PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - Gulfport, Mississippi - 25 Sep 55

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated military correspondence detailing a sighting that occurred on September 25, 1955, near Keesler Air Force Base in Gulfport, Mississippi. The witness, a 36-year-old radio and television technician, reported observing a brilliant, half-circle-shaped object on the horizon for approximately one minute. The object was described as having a red center, with outer edges ranging from pale blue to red. A sharp line of distinction separated a yellow portion from the blue-to-red area. During the observation, a brilliant blue shaft of light radiated from the half-circle before stopping abruptly in the sky. The light reportedly flickered three times, and the witness claimed to have been blinded by the flash, subsequently suffering from a severe headache. The report notes that the sighting received significant local media attention. Military investigators evaluated the incident and suggested that the phenomenon was likely a pyrotechnic device, such as a high-candlepower flare attached to a parachute, potentially related to photoflash bomb drop exercises. Although the local Air National Guard (ANG) unit stated that no such drops had occurred since September 19, 1955, officials noted the possibility that the area was being used by an outside organization. Alternatively, the report suggests the sighting could have been of a meteorological nature, given the frequency of other reports in the area at the time.