From Bigfoot Evidence: "Creepy, Strange Bird found in Venezuela: Mothman?"

Image from Bigfoot Evidence and Shuker Nature, source unknown

     Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, the saying goes, and so I do occasionally check out Bigfoot Evidence, despite their snarky and gratuitous postings of animals that have nothing to do with Bigfoot, and everything to do with the thrills those with blood lust achieve when looking at images of animals eating other other animals, or that have died tortuous deaths, or the gleeful glow of hunters posing with their kill.  Anyway, on to Mothman. Not. This is certainly a very odd looking bird, and yes, it does really exist:Bigfoot Evidence: Creepy, Strange Bird found in Venezuela: Mothman? However, to consider that this bird is the explanation for Mothman is stupid. Of course, I suspect we all know that and as the saying goes, often attributed to P.T. Barnum, there is no such thing as bad publicity. As long as you follow the link, there you go.
     Here's more on this bird from the excellent Shuker Nature blog. Interesting background on this bird and related types, including a link to the bird's call. 

"Strange Creature Seen All Around the World..."

So says the title on You Tube and elsewhere for this clip. Thanks to Mr. UFO on YouTube and Fortean Queen Skylaire Alfvegren for this. No, thanks for asking, I don't think it's an actual creature:

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Mothman Mystery Solved! So Not.

Soldier of Fortune magazine, February 2014

I apologize for the lousy quality of the image; using a different computer. But you get the idea. This is the one, and only, page in the big reveal: Mothman mystery solved by Soldier of Fortune magazine. Which, for those of you, such as myself, who are Fortean-Conspiracy minded, is a very interesting magazine indeed, regardless of any Mothy info.

The "article" by Harold Hutchinson is  a mere one page. Not even that, for roughly 1/4 of the page is taken up with graphics and the title "UFO Mystery Solved: "Mothmen" Were Actually Green Berets.
So right away, the complex topic of UFOs is combined with Mothman, and we're off. Yes, UFOs were seen in Pt. Pleasant along with Mothman, but the intent here is to just put all the weirdness into one category and be done with it.

Of course, not all the weirdness that was, and is, the aura of Pt. Pleasant is mentioned.

John A. Keel's book Mothman Prophecies is mentioned, but not the author:
"In 1975, the book The Mothman Prophecies was released, with actor Richard Gere and actress Debra Messing starring in a shady 2002 film of the same name."

"Shady?" And is it necessary to use "actress" -- it's 2014, usually nowadays we just use actor to describe those who act. But anyhoo, we all know Gere and Messing are actors, actresses.

The article has revealed the truth: Mothman wasn't Mothman, but parachuting  Green Berets, painted in luminous paint, which naturally glowed in the dark.  Reason for the paint, according to the article: "...to keep track of personnel." Seems obvious that night parachuting soldiers painted in luminous paint would be seen, yet this surprised the military:
"What the Green Berets making those jumps hadn't figured on was the fact that people on the ground could see it was well."

Hutchison references the lust filled humans of Pt. Pleasant inferring that their judgement was clouded, not only by the glow in the dark parachuting soldiers, but hormones. In the fist paragraph, witnesses are described as "...preparing for an intimate moment" when "their plans were interrupted" by Mothman, er, glowing soldiers. Later, they are referred to as "...the amorous couple..."

"Hysteria continued..." while the military kept quiet on their top secret maneuvers in Pt. Pleasant. The reason for the glow in the dark parachuting soldiers: HALO, which was being tested during the Vietnam War, more specifically, invasion into Laos.

Well, not since the crash test dummies as the Army been so blatant in their explanations for mysterious phenomena.

It goes without saying that this little puff piece of would be debunkery ignores the history of high strangeness in Pt. Pleasant, including a military presence that, I and other researchers suspect of manipulating the very real paranormal and anomalous phenomena that has been a part of that locale for decades, if not centuries.

I am mildly curious what the uber skepti-trolls have to say about this, for example, over at the James Randi forum, but I'll save that for another day.

Soldier of Fortune: Mothman Sightings Were Merely Green Berets

As The Anomalist commented, "This is huge." I haven't read the article yet, but it does seem like the usual Trickster stuff that Fortean events are made of. Makes some sense -- luminous outfits, etc.-- military presence in the area overall, covert actitivies in the area concerning government, industry, and weapons. On the other hand, well, you know.

Soldier of Fortune: Mothman Sightings Were Merely Green Berets: The February 2014 issue Soldier of Fortune contains an article entitled “UFO Mystery Solved: “Mothmen” Were Actually Green Berets.”

Author Harold Hutchison writes that Special operations forces near Point Pleasant, West Virginia, were testing high-altitude, low-opening (HALO) parachuting for use in Vietnam. According to Hutchinson, the jumpers used luminous paint to be seen during the tests.

The obvious: what is the motivation of bringing this to light now, what was really going on, etc. As I have always suspected (and I'm not the only one) that area has had a strong covert military presence for a long time, and who knows what the hell they were doing.