UFO
expert remains committed that 'truth is out there'
Michel Deschamps still remembers first sighting at age 9
BY TRACEY DUGUAY
NORTHERN LIFE
'THE
BASIC FASCINATION is I've come to the realization
that we're being visited by something from someplace else,'
says Michel Deschamp. MARG SEREGELYI
The
truth is out there and Sudbury's self-proclaimed UFO historian
is determined to find it.
The
subject of unidentified flying objects has intrigued Michel
Deschamps for most of his life especially after a personal
UFO sighting he remembers when he was about nine year
old.
It's
looking for the answers to the age-old questions like
"why are they here" and "what do they want
fromus," that feeds Deschamps' interest in UFOs and
extraterrestrials.
"The
basic fascination is I've come to the realization that
we're being visited by something from someplace else."
Although
he holds down a full-time job at Wal-Mart, most of his
recreational time is spent researching the history of
UFO sightings in Sudbury and the surrounding communities.
In
fact, in 1992, he started painstakingly reviewing every
edition of local newspapers from their first publication
dates, looking for articles on UFO sightings.
It
took him over two years to complete his research and resulted
in an impressive collection of articles.
However,
he doesn't limit his research to just local statistics
and reports, but also likes to keep current on sightings
from around the world.
"I'm
trying to keep up with world events about this stuff,
not just local."
He
admits he hasn't been as diligent in the sky-watching
department as he used to be and blames it on his passion
for watching the Space Channel on television.
"I
haven't been sky watching at all for the last couple of
years," Deschamps says.
"I
haven't had the energy or desire to go out there."
Ironically,
he says watching this particular channel is sort of a
"break from reality" from his own life, which
he describes at times as "stranger" than some
of the programs he follows.
He's
thinking about starting a sky-watchers group whereby people
interested in UFOs can exchange phone numbers and keep
each informed about recent sightings.
Deschamps
says he can compare time and details of sightings to air
traffic or planetary movement in the region to determine
if it indeed was a UFO.
"I've
got astronomy programs on my computer and I can check
right away to see if it was a planet or a star."
He
says UFOs move quicker than objects like planes or helicopters.
They can also take off and stop "on a dime,"
unlike most aircraft.
"I
know the difference between a UFO and something "man-made"...I've
seen planes, helicopters and satellites, and these things
(UFOs) don't behave at all like any of those things...there's
a distinct difference."
The
easiest way to figure out if a person has really had a
close encounter of the extraterrestrial kind is by their
reaction, he says.
Deschamps
says people intuitively can feel it when they see something
out of the ordinary. The hair stands up on the back of
their necks and their eyes get kind of a "glazed
over" look when they recall their experience.
"Once
you see something, you're convinced and that changes people
for life," he says. "Even if the sighting is
50 years ago, they'll remember it like it was yesterday."
While
Deschamps believes in some cases of alien abductions,
he doesn't think most cases are reliable because the physical
evidence just isn't there to support it.
It
makes perfect sense to him, however, that abductions happen
and he compares it to current space exploration.
For
example, when astronauts visit Mars and other planets,
they bring back samples of dirt and other material to
analyze.
So,
according to Deschamps, it only makes sense when alternate
life forms visit Earth, they occasionally bring something
back with them as well, namely people, animals or other
objects.
The
whole generation abduction theory puzzles him though.
"I
just can't understand why they're taking the same people
over and over again."
Deschamps
says the focus on UFO research is switching to more physical
evidence, like landing sites, rather than abduction or
humanoid stories.
Since
credibility is a big issue in matters relating to UFO
experiences or research, physical evidence is more concrete
or believable than first-hand accounts.
The
sketicism that exists towards this subject and the people
who are believers is disheartening to Deschamps.
He
occasionally thinks about giving up, since it's hard to
keep the faith in the face of such disbelief.
Television
shows like the X-Files (now cancelled) did a lot to raise
the profile about possible visits from beings from space
and the potential for government cover-ups.
He
talks about rumours the technology used in Stealth planes,
satellites and transmitters came from the sites of crashed
UFOs.
Deschamps,
who says he doesn't scare easily, was worried a few times
when unexplained events happened to him in the throes
of a UFO sighting.
"When
I had trouble with the phones, I got scared. I thought
my phone was being tapped. On four different occasions
in the early 90s, I was talking to somebody about UFO's
on the phone and my phone went dead mid-sentence. No explanation."
One
gets the sense that no matter how discouraged, or occasionally
scared Deschamps gets, he will keep digging through newspapers
and web sites and watching the skies until he has the
answers to the age-old questions that have always plagued
him.
Anyone
interested in talking about UFOs or reporting sightings
can call Michel Deschamps at 670-2759 or e-mail him at
ufoman_1@hotmail.com.
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