Searching for answers to Warren’s ghostly apparitions

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daryl Knee
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  "If there's anybody here, show yourself. Give us a sign."

"... Dora ..."

The audio clip ended. The people in the room stared at one another across the table, astonished at hearing the female reply.

The voice, although faint, doesn't depict anything except that during the recording there were only two men in the room.

Soon afterward, the cry, "play it again, play it again," rang in the room's stillness.

The members of Colorado Paranormal Investigation, a Denver-based ghost-hunting group, smiled and obliged.

The team revealed the findings of a recent investigation during a debriefing March 20 in the wing conference room.

"Some people might roll their eyes at [ghosts], but not on this base," said Col. Gary Pond, 90th Space Wing vice commander. "We all know this is a special place. Most everbody on base has a ghost. Ghosts are part of the character and charm of this historical base."

After reading a ghost article in the Fort D.A. Russell edition of the Warren Sentinel, CPI member Karl Holden contacted the base public affairs office with an idea to tour the base in search of any unusual occurrences.

"I wasn't sure about bringing civilians on base in the middle of the night," said 2nd Lt. Lisa Meiman, 90th SW public affairs. "But I'm really interested in the legends, so I wanted to see it happen."

The tour began with a visit to the Civil Air Patrol building on Randall Avenue Nov. 30. After a quick scan of the building, the CPI crew unholstered their equipment: Electro-magnetic field indicators, digital cameras and tape recorders. The search was on.

"We've found that if you ask questions, [ghosts] answer," said Bob Aquin, CPI audio and visual technician. "You might not hear it when you're there, but after an analysis, the voices appear."

Beeping devices and light-emitting gadgets detected where otherworldly activity was thought to be. Wandering the building in darkness, the CPI crew gathered data.

"We don't rush to judgment," Mr. Holden said. "We're always trying to disprove the existence. I'm a skeptic; I have to be neutral. We try to find the explanations, either manmade or natural, to logically disprove ghosts."

However, the team experienced strange occurrences in the CAP building.

"A couple of investigators immediately had problems with the camera batteries draining very quickly," Mr. Holden said. "It is theorized that 'spirits' draw energy from the environment and equipment to manifest themselves."

The team recorded several electronic voice phenomena, including paranormal heavy breathing, whispering and sobbing.

Upon leaving the CAP building, CPI visited 90th Security Forces Group's Bldg. 34. However, due to human activity and the increased possibility of inaccurate data, the investigation was terminated.

The group proceeded to Bldg. 37, the Security Forces Investigations building.

They spent nearly half an hour there to find no evidence that unusual activity was present.
"Technology has proven most stories false," Mr. Aquin. "That's maybe why you don't here a lot of new ghost stories out there. Our ability to disprove the myths has made it easier to find the real ghosts."

The group then made their way to the base library, the last stop of the tour.

"Investigators were in the back room of the library ... setting up equipment," Mr. Holden said. "One of the investigators said he heard a book slam onto the floor. Another said it flew off the shelf right in front of his face." However, this event was not caught on video or audio.

"Because of their professionalism and the opportunity to learn more about our base, we'd love to have them back," said Airman 1st Class Alex Martinez, 90th SW public affairs. "Ghost stories have always intrigued me, and it sheds light on a different aspect of base history for believers."

The team has plans to come back to Warren to do a future more in-depth investigation.

"We're trying to find out what's on the other side," said Scott Newbury, CPI investigator. "We love the history and the stories. We just want to find out what's there."