Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, Friday, June 25, 2021.

ALPENA — On June 21, the U.S. intelligence community issued a preliminary report on unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.

The report said 143 incidents remained unexplainable. The nine-page document stated it appears not to offer any evidence the sightings involved any American weapon efforts.

Congress will receive an in-depth, final report within the next three to four months.

Somewhat related to that report is the Pentagon and several intelligence agencies are attempting to rebrand the UFO term to unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP.

William Konkolesky, director of the Michigan chapter of the Mutual UFO Network, said UFO reports surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

He cited two observations which most likely caused that uptick: “More people were able to spend time outside, and the Starlink project, which launched multiple low-flying satellites simultaneously.”

Konkolesky became engaged with the UFO Network several years after he and friends observed multiple orbs flying over their vehicle in 1989 near Sterling Heights.

The network was established in 1969. The 4,000-plus-member group is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bill Muphy is associated with the Chicago-based Center for UFO Studies. He said “sightings frequently occurred while people were walking their dog.”

Murphy said the mainstream media appear to take the UFO topic in a different fashion than in prior years. A May 2021 New Yorker article confirms Pentagon leadership are, indeed, taking the UFO topic more seriously.

Over the decades, Michigan has had its share of UFO incidents.

A high-profile 1966 viewing of a pyramid-shaped object occurred near Dexter. Investigators later referred to it as “swamp gas.”

In 1975. at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, ground and air traffic tower personnel observed a bright white disc hovering over the base. The disc was pursued by an Air Force aircraft, which lost contact as it shot rapidly into the upper atmosphere. In the following months, four other military bases also observed a similar object hovering over their installations.

What about northeastern Michigan sightings?

Information obtained from the UFO Network, the Center for UFO Studies, and press accounts revealed an assortment of unusual and unexplainable instances:

* An early on sighting occurred in November 1957, when a cigar-shaped object with a pointed nose and blunt tail, emitting low sounds, was seen near M-32 and M-65. Subsequent civilian and military air traffic controllers cited no aircraft were in the vicinity at the time.

* A Hubbard Lake incident in July 1987 had five youth see a low-level cloud expel a number of V-shaped objects which hovered quietly, with bright lights. The objects reentered the cloud formation and rapidly departed toward the lake’s north end.

* In August 2002, seven miles off the Harrisville shoreline, two freighter sailors observed a textured, triangular-shaped object soar above and follow their ship. The object made a 90-degree turn and quickly disappeared.

* In September 2009, near Onaway, a couple left their residence to close their chicken coop for the evening. They jointly observed a large, triangular object being pursued by a military jet. When the object was overhead, they noted two bright and beaming white lights.

* In June 2007, an 80-year-old Posen resident went to inspect what appeared to be a balloon-shaped object near his fenceline. Upon his arrival, the object immediately increased to the size of a car and shot upward. He stated his body hair stood on end and, when he later touched where the object was, his hands became numb.

* Near a wooded Lewiston area in October 2010, a couple experienced a sky filled with a variety of low-flying white and red objects. The couple returned to the village, where five individuals from a retail establishment joined them in observing. Later, a massive yellow orb appeared and quickly exited into the sky. The viewing lasted for nearly an hour.

* Near Onaway in June 2014, two boys observed an object land near their residence’s barn. A slender grey figure exited the object and faced one of the youths. One of the boys stated a beam was directed at him and he fell to the ground. They both revealed the figure bolted to the barn’s roof and then down to the surface of an abandoned car. The following morning, they noted a dent on the barn’s roof and markings on the car

* In April 2021, an Alpena resident was on their back porch and viewed four triangular-shaped objects travelling east to west in a straight line. They were rapid in speed and offered no lights or sound.

There are dozens upon dozens more of Northeast Michigan reports.

A historic and current UFO tracking and narrative map can be found at ufostalker.com.

Sightings of any kind should be reported to local or state police. They can also be documented on the Mutual UFO Network’s website.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO and he frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds. He is a former Alpena resident and resides in suburban Detroit.